The Denver Broncos have an exciting duo emerging at the cornerback position. With Patrick Surtain II’s elite level play, Riley Moss is seeing targets opposite of him, and is making plays on a consistent basis.
Denver Broncos CB duo growing into one of NFL’s top units
Patrick Surtain II is having a tremendous impact on the success of the Denver Broncos defense through five games, having gone against DK Metcalf, George Pickens, Mike Evans, Garrett Wilson, and recently Jakobi Meyers/Brock Bowers in Sunday’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Of all the players Surtain has covered, he’s allowed 10 total catches on 15 targets in five games for 109 total yards, zero touchdowns allowed, and two interceptions. He’s forcing opposing quarterbacks to try and settle for short shots to try and get anything going when targeting him. Quarterbacks this season have a passer rating of 48.3 when targeting him, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. That’s elite territory.
Because of Surtain’s impact, the cornerback opposite of him is likely going to see more targets. That’s where Riley Moss has come into play, turning on an impressive showing through Denver’s first five games himself.
Moss has been active. He has 33 tackles on the year from the outside corner position, has allowed 19 catches on 34 targets for 191 total yards, and hasn’t given up a pass where a receiver has gotten any type of separation. Moss is sticky in coverage and it stands out on tape.
Another stat that stands out from Next Gen Stats is that Surtain is allowing the second-lowest EPA per target (-0.76) among corners this season who have a minimum of ten targets. Moss has allowed -0.18 EPA per target, which makes them one of five cornerback duos across the league this season to have both allowed negative EPA per target.
Surtain’s performance on Sunday against the Raiders led to him receiving the NFL’s honor of AFC Defensive Player of the Week. When asked about how he’s seen Moss grow, Pat had rave reviews of the second-year cornerback from Iowa.
“It’s been an honor to really watch him grow and become the player that he is today,” Surtain said. “I wouldn’t take full credit into what he’s done because all the work comes from him. His dedication, his grind, his effort and his willingness to work. That’s all up to him. He puts the work in behind the scenes, and a lot of that credit goes to him. For him to be able to display it now in game situations and making plays, I’m very proud of him as a player of what he’s become so far.”
