The Denver Broncos' late-game heroics aren't enough as they defeat the Los Angeles Chargers

The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers both came into this game injured and were beaten on both sides of the ball. But today Murphy's Law was in full effect for the Broncos in the first half. Everything that could go wrong went wrong.

Despite some heroics in the fourth quarter, the Broncos were unable to come back and were defeated by the Chargers 23-16.

The chance of a 4-2 win and the potential of a five-game winning streak are now lost. The coaches and players must make their way to New Orleans during the shortened week to play on Thursday Night Football.

Bo Nix struggles against the Chargers' top-ranked defense early on, but turns in an impressive performance in the fourth quarter

This afternoon the Broncos offense started slowly. It is the third time this season that the team failed to score a point in the first half. They had less than 9 minutes of possession in the first half and ran a whopping 60 yards on just 20 plays.

Penalties and turnovers bothered them early, but the worst part of their game was their inability to convert on third downs. In the first half of the year, the average in this regard was only 33 percent. This has been a problem all season. Unfortunately, the running game struggled, the passing offense was atrocious, and Bo Nix had no answer for the Chargers' top-ranked defense.

Nix was 3 of 10 for 22 yards and an interception in the first half. Other than a few Houdini runs, there wasn't much special compared to the game in the third quarter. He played much better in the fourth quarter and led several quality scoring drives. Unfortunately, the 23-point deficit was too big to make up. The rookie quarterback finished the game with a __-of-__ for 150 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

There's no need to sugarcoat this, Nix's play so far has been below average. The accuracy isn't there and I don't feel like we've seen a lot of consistency. Aside from flashes in two-minute drills and on shortened fields, the rest of his work leaves a lot to be desired. However, I am impressed with his ability to improvise and thrive when faced with adversity late in the game.

However, in his defense I have to say that the offense didn't protect him particularly well today. The Chargers' secondary also had their wide receivers blocked in the first half. His career has only started six times, but the growth and consistency has really been non-existent. Let's hope that can happen sooner rather than later, otherwise the Broncos are going to have a tough time the rest of the season.

The Broncos defense couldn't stop Herbert and the Chargers offense in the first half

At the beginning of the week in mine Scout the enemy In this section, I highlighted the Charges' passing issues through five games. Justin Herbert had never thrown for more than 200 yards in a game this season. But Herbert had a hell of a performance in the first half, completing 14 of 25 pass attempts for 184 yards in the first half.

In the second quarter, the Chargers scored on a 20-play drive over 10 minutes into the game that resulted in a Cameron Dicker field goal. The Chargers played 45 times in the first half, picked up 16 first downs and posted a third-down conversion percentage of 80 percent. It was Vance Joseph's defense's worst start to a game to date, allowing 20 points in the first half.

JK Dobbins was their leading rusher, and the Broncos allowed 130 yards on the ground to the Chargers. Although Surtain was out, Joseph was aggressive with blitzes, but often they didn't come home. Herbert was able to take advantage in the first half and dismantle Denver's defense with ease.

The Broncos did a much better job in the second half against Herbert and the Chargers' aerial attack. They generated some good sacks and only gave up three more points, but still couldn't get the job done. They will need to play much better next week but could be without Surtain again due to his concussion.

Thursday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints is a must-win game

Today's loss puts the Broncos at 3-3 on the season. All hope is not lost, but they will need to play much better next week to beat the Saints on the road. It will be an emotional game as Sean Payton returns to the franchise he led for years. If the Broncos want to keep their playoff hopes alive, they need to win in Week 7.