The Broncos didn’t exactly look sharp Sunday, but they did what they’ve been doing far too often and somehow still found a way. Denver leaned on turnovers, a few timely throws from Bo Nix, and just enough fourth-quarter bite to escape the Los Angeles Chargers with a 23-17 win.
It started sloppily and stayed that way for long stretches. Sean Payton taking over the play-calling didn’t produce a clean offensive makeover, and the Broncos still spent much of the day grinding through ugly football. Still, when chances showed up, Denver was ready to pounce.
The first break came early when tight end Charlie Kolar fumbled in the first quarter. Denver recovered and turned that into a 40-yard drive, highlighted by a 34-yard pass from quarterback Box Nix to tight end Evan Engram.
J.K. Dobbins finished it off from two yards out to put the Broncos in front.
After that, both teams traded field goals. The Chargers cut into the lead first, but Denver answered with a 60-yard march that ended in a 34-yard field goal from Wil Lutz, giving the Broncos a 10-3 lead at halftime.
Los Angeles came alive in the third quarter and grabbed momentum with two touchdowns. Justin Herbert helped spark the first scoring drive with a 23-yard run, then found Hayden Rucci wide open in the end zone on a nine-yard touchdown pass to tie the game. Later, after a costly fumble by Nix, Kimani Vidal ripped off a 41-yard touchdown drive to put the Chargers ahead 17-10.
That edge didn’t last. Denver flipped the game back in the fourth quarter, helped by an ill-advised fourth-down gamble from Jim Harbaugh that handed the Broncos a short field. The run game finally found a pulse, and Nix delivered a strike to Courtland Sutton in the middle of the end zone to even things at 17-17.
The Chargers then helped Denver again. A sack-led fumble recovery set up Lutz for a 19-yard chip shot that put the Broncos back in front, 20-17.
Herbert’s next mistake was even costlier, as he threw a pick directly to safety Brandon Jones. Lutz added a 36-yarder to stretch the lead, and Denver finished things off when Ja’Quan MacMillian got to Herbert for a sack that kept him from launching a Hail Mary.
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Bo Nix Has Become The Broncos Biggest Offensive Concern
Bo Nixs uneven start has become one of the more important subplots inside Denvers 3-2 opening, because the Broncos have managed to stay afloat even as the offense has searched for a steadier rhythm. Coming off the injury that ended his previous playoff run, Nix has not looked quite like the same confident quarterback, and the early weeks have shown a version of Denvers offense that has been more hesitant than explosive.
The issue has shown up in more than one way, from Nix pulling back on downfield throws to a ground game that has not given the Broncos the kind of added dimension they had before. Sean Payton has made it clear he wants the quarterback to play with more conviction, and the next stretch figures to say a lot about whether Denver can get Nix back to the aggressive style that once made the offense feel far more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Just Turned Bo Nix Into A Bigger Broncos Debate
The Broncos left Week 5 at 3-2 after a strong fourth quarter helped carry them to a win, but the mood around the offense still feels unfinished. Sean Payton has liked enough to keep this group moving in the right direction, yet the conversation around Bo Nix keeps circling back to how much more there is for the passing game to unlock.
Payton wants the rookie quarterback to be more aggressive pushing the ball downfield, and that idea lands right in the middle of the biggest debate around Denvers offense. Nix has shown the ability to keep drives afloat, but his tendency to settle for safer throws has some wondering whether the Broncos can become truly explosive unless he starts testing deeper coverage more often. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Escaped The Chargers But Their Offense Looks Like A Real Problem
Denver escaped with a 23-17 win over the Chargers, and the defense did the heavy lifting from start to finish. The Broncos kept Justin Herbert under control, bottled up Los Angeles on the ground and flipped the game with a turnover sequence that set up short fields and kept Denver in front despite an offense that spent too much of the afternoon going nowhere.
The part that should linger for Sean Payton and the Broncos is how little they did with the chances handed to them. Even after repeatedly getting the ball in favorable territory late, Denver managed only 13 points on four fourth-quarter possessions that began inside the Chargers 40-yard line or at the 41, and there were still multiple three-and-outs mixed into a day that should have looked cleaner. A win is a win, especially in division play, but this one left the feeling that the margin for error on offense is thinner than it ought to be. [Read more 🡒]