With big stakes ahead, it’s a good time to answer your questions about where the Broncos stand in this week’s mailbag.
(Editor’s note: Questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.)
As we head into the playoffs, one of my biggest concerns is Riley Moss. No matter how difficult Pat Surtain II’s job is by keeping teams away from the field, the guy makes a lot of mistakes. Most pass interference calls against him are not subtle. There is tremendous contact before the pass. I’m a huge Broncos fan and want them to go all the way, but whenever a pass is thrown in Moss’ direction, I hold my breath. Make no mistake, his inability to cover receivers will cost us dearly in the playoffs. , Michael L.
There are a lot of nuances to deal with in evaluating Moss. I would reject the claim that he has an “inability to cover receivers.” Quarterbacks are completing just 52.8 percent of his passes when targeting him, one of the lowest rates for a high-volume corner in the league. According to Next Gen Stats, receivers are averaging just 1.9 yards against Moss. Only Philadelphia’s Quinyon Mitchell (1.6) has covered receivers more tightly. Moss is a fixed tackler who has limited yards after the catch when a receiver makes a catch on him. His statistical profile, and much of his film, describes a corner who effectively covers receivers to give a ferocious defensive front time to do what it does best: harass the quarterback.
It’s also impossible to ignore that the flags on Moss are being drawn in a way that has put the Broncos in some dangerous spots. In Week 11 alone, Moss committed three penalties in Denver’s 22–19 win over the Chiefs. He had two pass-interference penalties of more than 40 yards that led directly to nine Kansas City points, including a flag in the fourth quarter that preceded the go-ahead touchdown for the Chiefs. Moss also committed an illegal contact penalty in the third quarter, eliminating rookie Jahde Barron’s six-pointer. Moss leads the NFL with seven allowed defensive pass interference penalties this season. No other player in the league has committed more than four such violations. Some of this can be attributed to the amount of passes thrown to Moss. He has been targeted 72 times more than other defenders in football. Still, Moss admitted after the win against the Chiefs that he needed to be better.
“Listen, I’ll definitely own the last ball, the underthrown ball,” Moss said after the game against the Chiefs, referring to a fourth quarter penalty. “I can’t catch him like that. It’s tough. It’s already a tough situation, and I have to be able to play the ball, in those circumstances. In practice, it’s going to be a big push. We’re going to put boxing gloves on me – we’re going to tape them – so there’s no chance (of pass interference).”
The Broncos are hopeful that Surtain, who has missed the past three games with a pectoral injury, will return for Sunday’s road game against the Commanders. Will this force the coaching staff to make a decision at the opposite cornerback position? Chris Abrams-Drain has performed admirably in the last three and a half games in Surtain’s absence. While targeting second-year cornerback Patrick Mahomes in Week 11, he completed just 3 of 6 passes for 25 yards. He has not been penalized in 165 defensive snaps this season.
Still, I don’t expect the Broncos to make a move with Moss at this point. He has a tough job, especially when Surtain is on the field, and the Broncos know he will face big targets coming his way. You can expect a coaching emphasis for Moss, some of which he has already previewed, on avoiding overly aggressive contact. Force the receiver to make a play. When Moss is scoring a penalty he is often in a tight defensive position. The one exception would be Week 2, when he drew a few frustration flags while trying to prevent Alec Pierce from converting a deep catch into a touchdown. Otherwise, the receivers are leaving Moss in no position to pursue. He is right there. Now, he will have to finish with better technique to avoid putting his team in a difficult position during the big games to come.
I fear that the JK Dobbins injury could ultimately be devastating for the Broncos. What does the future of our running game look like now that Dobbins is out? Will RJ Harvey be the RB1? Or do you think practice squad running back Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin or even Deuce Vaughn will get a chance? Are they looking to add Damon Pierce or another free agent? – RF
The early returns without Dobbins were not promising. Harvey was the leading rusher against the Chiefs with 30 yards on 11 carries, which was less output than Dobbins had in his 10 games this season. McLaughlin added 19 yards and a touchdown on six carries. The Broncos scored 27 explosive runs (12 yards or more) in the first 10 games of the season, a figure that ranked seventh in the NFL over that span. Denver had no explosive runs against the Chiefs – and no rushes of more than 7 yards. This was, by almost every metric, the Broncos’ lowest rushing output of the season.
A group effort.
