The Broncos had a chance to clinch a postseason berth with a victory over the Chargers on Thursday night.
They can still get to the postseason if they get some help over the weekend. But head coach Sean Payton called the 34-27 loss to the Chargers disappointing because his club had so much at stake.
“We had a fast start, was encouraged by that,” Payton said postgame. “And then, uncharacteristically this season, we didn’t finish or play nearly well enough in the second half — both offensively and defensively. Time of possession, the third-down numbers, our rushing numbers fell off in the second half. Credit Los Angeles for fighting their way back in. We didn’t make enough plays in the end. So, we go from there.”
The Broncos had a 21-13 lead at halftime and went up 24-13 on Wil Lutz’s 41-yard field goal to cap the opening possession of the third quarter.
But from there, the Chargers scored 21 straight points to take a 34-24 lead. Lutz made it closer with a 55-yard field goal with 57 seconds on the clock before Denver didn’t recover an onside kick.
The Broncos still are in a strong position to make it to the postseason. But Payton acknowledged Denver has plenty to work on over its mini-bye before facing the Bengals next weekend.
“I’ll give you the message when we have a message,” Payton said. “But right now, look, we’ve got to make the corrections in this game. And then we get back to getting ready to play Cincinnati. So, we’ve got to find a way to get the 10th win. We know that. But I wasn’t worried about messages after that game in the locker room.”
Payton did note that he liked the fight the Broncos displayed on Thursday night, even as the club came up short.
“I think we’re playing hard,” Payton said. “But we’ve got to be smarter. And we’ve got to be smarter as coaches as well.”
