The Broncos escaped SoFi Stadium with a 23-17 win over the Chargers, but the final score came with plenty of warning labels attached.
Denver moved to 3-2 and stayed in the AFC West mix thanks to a defense that went to work against a battered Los Angeles offense. The Broncos forced three turnovers, sacked Justin Herbert five times and even gave Sean Payton his first win at SoFi Stadium as Denver’s head coach.
That was the clean part of the night. The offensive side was anything but.
Bo Nix and the Broncos’ offense were rough to watch for most of the game. Denver did put together one long scoring drive in the second quarter, and for a stretch it looked like the run game might be waking up.
But outside of that, the passing attack never really got going. The Broncos had five three-and-outs before the fourth-quarter scoring burst, and the results looked a lot like what they’d been getting before Sean Payton took over the play-calling from Davis Webb last week.
That switch did not magically fix anything. The Broncos spent much of the second half with the ball in scoring territory, but they still only managed 13 points in the fourth quarter.
That stretch was helped along by the defense - a strip-sack of Herbert, a Brandon Jones interception, and a turnover on downs set up short fields. Even then, Denver had three fourth-quarter possessions start inside the Chargers’ 40-yard line, plus another at the 41, and still came away with too little.
Wil Lutz also missed a 42-yard field goal, but that drive began at the Chargers’ 27 and produced only three yards before the kick.
For all the breathing room the defense created, the offense didn’t do nearly enough with it. Against a Chargers defense that was already thin and had a rough night of its own, that’s not close to good enough.
This may have been Denver’s worst offensive performance of the season, and it came with Payton calling the plays. At some point, the unit has to execute.
The Broncos’ defense, though, carried the night. Los Angeles did break loose for a 42-yard touchdown run by Kimani Vidal in the third quarter, right after a Bo Nix fumble swung momentum, and the Chargers also pieced together one solid drive coming out of halftime. Beyond that, Denver kept them in a vise.
The run defense wasn’t perfect, especially with tackling issues that have shown up all year, but the overall numbers were strong. Los Angeles finished with 155 rushing yards, yet 54 of those came from Herbert scrambles.
Strip that away, and the Chargers had just 113 yards on 33 carries, which works out to 3.2 yards per rush. Omarion Hampton was held to 33 yards on 14 carries, and Keaton Mitchell finished with 11 yards on six attempts.
Denver also held up well in the secondary even without Patrick Surtain. Jahdae Barron and Kris Abrams-Draine handled the boundary work, and both made their presence felt.
Abrams-Draine had an interception wiped out by his own pass-interference penalty, but otherwise stayed out of the spotlight, finishing with three tackles and a pass breakup. Barron was sharp as a tackler in space and solid in coverage, which matters after some fans had started to wonder about a first-round pick who had barely been on the field early in the season.
Herbert’s stat line tells the rest of the story. He completed 14 of 24 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, but he also looked unsettled and made a costly mistake late, tossing the game-sealing interception to Brandon Jones. It was a rough night behind an offensive line that had four rookies in place of starters and with half his receiving corps missing, but Denver still did what good defenses are supposed to do: punish the weakness in front of them.
That’s how the Broncos got out with the win. Not with a tidy performance, and certainly not with an offense that inspired much confidence. But the defense made the plays, the Chargers kept giving Denver chances, and the Broncos took the result.
In Other News...
Broncos Starter Hit With Another Fine And Fans Will Have Opinions
Quinn Meinerz keeps finding himself on the league offices radar, and this latest issue has nothing to do with what he does between the lines. After already getting dinged earlier this season for his dice-rolling touchdown celebration, the Broncos guard has drawn another punishment, this time tied to a social media video that crossed a line with NFL policy.
The situation has an extra layer because the post centered on the drug-test collection process, a subject the league treats seriously even when a player may not have meant any harm. Meinerz is appealing the fine, so this one is not necessarily finished yet, and it adds another small off-field distraction for a Broncos team that is trying to keep its focus on the field after its Week 3 win over the Rams. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Defense Awaits A Big Week 5 Call On Ladd McConkey
The Broncos may get a break on the injury front in Week 5, with Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey showing up on Los Angeles injury report as the division matchup approaches. McConkey has been one of the more productive pieces of the Chargers passing game through four weeks, with 12 catches for 183 yards and a touchdown, so his status matters plenty to Denvers defense as it prepares for a familiar AFC West test.
McConkey is dealing with multiple injuries, and the early read is that he is likely to miss the game, which would force the Chargers to reshuffle targets in a meaningful spot. If he is sidelined, Los Angeles will be asking other pass catchers to pick up the slack, and Denver will be watching to see whether the offense can maintain its rhythm without one of its steadier options. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Can Exploit A Chargers Weakness That Could Swing This Game
The Broncos head into their matchup with the Chargers looking for a place to press an edge in what figures to be a tight division game, and the middle of the field may offer it. Los Angeles has had to sort through protection issues up front, with guard Oday Aboushi struggling, while Asante Samuel Jr. remains the kind of versatile defender who can complicate easy throws. Even so, Denvers defense will be alert to the Chargers tight-end usage, especially with Jared Gadsden emerging as a meaningful piece in the passing game despite a still-unclear role.
From Denvers side, the more intriguing opportunity may come when the Broncos have the ball and test where the Chargers are least settled defensively. Injuries have thinned that group enough to make linebacker Justin Phillips a potential coverage target, and that sort of matchup can tilt a game if Denver isolates it well. Whether the Broncos lean on RJ Harvey, Evan Engram or another option, this is the kind of wrinkle that could decide which sideline is left looking for answers late. [Read more 🡒]