4 Key Takeaways From Broncos' Statement Win Over Chiefs

Moss is one of the best No. 2 cornerbacks in the NFL. But for the past three weeks, he's had to be the Broncos' No. 1 corner with Patrick Surtain II sidelined with a pectoral injury. Moss is physical, aggressive, and sticky in coverage — making it very difficult to complete a pass on him.

Unfortunately, much of the positive impact he brings to the Broncos' defense is too often negated by his untimely and costly penalties. Entering Week 11's tilt with the Chiefs, he'd been penalized eight times, most of which were pass interference.

Moss went two straight weeks without being penalized, but those chickens came home to roost vs. the Chiefs. His penchant for the penalty reached critical mass on Sunday, with three brutal fouls that cost the Broncos points.

Moss' two pass interference penalties went for big yardage, and directly led to nine Chiefs' points. The worst one, though, was his defensive holding penalty in the third quarter that wiped a Jahdae Barron pick-six off the board.

On one hand, you can say that Moss directly cost the Broncos 16 points vs. the Chiefs, and you'd be right. But on the other, how much more devastating would Patrick Mahomes have been without Moss' sticky coverage?

Now, are some of these flags on Moss ticky-tack? Absolutely. Are the refs seemingly targeting him? It would seem so, but he and the Broncos coaches should have realized that weeks ago.

When a ball gets thrown Moss' way, the refs whip out the magnifying glass. He has to know they're looking for a reason to throw the flag.

The Chiefs obviously went into this game intent on targeting Moss as part of their offensive attack. Not necessarily expecting completions every time, but rather, penalties. It makes no difference to an opponent whether 45 yards of field position was gained via a pass or a penalty, and Andy Reid and Mahomes were intent on exploiting Moss.

It worked. And the Broncos have to recognize that Moss has made himself a target in many ways, and figure out how to help him have more presence of mind on those deep shots because teams aren't going to stop testing him.

Look, Moss brings so much more to the table than what his penalties cost the Broncos. He's an excellent player, and that can't be overlooked. But the Broncos have to help him figure out how to clean up his technique.

“I’m going to continue to be aggressive. I’m going to continue to play, but I’m going to work on (it)," Moss said post-game via KOA Radio. "Because it’s been a consistent thing, so it’s time to figure it out.”

Not many teams can survive a cornerback, as good as Moss is, costing them 16 points in a tightly-contested game versus an opponent of Kansas City's caliber. The Broncos managed it this time, by the skin of their teeth.

Surtain is expected back after Denver's bye, so some of the pressure will be taken off Moss. But that won't stop teams from targeting Moss.

It appears the Broncos have come to terms with it as a sunk cost, so to speak. In other words, Moss is so good in every other aspect of his job as a cornerback, that Vance Joseph and Payton are willing to live with the possibility of him being penalized.

This time, though, Moss cost the Broncos big time. I really feel for the kid because he tries so hard and contributes so much to this defense.

Let's hope it's an individual point of emphasis for Moss and secondary coach Jim Leonhard over the next two weeks.

Walton/Penners Need to Give VJ the Bag

Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is expected to finally get his second chance at a head-coaching gig following this season. His defense has been historic, serving as the Broncos' tip of the spear this season.

Once again, Joseph turned in a masterful game plan vs. the Chiefs. Mahomes was getting rid of the ball quickly, but the coverage mostly held up, and the pass rush was relentless.

The Broncos were able to sack Mahomes three times. Joseph called an excellent game, dialing up the blitz at crucial moments, two of which paid off with sacks.

Joseph really wants another crack at a head-coaching gig after his two-stint as the top dog in Denver from 2017-18 didn't pan out. However, the Walton-Penner ownership group would be wise to use its deep pockets to roll out the Brinks truck to keep Joseph in Denver.

Whatever it takes. The Broncos have a coordinator-in-waiting in Leonhard, but Joseph is special. He won't be easily replaced.

It's hard to compete financially with a head-coaching offer from an outside team, but the Broncos just happen to have the wealthiest owners in the NFL. And this is the type of situation where that wealth can prevail, and serve the Broncos.

Those considerations will be juxtaposed with the fact that, if Joseph gets another job as a head coach, the Broncos will get two third-round picks from the NFL. But would two third-rounders really be worth losing the best defensive coordinator in the league?

I'm not so sure.

J-Mac Deserves a Game Ball

Cornerback Ja'Quan McMillian had arguably the best performance of his young career, and in the biggest game of his life. The savvy nickel corner picked off Mahomes and sacked him twice, both of which killed a Chiefs' drive.

McMillian's second sack came on a pivotal 3rd-&-11 with the game tied at 19 and under four minutes to go. He got to Mahomes, forcing the Chiefs to punt. Mahomes never saw the field again, as Nix orchestrated a 10-play, 58-yard drive that culminated in Wil Lutz's 35-yard game-winning field goal.

The Broncos' secondary deserves a lot of credit for limiting the Chiefs' passing attack on Sunday.

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