ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Bo Nix's costly overthrows may be getting all the attention, but they were the least of coach Sean Payton's worries as he dissected the Denver Broncos' last-second loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Driving in today, that would be like 50th on my to-do list,” Payton said Monday.
Bigger worries included the Broncos' 10 penalties for 90 yards; their second straight squandered lead in the fourth quarter that led to a walk-off field goal; a sputtering, discombobulated offense that went three-and-out on half of its drives; and a defense that keeps coming up big except when it matters most.
In the first half, Nix's deep pass to Marvin Mims Jr. on a flea-flicker sailed long before he connected with Courtland Sutton for a 52-yard touchdown on fourth down.
With the game tied just after the two-minute warning, Sutton again got a favorable matchup and was wide open, but Nix's deep throw sailed just out of his reach.
The Broncos punted and the Chargers drove for the game-winning field goal as time expired, leaving Denver (1-2) essentially three games behind the Chargers (3-0), who have beaten all three of their AFC West rivals.
“Courtland got outside of him and got going, and unfortunately, I just missed in front by a couple of inches,” Nix said. "If I had to do it again, I would have taken a little bit more time, held onto it maybe a count longer and given him something where he could go up for it, maybe get a pass interference.”
Nix needn't worry about having incurred Payton's wrath.
“I think you've got to be careful you're not overcoaching the deep ball that's going off the fingertips,” Payton said. “The more concerning problem would be if you're leaving those balls inside where they're susceptible for an interception.
“So, he climbs the pocket, he's doing a great job. Both of those are third-and-long situations where there's a different type of pass rush. That's not what's concerning to me this morning after the loss (Sunday), the deep ball misses. That wouldn't be what's on my mind.”
What’s working
Despite the misfire late in the game, the connection between Nix and Sutton was productive. Sutton caught six passes for 118 yards, including two big fourth-down conversions: the long TD and a 22-yard gain on a crossing route.
What needs help
Sutton's supporting cast. They combined to gain just 35 yards on eight receptions.
Stock up
RB J.K. Dobbins had 83 yards on 11 carries against his former team, a 7.5-yard average.
Stock down
TE Adam Trautman committed a costly penalty in crunch time for the second straight week. Against Indianapolis, his facemask flag helped give the ball back to the Colts, who ultimately kicked a game-winning field goal. Against the Chargers, he lined up on the wrong side of the ball, stalling a drive. That led to a game-tying touchdown for the Chargers in the fourth quarter.
Injuries
LB Dre Greenlaw, placed on injured reserve over the weekend, has to miss three more games. The Broncos bet on his troublesome quad injury getting better faster and decided not to put him on IR when the season started. They lost that bet and now won't have their prized free-agent acquisition until mid-October at the earliest.
Key numbers
15.4% — The conversion rate on third down (2 of 13) for the Broncos, whose average distance on third down was a whopping 11 yards.
6 — Half of the Broncos' dozen drives were three-and-outs.
1-6 — Payton's coaching record against Jim Harbaugh, whose only loss to Payton came in 2013 when he was with the 49ers and Payton coached the Saints.
Next steps
The Broncos host the Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) next Monday night.
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