Riley Moss Admits How Broncos Were Shaken by Loss of Pat Surtain II

The Denver Broncos could not recover from Pat Surtain II's early exit from Week 6's loss.

Oct 13, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) leaves the field in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos have been feeding off of the dominant performances of cornerback Patrick Surtain II. His contributions allowed the Broncos to climb out of an 0-2 hole.

When Surtain exited Week 6's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers early with a concussion, fellow cornerback Riley Moss admitted it sucked a lot of the life out of the Broncos defense before it could readjust. Moss feels the Broncos have to be mentally stronger.

"It is just one of those things that you feel it, and we can't allow that to happen," Moss said post-game. "We can't allow adversity to sway how we're playing... We gotta be able to get through, and that's a part of it because we are a younger team, being able to be mature and being able to get over that adversity."

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How this young Broncos squad reacts to the likelihood that Surtain will also miss Thursday night's tilt against the New Orleans Saints will reveal a lot more to head coach Sean Payton about the "grit" his team has deep down. In what could easily be framed as a transitional year, Payton seemed to remind everyone that finding out what he's got in the younger crop of talent is as important as winning in the bigger picture. 

"We have to see these guys. We are a young team. I want to see this runner as well. I want to see [RB] Audric Estime," Payton said post-game. "We are going to see [WR Devaughn] Vele and we are going to see [WR Troy] Franklin. We are not wanting to redshirt these guys. We will continue to see each week their involvement in the plan and how they fit. That is how you get confidence and get experience."

The fact remains that if the Broncos had gotten rolling much earlier in Week 6's 23-16 loss to the Chargers, fans would be more buoyant heading into the trip to the Bayou. Despite Bo Nix's encouraging fourth-quarter performance, scoring early points will be extremely difficult until Payton trusts that his rookie can beat tight coverage packages. 

Payton was more than willing to shoulder the blame for Denver's lack of offensive productivity. He still has some riddles to solve.

"All of this starts with me," Payton said. "We have to be better offensively. We have to protect the ball better. That is what I saw. We will go from there."

Heading into the short week is a double-edged sword for Payton because it's unlikely to afford Surtain enough time to clear the NFL concussion protocol. The wounded Broncos must clear their memory banks and refocus on the challenge the Saints present quickly.

"Normally we talk about getting the taste out of your mouth, but it has to happen when they go to sleep tonight," Payton said. "Tomorrow the focus is all on New Orleans, and it will be with me."

With the Broncos standing at the .500 mark, this isn't precisely a sky-is-falling scenario, but losing Surtain has seen a dark cloud appear directly overhead. The team's three-game winning streak was bound to come crashing to an end at some point. 

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