Another week, another comeback victory for the Denver Broncos.
And another game where, through the first three quarters, Bo Nix and the Broncos looked completely inept. Yet, as has become the norm with Nix and this team, they simply find a way to win. The 23-17 victory over the hapless Los Angeles Chargers is the latest chapter in this story.
Denver improves to 3-2 on the young season and keeps Justin Herbert and the winless Chargers at 0-5.
Here’s what we learned from the Broncos’ win on Sunday.
Denver is a fourth quarter team
If it hasn’t been obvious over the last season and five games, Denver has never come out of any game. That’s a hell of a thing for a team to have. No matter what the Broncos face, no matter how bad they play, they have a chance.
That’s what this team is – good and bad. Fortunately, Denver survived Sunday.
It’s truly amazing how the Broncos look like a completely different team in the final quarter. The same goes for Nix.
The defense showed up when it was needed
After Kimani Vidal’s 42-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, it didn’t look good for the defense or the Broncos. Denver’s defense had more whiffs than a kid picking up a baseball bat for the first time and trying to hit a ball off a tee.
But after the play, something clicked in the Broncos defense. They finally realized Los Angeles was playing four rookies on the offensive line and had no receivers.
But from that point on, Denver completely trashed Herbert and the Chargers offense. Four of the Broncos’ five sacks came in the fourth quarter and they forced three turnovers.
Casa Bonitto is open for business
Nik Bonitto showed up and showed up on Sunday. Denver’s edge rusher led the team with two sacks. Bonitto also finished with four tackles (three solo), three tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. Hellish game for Bonitto.
But it wasn’t just Bonitto, especially in the fourth quarter. Zach Allen had a huge strip-sack of Herbert, and the pass rush came home.
For the game, the Broncos defense had five sacks, 12 tackles for loss and six quarterback hits.
Nix and the offense need to improve sooner
Nix and the offense finally got going in the fourth quarter, but it couldn’t continue. There needs to be some semblance of consistency from the quarterback and this unit earlier in the game.
On Sunday, it was downright atrocious in the first three quarters.
It starts with running the ball better. It’s no coincidence that Nix and Denver’s offense started playing better when the running game was effective. Whatever the Broncos do in the fourth quarter, it would be nice to see it earlier in games. But how many times has this been said since last season?
The running game comes alive in the fourth quarter
As we just pointed out, it’s no coincidence that Denver’s offense came back to life in the fourth quarter when the ground game began. It was led by JK Dobbins, who finally looked like the running back from a season ago.
Now just find a way to do it earlier in the game, please and thank you.
Dobbins led the Broncos in rushing with 68 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown.
Evan Engram and Courtland Sutton live
Engram led Denver with four receptions for 55 yards, and Sutton caught a huge 13-yard touchdown.
Getting these two guys involved is a positive sign for the Broncos. For the offense to take the next step or two, Engram and Sutton will play important roles.
There was a Jeremy Crawshaw punt that was frighteningly beautiful in the third quarter. That’s when the Broncos punter threw a 58-yard punt and pinned the Chargers at their 3-yard line. If that wasn’t enough, Crawshaw had five punts, three inside the Los Angeles 20-yard line, for an average of 45.6 per punt.
Marvin Mims Jr. had a fantastic punt return after a Los Angeles penalty forced a rekick due to a penalty. This made up for an earlier questionable decision by Mims.
Gn sports
