The Denver Broncos got blown out against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of the preseason. That game does give the team a lot to work on before the regular season, which isn't the worst thing ever, but it was a bad loss nonetheless.
Early on in the game, the Broncos appeared to have created a turnover when Patrick Surtain II stripped Packers wide receiver Christian Watson. Riley Moss had recovered the apparent fumble, but he landed awkwardly on the ball and was clearly in some pain.
Moss immediately left the game, and the turnover was overturned on replay. It appeared as if the rib injury Moss suffered could have been serious, but an update on Monday from head coach Sean Payton can make all of Broncos Country breath a sigh of relief.
Denver Broncos avoided disaster with Riley Moss' rib injury
Payton was pretty direct speaking with the media following a Monday practice. According to Payton, it's nothing serious:
""It's nothing serious, we're being smart. We'll see as the week progresses where he's at.""Sean Payton on Riley Moss' rib injury
Riley Moss’ rib injury is not serious and the Broncos are just being smart, per Sean Payton.
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevens) August 24, 2026
Good news for the Broncos and Moss. pic.twitter.com/p5jn9R49w9
Moss has gotten a ton of rave reviews this offseason and is obviously entrenched as the starting cornerback opposite Surtain. The fourth-year player from Iowa is also in a contract year, so he is playing for an extension from the Broncos or a free agency contract from another team.
That CB2 job opposite Surtain is incredibly important, as there aren't many quarterbacks who throw to Surtain's side of the field. For reference, in the 2025 season, Moss was targeted 118 times, according to Pro Football Reference, which was the most targets any player in the entire league saw.
Surtain was targeted just 61 times. Despite being targeted so much, Moss only allowed a 57.6 percent completion percentage. While the pass interference penalties were a lot at times, many of those did seem to be on the softer side, to be honest.
Moss is a very good player and needs to be in the lineup if the Broncos defense wants to reach their potential. When Moss was hurt last year, the defense immediately regressed, and that wasn't some silly coincidence. With Moss on the mend, it'd make sense if he didn't play in the Broncos final preseason game and instead worked on getting healthy for the start of the 2026 regular season.
The Broncos avoiding disaster with Moss' injury is excellent news.
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