Offense – B
It was an unforgettable first half (for all the wrong reasons) and an unforgettable second half (for all the right reasons). The Broncos had two first-half first downs and 60 total yards. The offense looked broken. They were booed off their home field. But down 24-3, running back Phillip Lindsay’s 55-yard touchdown run kick-started the come-from-behind win. The Broncos scored touchdowns on four of their final five drives, including Drew Lock’s 1-yard throw to KJ Hamler as time expired. Lock was 26-of-41 passing for 248 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Minus receiver Tim Patrick, the slack was picked up by DaeSean Hamilton (four catches-82 yards and a 40-yard touchdown). Tight end Albert Okwuegbunam drew two penalties (including pass interference on the second-to-last snap) and caught a 9-yard touchdown. The Broncos’ success in a two-minute situation should prompt coach Vic Fangio to suggest trying more of that in next week’s first half at Atlanta.
Defense – B
Justin Herbert is going to be a long-term problem for the AFC West and he was as advertised in his first game against the Broncos, completing 29-of-43 passes for 278 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. The takeaways were by Justin Simmons (46-yard return) and Bryce Callahan (in the end zone). The Broncos had issues stopping the run (5.5-yard average) and had no answer for receiver Keenan Allen (nine catches-67 yards). But the Chargers’ final drive was the Broncos’ exclamation point. Leading 27-24, the Chargers moved to the Broncos’ 17. But inside linebacker Josey Jewell drew a 15-yard crackback block penalty by tight end Hunter Henry, outside linebacker Bradley Chubb sacked Herbert two plays later and Los Angeles had to settle for a field goal with 2:30 left, giving the offense a chance to win at the buzzer.
Special teams – B
The Broncos didn’t allow a return touchdown and didn’t get a punt blocked. That represents progress. Punter Sam Martin was lights out, averaging 41.2 yards net on six attempts, a misleading statistic because he had two touchbacks that could have been downed inside the five-yard line. Davontae Harris had a great tackle on punt coverage. Tyrie Cleveland made a mistake, opting to return a kickoff from four yards deep in the end zone and only reaching the 19-yard line (and using six seconds of time), but the offense still drove the length of the field. The kick coverage unit included at least three new players and gave up a 26-yard return (Brandon McManus had four touchbacks).
Coaching – B
An F for the first half and A-plus for the second half? Because the final part of the game carries more weight, we edge the Broncos’ coaching grade up to a B. It’s hard to imagine a poorer first half offensively and defensively as the Chargers built a 14-3 halftime lead that eventually swelled to 24-3 midway through the third quarter. If there was some magic halftime/sideline speech from Fangio, he deserves a hat tip. Play-caller Pat Shurmur had a tale of two halves, too. The offense was equal parts ineffective and tentative. But, out of necessity, the Broncos starting using more deeper crossing routes for chunk yards and then Shurmur wasn’t afraid to trust the rookie skill position players down the stretch, even if he didn’t have a lot of other options.
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Broncos Report Card: Tale of two halves in come-from-behind win over Chargers - The Denver Post
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