The Denver Broncos fell to 3-3 this year after being defeated 23-16 by the Los Angeles Chargers. The game wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate, as the Broncos were shutout for the vast majority of this game. They put together a strong fourth quarter, but the Chargers probably took their foot off the pedal and basically put up some numbers in garbage time.

In the end, there weren’t many winners from this game, with a long list of losers in this game. It was a disappointing match that ended their three-match winning streak and saw them lose again at home to a division rival.

Loser – Bo Nix

I’ll give credit where credit is due, he finished the game with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but that doesn’t take away from how bad he was to start the game. The Broncos offense was non-existent and Nix did very little through the first three quarters of the game.

Again, what he did in likely garbage time makes the stat line look good, but this was a rough game for the Broncos rookie. He’s now had several games where his halftime stats have been terrible. Sean Payton and Bo Nix need to start games sooner, otherwise it will be a long rest of the season.

Loser – Broncos

I’m lumping the entire team together here, starting at the top with the coaches and moving down to the players. They looked unprepared and sloppy and ultimately lost a winnable match at home.

They are in a favorable period where they have the Raiders and Chargers at home, a tough Thursday Night Football game in New Orleans, and then another home game against the Panthers. They needed to go 4-0 or 3-1 during this stretch if they wanted to have a serious shot at the postseason. They can still win 3-1, but they will have to win their next two games. After this four-game stretch, the Ravens and Chiefs will play on the road. If they’re 3-5 or 4-4 heading into that stretch, their postseason hopes will likely be hanging by a thread.

This was a disappointing game after a promising three-game winning streak where they played better on offense and looked to have one of the better defenses in the league. This loss, and the way they lost, puts a damper on the good atmosphere in this game.

Loser – Broncos third defense

The Chargers were 11 for 18 on third down in this game. Unable to get them off the field, the Broncos defense extended drives and gave the Chargers the time advantage in possession in this game.

The Broncos defense was strong, but they didn’t live up to their hype in this one. The pass rush was non-existent at times, they routinely gave up chunk plays and the Chargers ran for 130 yards on the ground. The fact that they couldn’t get the Chargers off the field in this game was a big reason why they lost this game.

Loser – Javonte Williams

After a solid back-to-back game, Williams again struggled on the ground and had a costly turnover. He finished the game with just 6 carries for 23 yards and 1 fumble. The game script worked against him, but the fumble couldn’t happen, setting the Broncos back after it looked like they were moving into scoring position.

With rookie running back Audric Estime back and healthy, Williams can’t afford a more expensive turnover like this. His play wasn’t good enough to see more touches if he continued throwing the ball away.

Loser – No Pat Surtain II

The Broncos lost their best player, cornerback Pat Surtain II, to a concussion very early in this game and the defense never recovered from this loss. What makes this even worse is that the Broncos have a short week and Surtain has little to no hope of being cleared before the Broncos travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints on Thursday Night Football.

The Saints start with a rookie quarterback making his second start and will also have to beat their top receiver Chris Olave, who also suffered a concussion in today’s game. Still, it hurts to lose Surtain II for an extended period of time and we saw that today.

Winners – Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin

Sutton had a one-handed touchdown reception late in the game and Troy Franklin caught his first career touchdown pass. I’m lumping them together because these were the only notable offensive plays by the Broncos.

Sutton making insane catches has become a norm and hopefully something that continues to develop. The Broncos need Franklin to become a playmaker for them and hopefully this touchdown will boost his confidence after he had a nasty fall in the end zone against the Raiders last Sunday.

Loser – Broncos Offensive Line

I’m no offensive line expert, but the pass protection was not good in this game. Nix was constantly under pressure and being forced out of the pocket or chased out of the pocket. The long list of injuries along the offensive line seemed to have caught up with the Broncos, who were down two starters and a key backup who was playing well.

Other winners and losers

• Cody Barton – Loser: He was badly burned on a touchdown reception by the Chargers’ backup running back in his first career game. He needs to do better if he is viewed as the “coverage linebacker.”
• Greg Dulcich – Loser: He was inactive for the second time in a row and it appears he is in the Broncos doghouse. He was once a promising receiving threat, but now he is a player at the bottom of the roster who is not performing.
• Devaughn Vele – Winner: He led the team with 4 receptions for 78 yards. Much of this came in garbage time, but still a remarkable statistical line from the Broncos rookie wide receiver.
• Nik Bonitto – Winner: Has a sack in four straight games
• Wil Lutz – Loser: Those onside kick attempts weren’t great