Making his first NFL start last week, Denver Broncos second-year cornerback Riley Moss held up relatively well across from Pat Surtain.
“I thought Riley played well in his first NFL start versus a high-end NFL receiver with a high-end quarterback,” defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said this week. “Obviously, they wanted to attack Riley from time to time, but he was always in the spot to make the play and that’s what you ask young guys to do. Compete and challenge guys every play. He tackled well.
“That was encouraging for a young corner to go out there and tackle that back one-on-one a couple of times. That’s encouraging. He played with confidence and he wasn’t shaken by anything. He’s going to be fine.”
Moss was just inches away from breaking up a fourth-quarter pass from Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett that ended up sealing the game.
“I was in good position and he just made a play,” Moss said. “And sometimes you get the short end of the stick … I’m still pissed off about it, but that’s why we play multiple games, so you can get better.”
Broncos CB Riley Moss, on his 1st start — & Tyler Lockett's game-clinching catch: "I was in good position & he just made a play. And sometimes you get the short end of the stick…I'm still pissed off about it, but that's why we play multiple games, so you can get better." pic.twitter.com/rqSvhpSBgW
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) September 13, 2024
Surtain has been encouraging to the young cornerback coming off Sunday’s loss.
“I just tell him, ‘That’s the NFL,'” Surtain said. “I think perfect throws beat perfect coverage. Some sequences like that, it occurs. At the end of the day, I told him it happens. I think he had a great game. Matter of fact, Riley, he came in following one of the top receivers that’s been doing it for a long time in the game and he held his own for sure.
“I told him, ‘Man, you played great.’ All those catches and all those throws, sometimes it happens. It’s a part of the game. I just told him to always keep his confidence no matter what.”
Moss is now set to make his second career start when the Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
