Denver Broncos: Comeback vs. Chargers is best win since SB50

The Denver Broncos’ best win since Super Bowl 50 just happened.

It’s closing in on six years since the confetti stopped falling on Levi’s Stadium after the Denver Broncos and their dominant defense beat NFL MVP Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.

Since that confetti stopped falling, a lot has gone down in Broncos Country, to say the least.

A wide variety of quarterbacks have taken the ball for the team, with very little in the way of positive results.

The Broncos have had three different head coaches in that time, a wide array of assistant coaches and offensive coordinators, and following the 2019 season, things were supposed to be looking up.

Rookie Drew Lock led the team down the final stretch of the season to four victories in five games, and with all of the fun offseason additions the Broncos made in 2020, it was expected this team could be a darkhorse playoff contender.

Thanks to their most recent win against the Los Angeles Chargers, they still might be.

After a dismal first half, the Denver Broncos’ young offense started to click in a big way in the second half of the team’s 31-30 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Just about the time CBS put the montage of the dog in the mountains dressed up in Denver Broncos gear as they do at some point in every Broncos broadcast, I remember thinking to myself — What if all of the talk of Drew Lock’s regression is not only true, but lasting? What if he’s lost his confidence? What in the world are the Broncos going to do if he’s not the QB?

After six full quarters with barely anything to hang our hats on between the Chiefs and Chargers game and about three or four minutes after the fun dog-in-Broncos-gear montage, the Chargers went up 24-3, a nail in the coffin for the Broncos in this one. All that was left was time for the offense to further embarrass itself, right?

CBS Sports put up a graphic showing the Chargers having 58 plays and the Broncos’ offense having 57 yards. Before the graphic even disappeared from the screen, Drew Lock through a ball that could have been picked off by Kyzir White.

On 3rd-and-8, it seemed like another punt was inevitable, and then something clicked. Drew Lock fired a first-down deep over the middle of the field to DaeSean Hamilton, a welcomed sight.

Two plays later, this happened…

Phillip Lindsay was outstanding in the Broncos’ blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs before suffering a concussion, and he was outstanding on this play, showing “vintage” 2018 Phillip Lindsay with one of the best runs of his career so far.

And one of the biggest.

After the first semblance of momentum since Justin Simmons’ interception early in the game, the Denver Broncos gave it right back to the Chargers. Drew Lock telegraphed a pass into double coverage and the Chargers were set up in great field position, easily in field goal range which would have put them up by three scores late in the third quarter.

Then this happened…

Bryce Callahan now has two interceptions in the Broncos’ last three games, and this one was arguably the most crucial turning point of the entire game here for Denver.

The Broncos didn’t let the Chargers off the hook for that red zone interception, driving the ball 80 yards down the field in nine plays with great passes from Lock, nice runs by Lindsay and Gordon, and the first touchdown of young tight end Albert Okwuegbunam’s career.

Now with momentum firmly on the Denver Broncos’ side, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers put together a scoring drive of their own. The Broncos’ defense was able to hold them to just three points, but the Chargers increased their lead to 10 points with only half of the fourth quarter remaining.

Down by 10 points with less than 8:00 on the clock, it was once again Phillip Lindsay who sparked the offense. On the first play after the kickoff, Lindsay burst through the line for 20 yards, and the Chargers hit him out of bounds, tacking another 15 yards onto the end of the play.

In just one play, the Broncos went from their own 25 to the Chargers’ 40, and they wasted no time getting into the end zone after that massive Chargers penalty.

https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1323052863795290112

Two plays from scrimmage, 75 yards, and a DaeSean Hamilton touchdown, the first of the season for him. The Broncos’ offense, at this point, was feeling it a little bit, and the chances of a comeback increased significantly because the Broncos were able to score a touchdown with only 27 seconds coming off of the game clock.

The Chargers wouldn’t go down quietly, however, driving down the field for yet another field goal to increase their lead to six points and leaving the Broncos with 2:30 on the game clock.

And they would use every single second of it.

Piece by piece, bit by bit, the Denver Broncos’ young offense moved their way down the field. Quick throws to the sideline, a couple of quick throws from Lock to his receivers with room to run, and 13 plays led to what would ultimately be one final play with one second on the clock.

Among those 13 plays were two crucial penalties on the Chargers defending rookie tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, whose presence in the offense can’t be overstated at this point.

The most critical play was a 4th-and-4 play where the Broncos targeted Okwuegbunam in the end zone as he was covered illegally by Chargers defender Brandon Facyson. The pass interference on fourth down was reminiscent of the Broncos’ home win over the Chargers in 2019 when Lock just heaved the ball up to Courtland Sutton, who was interfered with by Casey Hayward.

The 14th play of the drive had Broncos fans everywhere holding their breath.

In many ways, the Chargers defended this play perfectly. KJ Hamler was probably supposed to come open right at the snap. The Chargers stayed home and didn’t let him run free near the goal line, but the defender broke off his coverage and headed for Lock, who probably had the option to hit Hamler or just run the ball in on this play.

As the defender started bearing down on Lock, Hamler drifted into the end zone and made himself available. Lock flicked the ball to him and Hamler not only secured the catch but got a foot and a cheek in bounds. That play tied it, and Brandon McManus’ extra point won it.

The Broncos faced a similar deficit against the Chargers all the way back in 2012, Peyton Manning’s first year with the team, when they trailed 24-0 at halftime and fans were wondering if signing Peyton Manning was really the right move.

At halftime of this game against the Chargers, and even into the third quarter, fans were doubting whether or not Drew Lock was “the guy” anymore if they had even still been clinging to that hope after the Chiefs debacle.

There is no question that the Broncos have room for improvement and they need some real consistency, but the comeback against the Chargers and all it involved comprised the best victory for the Denver Broncos since Super Bowl 50.

The young players stepped up big-time. Veterans played their part. The team stayed poised in a high-pressure situation. They never gave up.

So many plays stand out as potential all-time memories going forward and this game will be etched in the memory of everyone in Broncos Country as one of the best wins in the last five, almost six years.

Hopefully, it will also serve as a sign of the turning of the tide for Denver’s young offense. As far as 2020 goes, it will certainly be the foundation on which this young team builds and moves forward.