The Denver Broncos lost another disappointing game despite having a fourth-quarter lead in Sunday’s Week 3 AFC West Divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, falling to 1-2 on the season.
Denver Broncos can’t get out of their own way
The Denver Broncos have been their own worst enemy this season, and for two consecutive weeks, they have lost on a walk-off field goal.
Despite holding a 20-13 lead in the middle of the fourth quarter, penalties imploded a promising Broncos’ offensive drive that negated a 12-yard catch and run from rookie RJ Harvey. Adam Trautman was called offsides on that play, despite the replay showing him lined up correctly, and then Garett Bolles’ facemask penalty backed Denver up another 15 yards, backing them up deep into their own territory.
Justin Herbert caught fire and set the Broncos’ hopes ablaze. Fueled by a post-snap penalty on Talanoa Hufanga, Herbert would connect with Keenan Allen to tie the game with nearly two minutes remaining.
The ball would be in Bo Nix’s court. Nix, who struggled on the afternoon with overthrows, missed Sutton on a crucial 3rd and 10, leading to a punt that would ultimately surrender the game to the leg of Cameron Dicker.
Bo Nix’s sophomore slump is here
Bo Nix hasn’t looked like the quarterback we saw last year. We aren’t seeing the same level of confidence, and certainly, we aren’t seeing the same type of offensive production from him.
It’s not all on Nix, but his play has been a concern to start the season, minus last week’s three-touchdown performance. Part of it is Nix pressing too much, part of it feels like Sean Payton is trying to do too much, and you can also say that part of it could be related to inconsistent play on the offensive line.
As Payton says, there are a lot of dirty hands on the operation.
Today, Nix had three big overthrows, two of which would have likely gone for touchdowns. Would have, could have, should have — this has been the story of the 2025 Denver Broncos. Hindsight won’t be pretty when going back and watching film. Too many missed opportunities.
Offensively, Denver was 2-of-13 on third downs today, and Nix finished the game 14-of-25 for 153 yards.
Payton and the staff have to find ways going forward to help Nix find his confidence, because it’s clear that it’s an issue for him right now.
Denver Broncos news and notes vs. Chargers
- 3rd down offense struggled: Denver was 2-of-13 on third down on Sunday.
- The Chargers offense had 29 first downs compared to Denver’s nine.
- Broncos were penalized 10 times for 90 yards.
- The Broncos sacked Justin Herbert five times in Sunday’s loss.