The Broncos still have a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball, but they’ll have a chance to do it after a win.
Coach Sean Payton’s decision to bring back the offensive play-calling responsibilities didn’t lead to a clear improvement from previous weeks, but the unit was able to do enough to take advantage of the Chargers’ mistakes in the fourth quarter to pull out a win. The 23-17 win moves them to 3-2 on the season and leaves the Chargers waiting at least another week for their first win.
The Chargers scored a few touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 17-10 lead, and they had a chance to pin the Broncos deep in their own territory on a one-and-one drive with about 10 minutes left to play. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 41-yarder, however, and Justin Herbert came up just short on a steal.
Bo Nix threw a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton on the ensuing drive, and Broncos linebacker DJ Jones forced Herbert to fumble on the ensuing drive. The Broncos elected to kick a field goal after their drive stalled at the 1-yard line and then added another after Brandon Jones picked off Herbert on the Chargers’ next possession.
Herbert now has nine turnovers on the season, and the Chargers helped set up the Broncos’ first drive of the day with another turnover, so it was another chapter in the unfolding nightmare for the team since Week 1. They’ll be in Kansas City next Sunday to face a well-rested Chiefs team looking to go 5-0.
The Broncos had just 95 yards of offense in the second half, they went 1-of-12 on third downs and they didn’t have a first down on any of the drives that weren’t set up by Chargers turnovers, so Payton certainly didn’t fix everything that was wrong when Davis Webb was running plays. He will have a short week to try to make progress and a strong defense to work against in Seattle on Thursday night.
