Instant reaction: Fourth quarter heroics help Broncos defeat Chargers 23-17

The Denver Broncos battled the winless Los Angeles Chargers this afternoon. It was a back-and-forth matchup throughout all ninety minutes. After four quarters of play, the Broncos were victorious defeating their AFC West rival 23-17. Here are some instant reactions from today's game.

The Broncos' issues on offense go far beyond the play-caller

The big headline this week was Head Coach Sean Payton's announcement that he would be taking over play calling duties. The Davis Webb experiment only lasted four games. However, whether or not such a switch was merited will be debated for a while. Some think it was, while others certainly believe Webb didn't get a fair shake.

Even with the switch, Denver's offense failed to take off against Los Angeles. Sure, they got a few touchdowns on short fields gifted to them by the defense. However, I'd say the Broncos' issues go much deeper than who is dialing up the plays. Let's be honest—it's just bad offense—with a ton of blame to go around.

For most of the game, the offensive line couldn't get push in short yardage situations when attempting to run. They did better late in the game with everything on the line. With respect to pass protection, I felt they gave up quite a bit of pressure for most of the game. The highly touted unit has been very underwhelming to date. In my opinion, that position group could use multiple premium investments in next year's draft.

Bo Nix and the passing attack were inconsistent again. There were very few explosive plays down the field. Moreover, they were dreadful on third down conversion attempts. It took until the fourth quarter to get their first chain-moving play of the second half.

Outside of a few plays, Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle were missing in action. The lack of impact from those two is one of the biggest disappointments of the season. Where was RJ Harvey? He had ten catches last week and was barely involved on offense this afternoon. Why not try and get the ball in his hands as a receiver out of the backfield?

Sure, the Broncos found a way to win. But the overall effort from the offense throughout the game was extremely inconsistent. They host the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football in just a few days. Is that enough time to fix what we saw today? I'm not so sure about that.

Defense dials up the heat on Justin Herbert in fourth quarter

With a bunch of injuries, the Chargers were forced to start four rookies on their offensive line. Given such, this was a prime game for the Broncos' defensive front seven to get back on track.

After limiting the Chargers to just three points through two quarters, the defense had a really bad third quarter performance. Los Angeles was able to dial up a 93-yard scoring drive to start third quarter that evened up the game 10-10. Several drives later after a Nix fumble, Kimani Vidal was able to capitalize with a 42-yard touchdown scamper that gave them a seven-point lead heading into the final quarter of play.

At that point in time, it seemed like the defense was set to crumble and the Broncos were on their way to a sure-fire loss. But in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, the defense finally dialed up the heat on Justin Herbert. They were able to get a big fourth down stop and force several turnovers due to their pass rushing prowess.

Seeing them struggle to rattle him for most of the game was tough to watch, yet it was worth the wait to see them go off in the fourth quarter. A tip of the cap to Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and his players for rising to the occasion. Had it not been for their ferocious fourth quarter effort, the Broncos would have not won this game.