Broncos CB Riley Moss Let's Slip a Key Factor in Ravens 41-10 Beatdown

This explains a lot about the Denver Broncos' fourth loss of the season.

Nov 3, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the Denver Broncos at M&T Bank Stadium. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

In his first year as Denver Broncos defensive coordinator, things started out dicey for Vance Joseph. In 2023, the Broncos got out to a brutal start defensively, with Week 3's humiliating loss to the Miami Dolphins being the low point.

Joseph purportedly tried to keep some of the Vic Fangio scheme in play in Year 1, in an effort to bridge the old regime with the new. And it's hard to fault his initial objective too much because Fangio's defense has been the NFL trend for the past several years.

But Fangio's scheme is heavily reliant on zone coverage and getting pressure on the quarterback with just four rushers. Zone coverage schemes are also very dependent on back-end communication and each player mastering his job in the defense on a given play.

Joseph's attempt to keep the Fangio system around backfired on the Broncos historically, and he quickly went back to his core philosophies as a coordinator, the origins of which are the familiar Wade Phillips defense. Man coverage and blitz, baby, blitz.

The Broncos' 41-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens was brutal. But it should come as no surprise that the first true slip-up of the vaunted Broncos defense this season came in a game where Joseph tried to throw a curveball at the opponent, only to see it boomerang instead and smack him and his unit square between the eyes.

Following the game in Baltimore, Broncos cornerback Riley Moss said something from his locker that not many people picked up on. The Broncos were running zone coverage in Baltimore, which is likely a huge reason why Zay Flowers was able to run wild and Lamar Jackson looked like the Terminator.

“I think, for the most part, we were playing some zone today and eyes, at times, were a little crazy," Moss said. "So, I think just, like I said, looking inward and figuring out what we need to do a bit better.” 

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I understand the urge to throw something entirely novel at the first high-quality opponent the Broncos faced this year. Truly. But Joseph would be wise to stick with what has worked for him, and what has led to the Broncos being (still) one of the best statistical defenses in the NFL.

It didn't help that the Broncos sucked at tackling in Baltimore, which led to many big runs after the catch and Derrick Henry doing his thing. Crashing back down to Earth in such epic style will have definitely humbled the Broncos, but will they learn from it? Moss thinks so.

“You know, football is a humbling game and that’s the beauty of it," Moss said. "The highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows... It’s something that, ‘OK, it happened. Alright, how can we get better so that it doesn’t occur again?’ Because that’s what winning teams do, and I think we have the guys to be able to do that.” 

Joseph got a little too big for his britches, but he'll learn from it. Look, every coordinator will mix and match coverages in a given game plan, but the overarching base remains unchanged, whether it's Fangio and his zone/match quarters or Joseph and his man scheme.

But the Broncos were obviously not ready to operate in zone predominantly against such a tier-one opponent. As Moss said, he and his teammates' eyes were "a little crazy," which means guys weren't sure what they were supposed to be doing, what they were supposed to be keyed on.

I don't know about you, but Jackson and the Ravens seems like a really poor opponent to roll out a scheme that affects the players' confidence. Now, the flip side is, had the Broncos won, we'd be singing Joseph's praises for daring to throw something different at the Ravens.

That's the nature of the NFL. When it works, you're the G.O.A.T. When it doesn't, you're just the goat.

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