Broncos

Broncos CB Riley Moss had a critical interception late in the fourth quarter of Week 15’s win over the Packers, giving him his first pick of the season. Moss called the moment “long overdue.” 

“It was great, long overdue, you know, the ball doesn’t lie, right?” Moss said, via DenverSports1043. “I had a great coverage on that deep ball and they wanted to throw the flag from across the field. So that was fine, they could do that, ball doesn’t lie.”

Moss was flagged for pass interference earlier in the game, bringing his total to a league-leading eight this season. Denver HC Sean Payton disagrees with the call and expressed confidence in the cornerback. 

“There’s been, look, he continues to compete. I can’t say the word, but it begins with an A, relative to that call,” Payton said. “It’s just — holy cow. It’s something that’s frustrating, I’m sure for him. But he’ll keep competing. He’s tough, came back with the big interception. The one in New York was brutal, but he’ll keep competing. We’ve gotta get better in, overall, at seeing and being consistent officiating those calls.”

Chiefs

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 15. Tom Brady reflected on Mahomes’ injury after sustaining the same injury back in 2008. 

“It’s a tough rehab,” Brady said, via Devon Henderson of The Athletic. “It’s one of the toughest rehabs. I just remember every day pushing myself. And it’s always the same amount of pain and discomfort, except you’re making progress through that pain and discomfort, which is a hard psychological thing to battle. You feel like, ‘God, every day it doesn’t feel right.’ Except you’re gaining range of motion and you’re gaining strength, and you are on the road to recovery. So, I wish him the very best.”

Brady’s advice for Mahomes is to be diligent about his rehab and get through it quickly. 

“The only thing you can do is focus on what’s ahead of you and not look back,” Brady said. “And just say, ‘OK, this is part of what my career is going to be, and a lot of people have gone through it, and a lot of people have overcome it.’ You’ve just got to put as much diligence into the rehab process. And I always feel like the faster you rehab, the faster you can get back to practicing the sport that you love.”

Brady reiterated to get through rehab “as fast as possible” to resume training. 

“I think sometimes people will pace themselves. Instead of training mode, they’re in rehab mode,” Brady said. “I think you’ve got to get through rehab mode as fast as possible, and then you get back to training mode. But that requires an all-out commitment, and it’s the same commitment that the great professional athletes make to be great at their profession. When you go through the rehab process, you need that same level of focus and determination.”

Raiders

• Raiders HC Pete Carroll said QB Geno Smith has a “good chance” at being their starting quarterback in Week 16 against the Texans, via Adam Schefter. 
• Jeremy Fowler of ESPN writes that pressure is mounting for Carroll with the team at 2-12 and struggling to compete. Although Fowler points out that the organization was aware that 2025 could be a “slog,” they still hoped the team could remain competitive. 
• One team source told Fowler: “It wasn’t supposed to be this bad.”
• Another source with knowledge of the organization mentioned that the team needs what they thought it had with former HC Antonio Pierce, which is a “high-energy first-time head coach with a high ceiling.” However, Las Vegas wasn’t patient enough to see if Pierce could develop into a successful coach.