Denver Broncos fans collectively held their breath when starting cornerback Riley Moss exited in the second quarter of Sunday's road game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. Moss injured his knee on a play where a guy in the pile fell into him on a tackle.
Moss did not return to action. Considering how much of a sparkplug he is — the team's second-leading tackler — losing him for a considerable amount of time could be devestating. Fortunately, Broncos head coach Sean Payton assuaged those concerns at the podium following the Broncos' 29-19 win over the Raiders.
"Fortunately, it wasn't really serious with Riley. It's an MCL," Payton said. "I'm not going to give anything. We'll see how next week is. There was some thought he could go back in. We'll see where it's at."
Payton is notoriously stingy about giving any injury information away, even following a game. But him pumping the brakes on the growing panic at the thought of losing Moss is encouraging.
The Broncos defense wasn't quite the same without Moss. There were coverage lapses in the second half and nobody can replace what he brings as a physical force.
How often does a cornerback push for the team lead in tackles? That tells you a lot. Even though he missed half the game, he still finished with four solo tackles — the fifth-most on the team.
Levi Wallace relieved Moss in the second quarter, and while he's solid in coverage, he doesn't bring the same tenacity in run support. But, the Broncos did manage to shut down Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, who finished with a paltry four receptions for 38 yards on 10 targets.
"Well, look, anytime you lose one of your top corners, it changes things," Payton said. "We still had our Bowers plan, that involved Pat and some doubles. Look, Levi came in. It was the next man up."
The good news is, the Broncos don't play again until Monday, December 2, hosting the Cleveland Browns. That extra day could help Moss get back on the field. Even if it doesn't, and he misses Week 13, the Broncos then get their bye week.
At the very least, it sounds like the Broncos should have their secondary in tact for the final run down the stretch. Moss was a 2023 third-round pick out of Iowa. He earned a starting job this past summer and has never looked back.
On the season, Moss has 71 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and seven pass break-ups.
