Offense — B-
It took the Denver offense time to settle into a rhythm. They still missed a bunch of chances down the field and the connection between quarterback Russell Wilson and receiver Jerry Jeudy is still missing. But the Broncos did what they had to do, cashing in a turnover in the first half and getting a terrific, 46-yard touchdown catch from Courtland Sutton in the third quarter to eventually build a comfortable margin. Even given that, though, there’s work to be done. Denver’s rushing attack was more churning than explosive in Southern California, cresting the 100-yard mark on the 26th attempt and grinding out nine first downs. Their most impressive drive: A burly, 13-play, 75-yarder that chewed up 7:26 off the clock and ended with a wide open touchdown pass to Adam Trautman.
Defense — A
Vance Joseph’s group arrived at SoFi Stadium with a bad attitude and wasted no time showing it. They harassed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert from the start, racked up six sacks total between Herbert and back-up Easton Stick and carried a shutout into the fourth quarter. The home team’s offense contended with crowd noise from Broncos fans, went 0 for 12 on third-down tries and failed on five fourth down attempts, too. Nickel Ja’Quan McMillian continues to be a revelation. Zach Allen’s second-half surge continued. This is the group that will lead a potential playoff push.
Special teams — B
Outside of the punt that got partially blocked at Houston, Riley Dixon’s been really good the past couple of weeks. He punted seven times, averaged 44.7 yards per attempt and put five inside the 20-yard line. Broncos returner Marvin Mims Jr. generated 13 yards on his first punt return of the game. For the most part, it was a quiet day in the third phase. Wil Lutz knocked home a short field goal and hasn’t missed one since Kansas City’s Justin Ross got away with jumping offside on Oct. 29 and blocked an attempt at Empower Field. Lutz has hit 14 straight.
Coaching — B
This one almost started with disaster when Sean Payton put Wilson in an empty formation and he threw an interception deep in Denver territory on the game’s first play. But the defense held — Brandon Staley coached like a desperate guy the whole game and it turned out very badly for him — and the Broncos won a game they absolutely had to win. Now they’re at coin flip odds for the playoffs and have a slate in front of them that includes a trio of AFC teams with losing records. It’s all there for the taking for Payton’s first Denver team.
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