Amid 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 expected to return this week. Head Coach Sean Payton is as excited as anyone to bring back to the field one of the team’s biggest difference makers on the defensive side of the ball.
“Sean Payton on Riley Moss: ‘He’s incredibly competitive. I would say you really felt his absence. Not just physically as a player, but also his presence. Moss is BACK this week,” reported Zac Stevens of DNVR.com.
The 24-year-old cornerback from Iowa made an impact for the Broncos during his sophomore campaign. Moss recorded 71 tackles, tied with cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian for third on the team, with one tackle for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and eight pass deflections.
The Broncos, with a 9-6 record this season, are currently in possession of the final playoff spot in the AFC. The Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos’ rivals in the AFC West, hold the sixth spot despite having the same record as the Broncos due to their two head-to-head victories against them.
Denver will have the challenge of overtaking Los Angeles for the No. 6 seed. The Broncos close out the season with matchups against the Bengals and the current No. 1 seed, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers complete the regular season against the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders, both teams bringing up the rear in the AFC standings.
Having Moss on the field will improve the Broncos’ chances of securing those important wins against competitive teams.
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What do the Broncos need to do to beat the Bengals?
If the Broncos want to have any chance of improving their playoff position, they will have to beat the Bengals on Sunday.
Despite being 7-8 and third in the AFC North, the Bengals can be a tough team to stop as they have one of the best quarterback/wide receiver duos in the game today with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.
Burrow has completed 384 of 557 pass attempts this season for 4,229 yards, which leads the NFL, and 39 touchdowns while throwing just eight interceptions. Chase caught 108 passes for 1,510 yards and 16 touchdowns, twice as many as any other receiver on the team and putting him atop the NFL in all three categories.
If the Broncos want to win, finding a way to break the connection between Burrow and Chase would be a good place to start.