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/SoONbGJDre
– Denver Broncos (@Broncos) 16 November 2025
This was also the same game. It’s certainly fair to be concerned about whether the Broncos can rediscover the same juice in the run game without Dobbins, who was the league’s fifth-leading rusher (772 yards) through Week 10. However, we need to see more before declaring that aspect of Denver’s offense ripe. I suspect Harvey and McLaughlin will have a relatively even distribution of carries in the coming weeks as Sean Payton has created a game plan that caters to both ball carriers. The Broncos will go with whatever they have at home for now. Forgive me for not being overly excited about Pierce. Outside of a 92-yard run in 2024, he has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry over the past three seasons.
I think we have a chance to win 14. Washington and the Raiders should win. Kansas City becomes 14 without needing to win three home games. Do you think 14 runs is enough to get a bye? I don’t think Indianapolis will get to 14 and I think New England is going to have trouble with Baltimore and Buffalo. , Stephen K.
I believe 14 wins will be enough to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC and the bye that comes with it. However, it won’t be easy for Denver to get to that point. Even if the Broncos win back-to-back road games, their three rivals at home – the Packers, Jaguars and Chargers – are all headed to the playoffs. It wouldn’t be crazy to say that Denver, a team that has won eight in a row, could go 5-1 in its last six games to reach 14 wins, but there are real challenges on the rest of the schedule.
The good news for the Broncos is that their tiebreaking scenario with the Patriots is favorable right now. For example, if both teams finish 13–4, it is likely that Denver will either have the conference-record edge or a better record against common opponents – provided the Broncos do not lose to the Raiders. There is still a lot of football to be played and things can change in a single weekend, but I think 13 wins could be enough to clinch the top seed. Of course, the Broncos can’t clinch the No. 1 seed by tying with the Colts, as Indianapolis owns the head-to-head tiebreaker. However, the rest of the way the Colts have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL.
Can you comment on the John Franklin-Myers situation? Is there any way Denver can retain him? The D-line is playing at such a high level for Denver and JFM is a big part of that. , Tom M.
He definitely is. Franklin-Myers may be one of the more underrated defensive players in football. He has 4 1/2 sacks this season after recording a career-high seven in 2024. His arrival in Denver has coincided with a breakthrough for defensive end Zach Allen, largely due to how well the two play off of each other. Franklin-Myers is also strong against the run and is playing perhaps the best football of his career in his eighth NFL season.
The Broncos did not engage in any concrete contract negotiations heading into the bye week with Franklin-Myers, who will be a free agent after this season. The front office gave major contract extensions to wide receiver Courtland Sutton, outside linebackers Nick Bonito and Allen this offseason, and kicker Wil Lutz agreed to a three-year extension during the bye week. Meanwhile, Franklin-Myers appears to be headed to the open market, where he will be highly coveted. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Broncos could still re-sign Franklin-Myers. It appeared that DJ Jones was headed to free agency in the spring before agreeing to an extension with Denver just before the start of the legal tampering period. Perhaps the Broncos will end up at the same spot with Franklin-Myers, but it would make sense for Franklin-Myers to gauge how well he is playing in order to gauge his value on the open market in the spring.
John Franklin-Myers pushed down another fourth
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Also streaming continues @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/u9OuC9Lk63– NFL (@NFL) 7 November 2025
After seeing Pat Bryant rush for 82 yards on five receptions against Kansas City – and with the caveat that Payton’s offense does not “feature” players week after week – should we expect his production to continue in this offense? Aaron B.
Bryant undoubtedly had the best game of his young career against the Chiefs. He came up big in clutch moments. He took controversial catches in the middle. He displayed reliable hands that earned him more confidence from quarterback Bo Nix. As a “power” slot receiver, he has been a more capable blocker in the run game, and this has helped Sean Payton disguise the run and pass more effectively when he was a rookie on the field.
Bryant’s performance against the Chiefs was as encouraging as any other aspect of Denver’s win. Troy Franklin has become Denver’s most targeted receiver as teams have shifted coverage toward Courtland Sutton. Franklin has largely made the most of those opportunities, including a pair of big catches at the end of the Week 11 win. If Bryant continues to develop as a third target it will be more difficult for defenses to devote extra resources to slowing down Sutton. The willingness Knicks showed to get to open goals against the Chiefs could be a blueprint for how he and Denver’s offense operates as Bryant grows into a more important role.
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