Offense — C
The Broncos offense in many ways looked similar to the work Russell Wilson did over the season’s first 15 games. Head coach Sean Payton had to burn a timeout on the third paly of the game. The Broncos struggled in goal-to-go situations and the well went dry for the entirety of the third quarter. At the same time, though, Denver ran the ball effectively and Stidham found something of a rhythm after a slow start. He threw for 165 yards in the first half and 224 overall. He didn’t wow, but he also didn’t turn the ball over. This one’s not going in the hall of fame by any stretch after 313 yards of offense (4.7 per play) and the team’s lowest scoring output since Week 6, but the Broncos controlled most of the game and did enough to get the job done.
Defense — A-
The Broncos defense shut down the Chargers’ makeshift offense from the start. They allowed just a trio of field goals on the afternoon and held quarterback Easton Stick and company to 2 of 11 on third downs. Los Angeles is playing out the string and doing it with several reserves on offense, but it never felt at Empower Field on Sunday like the Chargers were going to provide a real threat. That’s what you want from your defense in a game like this one.
Special teams — C+
Broncos kicker Wil Lutz missed a field goal just before halftime for the second straight week. This one came from 48 yards and should have been a better bet than last week’s 57-yard attempt. He also hit from 42 yards early in the game and 43 in the second quarter. Denver missed rookie Marvin Mims Jr.’s dynamic work in the return game, but got mostly steady work from cornerback Tremon Smith and practice squad receiver Michael Bandy. Bandy let a late onside kick bound off his hands and into the danger zone, but Alex Singleton jumped on it at the bottom of the pile and didn’t let go, securing Denver’s eighth win of the season.
Coaching — C
Sean Payton did what he needed to do early in the game to help Jarrett Stidham through some early misses and apparent nerves. The Broncos ran the ball 15 times in the first half for 73 yards and kept with it until Stidham found some rhythm. Payton considered going for it on fourth down near the goal line in the third quarter but wised up after a Chargers timeout and took the field goal to push Denver’s lead to two scores. Good on defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, too, for having his group ready to go from the jump. The Denver defense dominated most of the afternoon.
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