While star cornerback Pat Surtain shut down his side of the field against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, teammate Damarri Mathis had arguably the worst performance of his career.
Mathis was targeted in coverage by Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo nine times. On those targets, Mathis allowed eight receptions for 95 yards and two touchdowns, according to Zach Segars of Mile High Sports.
Buy Broncos TicketsIt was an absolutely dreadful performance as Mathis proved to be a huge liability in the secondary. There is some hope for optimism based on Mathis’ history, though.
Last year, Mathis was penalized for pass interference four times in his first NFL start, a rough way to begin his career. As the season went on, Mathis showed improvement and held onto his starting job.
It’s possible that Sunday might have been one terrible game and not necessarily a sign of things to come for Mathis in 2023. If he does not improve against the Washington Commanders this week, though, Mathis’ role as a starter role will be questioned.
Riley Moss, Denver’s third-round pick in April’s draft, was inactive for the team’s season opener with an abdomen injury. Once healthy, Moss will likely push Mathis for a starting job, so the pressure’s on for the second-year cornerback to have a bounce-back performance in Week 2.
