Former Ankeny Centennial and Iowa football star Riley Moss made a career-high 12 tackles in his first NFL start for the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Moss, a second-year cornerback, was credited with eight solo tackles and four assists in Denver’s 26-20 loss to Seattle at Lumen Field. The Broncos became the first team since 2017 to record two safeties and two takeaways in the same game, but it wasn’t enough.
Linebacker Alex Singleton intercepted Seattle quarterback Geno Smith’s first pass attempt and returned the ball to the Seahawks’ 20-yard line. Early in the second quarter, the Broncos punted the ball away and recovered a fumble at the Seattle 9 with an opportunity to push their lead to two possessions.
Denver, though, was unable to fully capitalize. In both red-zone opportunities, the Broncos came away with field goals.
“The muffed punt, the interception–we’ve got to be better and I’ve got to be better,” said Denver head coach Sean Payton. “Not enough came of it.”
Seattle went up-tempo on offense in the third quarter and scored 10 unanswered points to take a 19-13 lead. The Seahawks extended their margin with a Zach Charbonnet touchdown to open the final period.
Denver tried to battle back and closed the gap to 26-20 on a rushing touchdown by rookie quarterback Bo Nix with just over 2 minutes to play. However, the Seahawks then sealed the win when Tyler Lockett caught a third-down pass to move the chains on the ensuing possession.
The Broncos will host Pittsburgh in their home opener on Sunday.