One thing that Broncos coach Sean Payton and quarterback Bo Nix still need to solve is how to make the most of the lively crowds at home and start games strongly.
In their three home games so far, the Broncos (3-3) have fallen behind by a lot before their offense finally got going.
They were down 13-0 to the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into the fourth quarter and ended up losing 13-6.
Against the Las Vegas Raiders, they started off 10-0 down and were about to fall behind 17-3 when Patrick Surtain II’s 100-yard interception return changed the game, leading to a 34-18 win.
However, Surtain suffered a concussion on Denver’s first defensive play on Sunday, and the Los Angeles Chargers took advantage, building a 23-0 lead by the end of the third quarter, eventually winning 23-16.
At halftime on a nice autumn day, the Broncos had only gained 60 yards, had punted three times, and turned the ball over twice.
The Chargers had 16 first downs while the Broncos managed just 3. Nix’s performance was poor, completing only 3 of 10 passes for 23 yards with a passer rating of 0.00. Yes, that’s zero.
For the fifth time in six games, the Broncos did not score an offensive touchdown in the first half, and for the third time, they went to the locker room without any points.
“All of this starts with me,” Payton said. “We have to be better offensively.”
Payton stressed that the answer isn’t necessarily to play faster right away, pointing out that Javonte Williams’ fumble during their only first-half play in Chargers territory and a key penalty happened during hurry-up situations.
Whatever the answer is, the Broncos need to find it quickly since they have a short turnaround before facing New Orleans on Thursday night, marking Payton’s return to the city where he led the team to a Super Bowl victory in the 2009 season.
“We can’t start slow,” right guard Quinn Meinerz said. “Our execution in the first half was nowhere near what we can do. Plus, we can’t turn the ball over. I’m proud of how this group fought after halftime.
When you’re down 23-0, it’s easy to get discouraged. I’m proud of how the offense came together and scored some points to give us a chance.”
The 16 points scored in the fourth quarter came against a defense that seemed ready to give the Broncos their first home shutout ever, but they loosened up and allowed Nix to throw two touchdown passes.
They need to figure out how to get Nix making plays earlier in the game before they fall behind and have to play catch-up.
“We’ve got amazing coaches who will keep putting us in good spots,” Nix said. “Whatever they decide to do is what I’ll do. It’s my job to make the play work. … I don’t really care what the play is; we just need to execute.”
Nix also needs to work on his footwork, which has caused many passes to bounce or go too high, like his first throw on Sunday that went off Marvin Mims’ fingertips and was intercepted by Chargers safety Elijah Molden.
The Broncos only ran 20 plays before halftime, while the Chargers ran 46.
“We didn’t run enough plays in a row to find a rhythm,” Nix said. “It was just a few plays, then we were off the field. In a game like that, where you know they will control the ball, you have to find ways to stay on the field.”
