Broncos CB Riley Moss Admits He Took Brutal Chargers Play 'Personally'

Riley Moss has a very difficult job of playing opposite Patrick Surtain II.

DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 15: Denver cornerback Riley Moss (21) during a game between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, CO on September 15, 2024. | Kevin Langley / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

As the Denver Broncos' cornerback playing opposite Patrick Surtain II, Riley Moss has been fated to get harshly critiqued. As head coach Sean Payton has said, Moss is going to get "a lot of business," as opponents strive to avoid Surtain.

The ball goes Moss' way often, and especially when the chips are down, as we saw when Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert pulled off his circus act, throwing that game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter last week. The Broncos lost 23-20 on a walk-off field goal.

"I take that personally, giving up that late touchdown, but we're going to get better from it," Moss told Scotty Gange of 9NEWS. "It just sucks, we're tired of losing games like this."

According to Next Gen Stats, Moss is currently the second-most-targeted cornerback in the NFL. It might come as a surprise that Moss has allowed 13 catches on 27 targets for 170 yards through the opening three weeks.

Still, it was Moss getting beat in the end zone last Sunday that sticks in the minds of increasingly disgruntled sections of Broncos Country, even though his coverage was about as good as it gets.  

One of Moss' core strengths is a robustly feisty attitude — a noble disposition that allows him to digest disappointment and move to the next challenge. More than perhaps ever before, he'll have to count on that bullish mentality and prototypical cornerback amnesia as he continues to do battle with the Cincinnati Bengals' elite pass catchers next up on Monday Night Football. 

"We didn't get the job done last week, didn't get the job done this week," Moss told Gange. "At the end of the day, we gotta win those, especially the close ones. We've gotta be able to finish. We all take that personally... We're going to keep rolling; there's no pity party in here. We're going to keep attacking each day. And it's tough, but we're built for it." 

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Sep 21, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston (1) hangs on to a pass at the 3-yard line as he is defended by Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) in the first half at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Similarly, notoriously short is the memory of Broncos fans who have turned their ire on Moss, especially after the breakout season he produced last year. Remember, Moss had the athletic play of diving to tip a Herbert pass that popped up and into the hands of safety Brandon Jones for a timely takeaway, which took points off the board for the Chargers early on Sunday. 

Two weeks in a row, we've seen the over-hyped Broncos defense make some plays, but just not enough to take down a pair of still unbeaten teams. Moss is well aware that when the quarterback breaks containment and goes to throw on the run, it dictates that absolutely everyone on the back end has to do more to defend against it, particularly in crunch time. 

"The D-Line played great today, they got home—a few sacks and stuff, contained the quarterback—and then on the back end, we need to do a better job [on a] scramble drill, being able to attach the receivers and finish there," Moss told Gange. 

Experiencing back-to-back buzzer-beating defeats was always bound to cause consternation and immediate levels of increased concern. Coupled with prized free-agent linebacker Dre Greenlaw finally limping onto injured reserve, folks are suddenly in panic mode. 

Not the dogged Moss, though. The third-year corner is determined to dig deep and prove that the Denver defense can turn the “close but no cigar” narrative on its head in short order. 

"With the loss, it sucks," Moss said. "I think we played better as a defense this week than we did last week—and we're gonna continue to improve—it just sucks. We're all tired of losing these games like this. There's going to be a fire on our a**** to get going here." 

Faced with a mountain of adversity and criticism already in his young career, Moss is responding in the only way he knows how. Even his harshest critics have to admire that, even if begrudgingly.