The next time Riley Moss tries to grab a receiver on a football field, he might not be able to.
After drawing three flags in the Broncos’ 22-19 win over the Chiefs on Sunday, including a costly fourth-quarter pass-interference penalty that cost Denver’s defense 47 yards, the third-year cornerback promised to correct a habit of drawing flags.
“In practice, we’re going to put the boxing gloves on me,” Moss said postgame. “We’re going to tape them up so there’s no chance of — it’s a repetitive thing and people can have their opinion on it, but me as a professional athlete, I have to be able to realize, ‘Ok, this has happened to me multiple times.’ It’s unfair sometimes, and it sucks, (but) I can’t be in that position as much as I have been.”
Moss has steadied the ship since Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II suffered a pectoral injury in Week 8, and helped hold top Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice to six catches for 38 yards on nine targets. Still, he entered Sunday tied for the second-most penalties drawn (eight) among all cornerbacks in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
He was penalized for three more Sunday: a first-quarter pass-interference call after grabbing Xavier Worthy deep, an illegal-contact call in the third quarter that gave Kansas City a first down, and that fourth-quarter flag that flipped the field on third-and-20.
“I will absolutely own up to that last one, underthrown ball, I can’t be grabbing like that,” Moss said. “It’s tough. It’s already a tough position.
“I’ve got to be able to, in those situations, not panic and play the ball. In practice, it’s going to be a big emphasis.’’
Cooper calls out ‘cheap shot’ from Hunt: Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper wasn’t happy with a shot he took during the Broncos’ win over the Chiefs.
Cooper got popped in the ribs by Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt on one pass-blocking rep late in the first half, and walked slowly off to the sideline. After Denver’s win, Cooper commended reserve outside linebacker Que Robinson for getting in on a sack right after the play and also on inside linebacker Justin Strnad for a big hit on Hunt later in the game.
“I took a cheap shot,” Cooper said. “… Shoutout Justin Strnad, he had my back on that for real because he came back and gave Kareem Hunt somethin’.”
Cooper left the locker room after his postgame interview with a member of the training staff and the Broncos’ team doctors.
Hunt finished with 13 carries for 59 yards and a touchdown, but had just 18 yards on the ground in the second half.
Payton credits crowd: The scoreboard at the Broncos’ home turf showed a total attendance of 75,911 on Sunday, with just 201 no-shows, creating a wall of noise that swelled on nearly every key Chiefs offensive drive.
Head coach Sean Payton gave a hat-tip to the environment at Empower Field.
“I thought our fans were outstanding,” Payton said. “It felt loud to me – and I say this respectfully – for the first time since I’ve been here. Like, really loud. And I think that helped.”
Happy returns. Marvin Mims Jr. acknowledged it “sucked” watching the past two weeks on television as he tried to clear through the NFL’s concussion protocol.
The first time he touched the ball Sunday against Kansas City, he put all that waiting to bed. Mims ripped off a 70-yard punt return in the first quarter that set Denver up at the Kansas City 12-yard line.
“It was great,” Mims said. “For guys that have had a concussion, you kind of overthink, overthink, overthink, and then you get out there. Just to be able to pop off with that, get tackled and be fine, it felt great.”
Inactives: A host of key Broncos still in recovery — Surtain, inside linebacker Alex Singleton, outside linebacker Jonah Elliss and tight end Nate Adkins — didn’t play Sunday.
Singleton was present, wearing sweats and chatting pregame with his fellow linebackers. Robinson was active for a second straight game in Elliss’ absence and continued to build on a solid stretch, getting in with D.J. Jones on one sack of Patrick Mahomes.
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