Upon Further Review
1. Goal-to-go issues (part 1). As tight end Noah Fant said, the issue wasn’t the Broncos’ gadget play on fourth-and-goal from the Chargers’ 2. It was the previous three plays. Down 10-0, the Broncos faced first down from the 2. QB Drew Lock held onto the football too long (3.21 seconds) before throwing to TE Albert Okwuegbunam (tackled by S Derwin James for one-yard loss). On second down, WR Seth Williams was beat (RB Javonte Williams one-yard gain). And on third down, RT Cam Fleming was beat (Williams no gain).
2. Goal-to-go issues (part 2). Trailing 20-3, the Broncos moved to the Chargers’ 8 for a first-and-goal. First down — Williams two-yard rush. Second down — Williams no gain (S Nasir Adderley was unblocked). Third down — Lock to RB Melvin Gordon for five yards. Fourth down — Gordon’s one-yard touchdown was negated by an illegal formation. It appeared Okwuegbunam was at fault for “covering up” eligible receiver Austin Schlottmann. Just the kind of lack of attention to the details that plagues struggling teams. The Broncos kicked a field goal.
3. No sacks. For the first time this year, the Broncos failed to post a sack. The defense rushed five or more on 11 of 33 drop-backs and had three knockdowns (one apiece by DE Dre’Mont Jones, S P.J. Locke and DL Jonathan Harris) and two pressures (Jones and OLB Aaron Patrick). QB Justin Herbert was 8-of-11 passing for 86 yards against extra rushers. The Broncos’ five total disruptions matched a season-low.
4. Two key missed tackles. The Broncos had only three missed tackles, but two came on a key third-quarter play. ILB Jonas Griffith’s tackle for loss put the Chargers into third-and-7 from their 20-yard line. The Broncos rushed five and Herbert threw to RB Austin Ekeler in the left flat. S Justin Simmons covered a ton of ground but missed the tackle three yards downfield. At midfield, S Kareem Jackson missed the tackle. Ekeler gained 40 yards.
5. Escaping pressure. The Chargers rushed five or more players on 10 of the Broncos’ 33 drop-backs. Their only sack was in a swift 2.82 seconds on fourth down when DL Jerry Tillery used fast hands to get the advantage on LG Netane Muti. Los Angeles also had three pressures and one knockdown.
6. Field position costly. The Chargers started scoring drives at their 45- (47-yard kick return) and 30-yard lines (after a punt), the Broncos’ 49 (after a fumbled punt) and their 48 (after a turnover on downs). The Chargers’ average starting position was their 34-yard line, tied for the second-best this season for a Broncos opponent. The Broncos’ average starting spot was their 23-yard line.
Four Key Numbers
1-7
Coach Vic Fangio’s record this year on replay challenges (out of eight attempts)
7
Touchbacks by Chargers K Dustin Hopkins on seven kickoff attempts.
25
Tackles in the last two games for Broncos ILB Jonas Griffith (12 on Sunday).
92
Receiving yards for TE Noah Fant, a season-high.
Talking Points
Playing time review. All of the COVID-19 cases created playing time for those who were backups or on the practice squad. CB Kyle Fuller played all 67 defensive snaps, ILB Micah Kiser played 63, CB Nate Hairston 44, OLB Andre Mintze 39, DE Jonathan Harris 35, OLB Aaron Patrick 29 and DE Marquiss Spencer 14. On offense, WRs Seth Williams and Kendall Hinton played 53 and 36 snaps, respectively, out of 60. RBs Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon each played 30 snaps.
Missed opportunity. K Brandon McManus’ 61-yard field as the first half expired cut the Chargers’ lead to 17-3 and the Broncos quickly moved into good position to start the third quarter. Gordon gained six, 12 and four yards on consecutive carries. But on second-and-6, QB Drew Lock’s throw to TE Eric Saubert was incomplete and on third down, Lock threw incomplete to Hinton. The Chargers followed with a 14-play drive to make it 20-3.
Stopping the run. The Broncos held Los Angeles to a three-yard average on 35 carries. The defense had nine run “stuffs” not including end-of-game kneel-downs, their second-highest total of the year. Griffith had 2 1/2 stuffs and Fuller and Jonathan Harris had two apiece. One of Fuller’s tackles for lost yardage came one play after his 14-yard pass interference penalty when he bear-hugged WR Jalen Guyton to prevent a 42-yard touchdown.
Extra points
The Broncos had only one dropped pass against the Chargers, a tough sliding catch that TE Eric Saubert couldn’t corral near the sideline. … On the Chargers’ 49-yard kick return to open the game, ILB Justin Strnad fell down, S P.J. Locke angle blocked and RB Mike Boone was double-teamed on the edge. … K Brandon McManus’ hang time on Andre Roberts’ 101-yard kick return was only 3.26 seconds. … On the same first-quarter play, WR Courtland Sutton was called for offensive pass interference and drew a defensive pass interference penalty.
