The Denver Broncos picked up their first win of the season, and it was an important one since it was a divisional win on the road.
Denver defeated the Los Angeles Chargers by a score of 20-13 on Sunday, but it was the defense that truly shined.
The offense did play well in the first half but lost their magic in the second half. Joe Flacco picked up his first win with his new team, and Vic Fangio got his first win as an NFL head coach, which earned him a game ball from John Elway. Through the first four games of the season, he handled the situation very well with the players and the press, gaining praise from lots of Denver players.
Could we talk about a turnaround to get into a winning streak for the Denver Broncos? Maybe not yet. This team as a whole is still young and a work in progress. But there is hope for the future.
As head coach Vic Fangio said after the game, “I think ‘hang on’ is a better term than ‘finish.’ We got out to a nice lead there, played well on both sides of the ball. And then we just went [cold]. We couldn’t get a first down there in the third quarter. We continued to play good defense through that span and then obviously the [Chargers’] punt-return [touchdown] kind of changed the game there a little bit. It went from a three-score game all of a sudden to a two-score game. So, we finished, but it was painful.”
A few players from the Denver Broncos caught our eye during the game. With four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, Courtland Sutton is slowly becoming the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver.
On the defensive side of the ball, what a debut for Alexander Johnson. The linebacker did not disappoint. He made a vital interception in the end zone and was all over the place to keep the Chargers’ offense out of the end zone for the entire game. Vic Fangio actually gave him his game ball in the locker room.
Now the Broncos must prepare to face first the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Week 6 and then the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday in Week 7.
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Chargers (2-3) have gotten back their star running back Melvin Gordon, who ended his holdout late last month.
However, the Chargers failed to score an offensive touchdown. Gordon rushed for just 31 yards on 12 carries and caught four passes for seven yards.
“We just couldn’t get going,” said Gordon. “What frustrated me most was being inside the 20, being right at the goal line and not converting. That’s just not Chargers football. You know us. We get to the goal line, we’re licking our chops [and] we usually get it in.”
It was a day to forget for the Broncos, as Philip Rivers threw 48 passes for only 211 yards. He also threw two interceptions. He was not at his best, to say the least. In fact, Los Angeles’ only gain longer than 20 yards was Desmond King’s 68-yard punt return for a score.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen was limited to four receptions for 18 yards.
Days like these happen. The Chargers will learn from this difficult beginning of the season and get stronger by the end of the season. Let’s not bury the Chargers too quickly. Even though the Chiefs seem to be at the top of the AFC West, the road to the end of the season is still very long.
On the other side of the field, the Broncos finally wom after a couple debatable and unlucky finishes.
