Initial thoughts from the Broncos’ 23-20 last-second loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3 at Sofi Stadium:
1. QB margins: It’s starting to smell more and more like a sophomore slump. The odor was particularly pungent when Bo Nix overthrew Marvin Mims Jr. twice on potential touchdowns, costing the Broncos a combined 11 points. The first tantalizing miss was on a flea flicker, almost cosmically in sync with a near-identical play call by the Bears across the country. Theirs was executed to perfection by the quarterback taken first overall in Nix’s draft class, Caleb Williams spinning it for 62 air yards and a touchdown. Back in Los Angeles, Nix was always a yard off. After Justin Herbert’s Houdini act in the pocket allowed the Chargers to tie it late, Nix had a deep shot at redemption on third-and-10. Again, barely, he overestimated the speed of an open receiver.
2. No hard feelings, right? J.K.: Former Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins found it “a little weird” when Los Angeles stuck a rare unrestricted free-agent tag on him in April, giving him a July deadline if he wanted to sign elsewhere and make more than $1 million this season. No biggie: Dobbins found a new home in Denver with a division rival. And he pounced on his opportunity for revenge early in the second half with a 41-yard gain followed by a go-ahead touchdown. All 19 yards of the latter were dazzling — the left-handed reel-in of an awkward pass from Bo Nix, the four or five tip-toe steps along the sideline. With a score in all three weeks so far, Dobbins seems worth the $5.25 million Denver is paying him.
3. Jim Harbaugh outsmarted in key spot: That national championship ring looks nice on his finger, no doubt. (Even with a diamond-encrusted asterisk commemorating his scouting methods at Michigan.) But college titles aren’t a valuable currency when you coach in an NFL division with the Super Bowl-minted minds of Sean Payton and Andy Reid. Payton took Harbaugh to school Sunday in a game-altering sequence that prevented this from being a Charger blowout. Trailing 10-0 and facing fourth-and-2 in the last minute of the first half, Denver rolled out a jumbo-sized personnel group and prompted Harbaugh to use a timeout. Payton answered with a reorganized formation, a fake pitch play and a deep ball touchdown to Courtland Sutton. In an instant, the Broncos salvaged an ugly first half of offense.
4. Defensive play-making still elite: Week 2 was a blip. This is one of the best units in the NFL, and it should be forgiven for allowing Herbert to conduct a rather predictable game-winning drive in the final minutes. Nik Bonitto recorded two of the team’s five sacks. Pat Surtain II robbed Keenan Allen with an end-zone pass breakup that’s likely to be forgotten. Riley Moss made a diving PBU to create a tip-drill interception. Jonas Elliss was everywhere. There was quiet affirmation sprinkled throughout this game that Vance Joseph’s defense can and will keep the Broncos afloat in the playoff race, no matter how hapless their offense remains. The unit simply couldn’t take a breather in LA: Denver went three-and-out six times (including twice in the fourth quarter), possessing the ball for a combined 10 minutes and 8 seconds on those failed drives.
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