In the midst of the late-season push for a playoff spot, the Denver Broncos received some good news ahead of their Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
After missing Denver's last three games, cornerback Riley Moss is set to return this week. Head coach Sean Payton is as excited as anyone to get one of the team's biggest difference-makers on the defensive side of the ball back onto the field.
“Sean Payton on Riley Moss: ‘He’s got an awfully competitive juice. I would say you definitely felt his absence. Not just physically as a player, but also his presence.' Moss is BACK this week,” Zac Stevens of DNVR.com reported.
The 24-year-old cornerback out of Iowa has been impactful for the Broncos in his second campaign. Moss has recorded 71 tackles, tied with cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian for third-most on the team, one tackle for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and eight pass deflections.
The Broncos, sitting at 9-6 on the season, are currently in possession of the final playoff spot in the AFC. The Broncos' AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers hold the No. 6 seed despite having the same record as the Broncos because of their two head-to-head wins over them.
Denver will be in for a challenge to overtake Los Angeles for the No. 6 seed. The Broncos close out the season with matchups against the Bengals and current No. 1 seed Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers round out the regular season against the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders, the two teams bringing up the rear in the AFC standings.
Having Moss on the field will improve the Broncos' chances of picking up these important wins over competitive teams.
Related Denver Broncos NewsArticle continues below
What do the Broncos need to do to beat the Bengals?
If the Broncos want to have a chance to improve their playoff position, they will need to beat the Bengals on Sunday.
Despite sitting at 7-8 and third in the AFC North, the Bengals can be a difficult team to stop as they have one of the best quarterback/wide receiver duos in the game today in Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.
Burrow has gone 384 of 557 on passing attempts this season for 4,229 yards, which leads the NFL, and 39 touchdowns while throwing only eight interceptions. Chase has caught 108 passes for 1,510 yards and 16 touchdowns, having twice as many of each as every other receiver on the team and placing him at the top of the NFL in all three categories.
If the Broncos want to come out on top, finding a way to break up Burrow and Chase's connection would be a good place to start.
