ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — First-year starting cornerback Riley Moss goes into every game knowing he'll be targeted early and often by quarterbacks shying away from Denver Broncos superstar Patrick Surtain II on the other side.
“It's fun playing opposite of Pat,” Moss said. “I'm getting the ball thrown to my side a bunch.”
Rather than lament getting picked on, Moss's mindset is — bring it on.
“Yeah, I mean you're not going to escape it. So, face it head on,” Moss said. “What are we scared about? It's football. I get beat deep? OK. Come back the next play, get a pick or something. It's not the end of the world. You don't need to stress out about it. It's just a game at the end of the day and I'm ready for it.”
That attitude is what has helped Moss make a strong impression this season after a core muscle injury last year curtailed his chances to strut his stuff as a rookie.
Vance Joseph, whose defense is ranked in the top 3 in eight of the league's 11 official categories, including third in points per game (13.8) and first in fewest yards per play (4.2), suggested that playing opposite Surtain is accelerating Moss's learning curve.
“You have to have a guy who's resilient, who has a short memory, who's a confident guy,” Joseph said. “Obviously the targets are going to go your way most of the time, especially because Pat's matching their best guy. They have to try you to see if there's something there.”
And there hasn't been much open on Moss's side of the field, either.
Moss only drew six flags during his five years at Iowa and has been flagged for three pass interferences so far, covering 76 yards. There's an upshot even to those whistles, Joseph suggested.
“Some of the penalties he's getting are real. Some of those are I'm not so sure good,” Joseph said. "But being a young corner, first-time starter, right? No one's seen him play. And everyone's assuming that he's probably cheating, you know? But he's not. He's playing well and he's been resilient through the penalties, through being attacked.”
Joseph noted that on the first two plays in Denver's 10-9 win over the Jets last week, Moss was treated to double moves by Garrett Wilson and Tyler Conklin on the game's first two snaps and he thwarted them both with terrific coverage.
“So, the things he's doing really well sometimes it's being unnoticed and some of the penalties are being noticed," Joseph said. "But man, he's athletic, he's smart, he's tough, he can tackle. He takes game plans really well during the week. So, I've been really proud of his development.
“He's definitely a joy to coach and a joy to watch him get better every week.”
Surtain, who signed a four-year, $96 million extension before the season, was his usual lockdown self in September, holding opponents' top wide receivers to a combined 77 yards on eight catches.
He limited D.K. Metcalf to 29 yards on three catches, George Pickens to 16 yards on one catch, Mike Evans to 8 yards on one catch and Garrett Wilson to 22 yards on three receptions.
Nobody's happier to see that kind of dominance than Moss, who knows he'll keep getting opportunities to make plays himself when Surtain is on top of his game.
“And Riley’s taken the challenge," Joseph said. “It hasn’t been easy but he is a headstrong, confident dude, man, and he’s playing good football.”
Coach Sean Payton concurred that playing opposite Surtain has accelerated Moss's learning curve, something he said he had just spoken to team owner Greg Penner and GM George Paton about that morning.
“We were just sitting there talking and I said, ‘Man, if you’re watching the film of this guy play right now, he’s playing at a high level.’ He’s long, he’s smart, and super competitive,” Payton said. "One of the traits you have to have at that position is you’re going to fail, and you have to dare to fail and get right back. I’m really pleased with his progress.”
Notes: ILB Alex Singleton said he'll have surgery on his torn ACL on Oct. 15.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Arnie Stapleton, The Associated Press
