Broncos DC Defends CB Riley Moss: 'Toughest Guy on Our Defense'

With a crucial season finale on deck, the Denver Broncos are closing ranks around Riley Moss.

CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 28 - Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) reacts after making a stop in a game between the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Saturday, December 28, 2024. / Jeff Moreland / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Entering the season finale, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows that his squad has shown enough internal fortitude to change the losing narrative that has dogged the franchise for years.

Trouble is, without putting the final winning flourish on their campaign, all the Broncos' hard work will become an understated building block to be forgotten in the sands of time. And as the regular season draws to a close, emotions are running high.

On Friday, Payton pulled on the players' heart strings a little bit.

"I told these guys today, 'Make sure this is one we know where the [team] photo is," Payton said about making memories. "It's been a tight-knit team. We've hit adversity like every team during the stretch of the season. We've had success. And here it is. Let's make sure this is a photo that we look back on and we know where that's at."

Now, with only one win required to secure playoff qualification, the grit his team has shown needs to keep on showing up, or else the Broncos could let their golden opportunity slip away.

Back-to-back losses in L.A. and Cincinnati stung deeply because of all the opportunities the Broncos squandered. A few fatal flaws have been exposed on the back end of the Broncos defense.

Against Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow last week, starting cornerback Riley Moss returned to the lineup after a month on the injury table and was badly exposed. It has led many pundits to question the ability of Moss and the Broncos' secondary to bounce back, but defensive coordinator Vance Joseph isn't doubting his talented young cornerback for even a minute.

"I mean, he's the toughest guy on our defense," Joseph said of Moss on Friday via Andrew Mason. "He's a great tackler. He competes, he's long... And look, he'll get better from it."

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In truth, the Broncos have faced an enormous amount of adversity, overcoming much of it. And Moss is almost a poster boy for the underdog mentality that defines them.

Payton has also paid tribute to the Broncos' under-the-radar acquisitions, like safety Brandon Jones and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, who have fast-tracked the team back to competitive relevancy.

"Quietly there have been a number of these guys... important additions outside of the draft class that may have not been as higher profile guys," Payton said.

Everyone at Broncos HQ is hoping that any season-in-review can be put on ice for another few weeks, but the team knows its remit. Payton would rather entrust his backroom crew with booking flights and hotel accommodations for Upstate New York next week in the Wildcard Round of the playoffs.

After 16 games, Payton and company are justifiably enjoying how far they've come thus far, but it's all tantalizingly still laid out in front of them. Only the Kansas City Chiefs stand in Denver's way of a playoff berth and a ticket to Buffalo.

"To play in this stadium in a meaningful game at home, shoot, I'm getting excited talking about it," Payton said on Friday.

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