Broncos 'Hopefully' Getting CB Riley Moss Back in Week 17, per Payton

The Denver Broncos defense has been night and day without cornerback Riley Moss.

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 15: Denver cornerback Riley Moss (21) during a game between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, CO on September 15, 2024. / Kevin Langley / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

The Denver Broncos defense became one of the jewels of the NFL this season. Vaunted, highly touted, and even feared.

Who would have thought that the fulcrum of the Broncos' defensive prowess would be a No. 2 cornerback? Since Riley Moss went down with a knee injury in Week 12's victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos defense not only hasn't been the same, but it's been a far cry from the stout, smart, efficient unit it had been for the majority of the season.

Any cornerback on Denver's defense not named Patrick Surtain II, as head coach Sean Payton intimated on Sunday morning, is going to get a lot of looks from opposing quarterbacks. In his remarks, Coach Payton was hopeful that Moss will return next week for Denver's crucial road trip to face Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

“Obviously the guy that plays opposite of Patrick is going to get a lot of business," Payton said of Moss. "All throughout training camp, he really rose to the occasion, battled, competed, and throughout really a good portion of the season. He’s a big reason why we were playing so well defensively. The sooner, the better when we can get him back in the lineup. Hopefully, it can happen this weekend.”

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Since the Broncos' Week 14 bye, the rumor mill has centered around Week 17 as Moss' return date, and interpreting the content of Payton's remarks, and his tone, it sounds like the second-year corner out of Iowa is expected back to face the Bengals and help his team clinch a playoff berth.

Indeed, Denver's corners not named Surtain are going to be targeted by the opposing quarterback. While nickel corner Ja'Quan McMillian has been his usual playmaking self, the guys the Broncos have rotated in on the boundary in relief of Moss have left much to be desired.

Without Moss in the lineup, the Broncos haven't been able to lean on defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's signature model of pressure defense and man coverage. Or at least, Joseph hasn't been confident in playing man. We've seen Denver playing a lot of zone, which requires a savvy and sophisticated level of communication on the back end of the defense and a lot of experience playing together.

Not counting the Week 12 Raiders game, Joseph's unit has relinquished 299.6 passing yards per game with this model. Entering Week 12 (when Moss got hurt), the Broncos ranked No. 7 against the pass, allowing 190.7 yards per game. That's a difference of 108.9 yards per game, and it comes out in the wash.

Sustained drives and third-down conversions — these things lead to points. And while Bo Nix and the Broncos offense were mostly able to keep up and put more points on the board than the opponents while Moss has been out, the chickens finally came home to roost last Thursday night in the team's disappointing 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Levi Wallace was an utter bust as Moss' fill-in vs. the Cleveland Browns, allowing Jerry Jeudy to have a career, record-setting day in his return to Denver and Jameis Winston to pass for a whopping 497 yards. The Broncos learned their lesson, sitting Wallace down and going with a combination of the third-year Damarri Mathis on base downs and rookie fifth-rounder Kris Abrams-Draine in passing situations in Week 15 and 16.

Both Mathis and Abrams-Draine mostly held their own, but, again, with Joseph calling zone coverage predominantly, the Broncos' secondary got exposed time and time again. The rookie found ways to shine and thrive, even picking off Justin Herbert, but he wasn't used full-time as perhaps he should have been.

Moss' return will allow Joseph to get back to his Wade Phillips-esque brand of defense. Throw in Moss' playmaking penchant and the glue-guy that he is, and it should be a massive boost for the Broncos against an MVP-level quarterback like Burrow, whose offense is teeming with weaponry.

And let's not sell short Moss' impact against the run. He's a physical force who relishes sticking his nose in the muss. When he went down in Week 12, Moss was Denver's second-leading tackler. Think about that. It's nearly unprecedented for a corner to vy for a team's lead in tackles. But Moss is just... D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-T.

Throw in his coverage and football IQ, and Moss serves as the perfect complement to Surtain and McMillian. When the Broncos have their cornerback trio back and intact, this defense will be able to get back to playing as it did before Week 12.

On the season, Moss has 71 tackles (53 solo), with eight pass break-ups, an interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He's a big-time producer and the Broncos have missed him terribly. To finally clinch a playoff berth, he'll be needed.

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