The Denver Broncos got in the win column for the first time this season on Sunday with a surprising 26-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bo Nix and the offense showed encouraging signs, but the defense was very impressive as they continued their strong form in 2024.
The cornerbacks have become one of, if not the strongest group on the team for Denver. Everybody knows about the greatness of Patrick Surtain II, arguably the best cornerback in football, but the Broncos may have finally found him a counterpart that can hold his own on the other side.
Riley Moss, a 2023 third-round pick out of Iowa, has been the starter opposite Surtain this season, and he’s holding his own. He knows that opposing quarterbacks are going to try to pick on him to avoid throwing at Surtain, and Moss is ready for the challenge, according to Zac Stevens of DNVR.
“It’s going to continue to be that way until I prove them differently,” Moss said. “So now it’s prove them differently.”
Moss’ numbers this year are fairly pedestrian: 12 catches allowed on 16 targets for 100 yards and one touchdown. However, he isn’t giving up big plays and has made 16 tackles with just two missed tackles, per PFF. If Moss can continue to improve, it will be hard for opposing quarterbacks to find a weak spot in the Broncos defense.
Broncos defense showing it can withstand offense’s growing pains
Much of the discussion around the Broncos in the first month of this season is about Bo Nix, Sean Payton and the offense. Such is life when you draft a rookie quarterback who the fans are hoping is the franchise savior. However, the Broncos defense is flying under the radar after playing some good football through three weeks.
Vance Joseph has the Broncos executing at a high level, as Denver currently ranks eighth in the league in defensive EPA/play (-0.150) through three weeks. They have played at that level against a fairly challenging trio of offenses; the Seahawks are very dangerous on that side of the ball and the Buccaneers have looked good to start the year.
The offense will have its growing pains, there’s no doubt about it. There will be a lot of bad days like we saw in the first two weeks, and there will be a few good days like they had on Sunday. That’s usually how it goes when you have a rookie quarterback trying to mesh with a new play caller.
Even with the inconsistency on offense, the Broncos defense is playing at a level that can keep Denver in a lot of games right now. In an AFC that is wide open, that alone has a chance to keep them in the playoff hunt.
