There was just one team in the NFL worse than the Denver Broncos at converting third downs in 2016. Trevor Siemian and the Broncos went to work changing that in Week 1 of 2017.

Denver converted 8-of-15 third-down attempts and scored a pair of touchdowns in a 24-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday. It wasn’t a banner night, but it was an improvement over their efforts from last season.

Siemian and the offense set the tone early on third down.

In the first half, Denver converted on 5-of-8 third downs. Siemian was 5-for-7 passing on third down in the first half, including his first of two touchdown passes in the game.

Siemian completed three third-down passes on Denver’s first scoring drive of the game. A six-yard out to Demaryius Thomas prevented a three-and-out to open the drive. Thirty yards downfield and nearly three clock minutes later, on third-and-seven at the Chargers’ 22-yard line, he hit Bennie Fowler for a 10-yard gain to extend the drive. Three plays later, Siemian took advantage of a free play after drawing Joey Bosa offside and found Fowler for the second time on the night – this time in the end zone to give Denver a 7-0 lead after the PAT.

Siemian again avoided a three-and-out later in the half when he hit A.J. Derby for a nine-yard gain into Chargers territory. Denver wouldn’t see third down again on that drive, which ended in a Siemian one-yard rushing touchdown.

Really, the Broncos were five of seven in the half, as their eighth third-down attempt came on third-and-18 with 38 seconds remaining in the second quarter and the Chargers out of timeouts. A possession handoff to Jamaal Charles ended the half with Denver leading 14-7.

Fowler would pull down another third-down touchdown pass on Denver’s first possession of the second half. Siemian hit the third-year wide receiver on third-and-goal from the six-yard line – his second third down conversion of the drive. He connected with Demaryius Thomas down the right sideline to avoid a three-and-out to open the drive. Thomas made an outstanding catch after dropping one on the previous play that would have moved the chains.

Siemian just missed converting another third down for a touchdown in the third quarter when he led a diving Emmanuel Sanders just wide out of the end zone. Jamaal Charles had converted a third-and-one to give Denver first-and-goal a few plays earlier. The Broncos settled for a field goal on the drive, stretching their lead to 24-7.

On the night, Denver scored three red zone touchdowns – two on third down plays. They were 3-for-5 on red zone TDs on the night, an improvement on their 46.81 percent average in 2016.

It wasn’t all roses for the Broncos on third down, however. In the fourth quarter, following a turnover on downs to give Denver the ball in Chargers territory, a screen pass to Fowler was batted and bounced its way into the hands of Adrian Phillips for an interception. Denver’s first turnover of the game yielded a Chargers touchdown from Keenan Allen to bring Los Angeles within 10.

A Jamaal Charles fumble on their next possession (on second down, mind you) resulted in a quick-strike touchdown to narrow Denver’s lead to just three points with 7:00 left in the game.

The third-down struggles were manifest on Denver’s ensuing possession when back-to-back sacks put the Broncos in a fourth-and-26 situation that saw Brandon McManus miss a 50-yard field goal that would have padded Denver’s lead.

On Denver’s final drive, Siemian made his one big error on third down. After rolling to his right, seeking a four-yard completion, Siemian had no one open. Instead of going to the ground and taking a loss, thus forcing San Diego to burn their final timeout, Siemian threw the ball away.

The play left 2:15 remaining and Denver was forced to give Philip Rivers and the Chargers one last chance with a timeout in hand. Denver dodged a bullet when Shelby Harris blocked Younghoe Koo’s second game-tying field goal attempt. The first kick, which Koo made, was waived off because Vance Joseph had called a timeout.

Denver made big strides in their third-down performance on Monday night, however there is still much room for improvement. Their lack of execution on third down late in the game (coupled with a pair of turnovers) gave Los Angeles too many chances to get back into and even win the game. Additionally, Denver was not really tested on short yardage third-down situations – a major weakness last year. Whether they can move the chains for a yard or two is still yet to be seen in numbers.

Still, the fact that they converted at a rate higher than 50 percent is a promising sign for one of the biggest areas of weakness from last season.