Riley Moss had seen the same route over the past four weeks, so he wasn’t fooled on Sunday.
The Broncos had Las Vegas in desperation mode, up 10 points in the third quarter of their 34-18 victory, and quarterback Gardner Minshew had to make a play.
Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker tried to create separation from Denver’s second-year cornerback with a stutter go route, but the former Iowa standout didn’t budge. When Minshew lofted the pass near the sideline, Moss jumped to secure his first career interception.
In the past, throwing the ball away from Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain II was beneficial for opposing quarterbacks. Through five games, Moss — Denver’s second-year cornerback and Surtain’s new running mate — has proven otherwise. As a result, the Broncos now have one of the best outside cornerback tandems in the league — and Denver’s defense has benefited from it.
“It’s crazy because a lot of people were questioning what the white cornerback was going to do,” Surtain said. “It’s good to see him out there making plays and doing what he’s doing.”
After hardly playing as a rookie, Moss expected teams to test his ability at outside cornerback. He has been targeted 34 times — sixth-most in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats — and has handled all the smoke. Moss has allowed 19 catches for 191 receiving yards, a touchdown and a 69.6 passer rating through five weeks. Against the Raiders, he and Surtain allowed a combined five catches for 58 yards and three picks on 11 targets.
Opposing wideouts have learned it’s hard to create separation from Moss. He has allowed two yards of average target separation — the lowest among Denver defensive backs.
“You can definitely see his confidence growing,” Broncos safety Brandon Jones said. “That’s a big separation factor, being able to have that confidence (to know when) the ball is in the air, I’m physically gifted enough to make plays.”
When the Broncos drafted Moss in the third round in 2023, Payton knew the 24-year-old had the speed, athleticism and ball skills to be a solid outside cornerback. However, he was unsure how Moss would handle different coverages at the pro level.
During training camp, the Broncos began to notice Moss holding up in press coverage and that has translated into the regular season. Moss has given up five catches for 70 yards on 12 targets in press coverage, according to Next Gen Stats. Moss also has allowed a 54.2 passer rating and 41% catch rate in that coverage look.
“You’re projecting, ‘When they get to this level, how will they be in man, how will they be in these other coverages?’” Payton said. “You don’t know how (a player is) going to translate into other coverages at our level. Fortunately for us, (Moss has) translated very well.”
Part of the reason Denver is off to a 3-2 start is because of the secondary’s success. Around this time last year, the Broncos were 29th in passing yards allowed (263) and 32nd in total yards (450.6). Damarri Mathis — the starting cornerback opposite Surtain at the time — had given up 23 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns on 28 targets.
A year later, Denver is fifth in passing yards allowed (159.8), second in pass yards per attempt (4.5) and third in total yards (271.2). Moss has played a key role in the secondary’s resurgence. He has given up fewer than 40 receiving yards in three of the last four games, including 34 in the win over the Raiders.
“It’s only up from here for (Moss),” Jones said.
For Moss, the next step is improving his turnover celebration. After he secured the pick on Sunday against the Raiders, he was in so much shock that he couldn’t think of anything creative, so he just sprinted down the sideline and pointed to the crowd with his teammates trailing him.
“I think he gets a pass on the celebration,” Surtain said. “He was pretty excited and didn’t know what to do.”
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