The Denver Broncos dropped to 2-2 after a Week 4 loss against the San Francisco 49ers, and this one was disheartening.
Win or lose, the Broncos seem to struggle in the same exact ways every single game. They start slow in the first half; they can't play complementary football; they have no running game to speak of; penalties are an issue.
No matter what, it feels like this team can't get out of its own way. Even with the threat of the comeback kids very much present in the second half against the 49ers, the Broncos were handed what felt like a deserved loss and slice of humble pie heading into Week 5 against the Chargers.
Before we look ahead to that game, who were the biggest winners and losers from Week 4, and what can be learned moving forward?
Broncos' offense loaded unfortunate losers after Week 4 loss against 49ers
Bo Nix, quarterback
This is not the category we want Bo Nix appearing in at all this season, but it's deserved after four games of seemingly just one long uphill battle.
Bo Nix has played exceptionally well with his back against the wall and in clutch situations, but the more you flirt with disaster, the more you're begging for trouble. Nix and the offense simply cannot seem to get anything of substance going early in games, and that issue can be traced back to a number of different problems.
The Broncos have no running game to speak of. Even when Nix does test down the field, his receivers are dropping passes, or he's off the mark.
Discussions about Nix's average depth of target get overblown, but it's also clear that the Broncos are not able or willing (or both) to throw the ball downfield with regularity. Teams are not allowing it, and the Broncos don't have answers.
And that may be the bigger issue here. The Broncos' offense has absolutely no bread and butter in the passing game. There is no "easy" button for Bo Nix. Which is why he finds himself in this category alongside someone else with dirt on his hands...
Davis Webb, offensive coordinator
Say what you want about play design, play calling, or play sequencing. The fact of the matter is, the Broncos' offense is not executing, and the buck has to stop somewhere.
It's fair to wonder, at this point, whether or not head coach Sean Payton will eventually take play-calling duties away from his star pupil. Before the season, the assumption was that it would take something absolutely disastrous to get the Broncos to even consider a move like this, but at what point does Payton run out of patience?
Is it if the Broncos have a losing record? At some point, you have to think that Payton is not going to let the failure of the Broncos' offense be the fault of his young offensive coordinator, and he will take that responsibility back for himself.
It's too early to say whether or not Webb is a poor play-caller at the NFL level. His players certainly aren't doing him any favors with penalties, drops, getting whipped at the line of scrimmage, not creating yards after contact, and not hitting throws regularly.
This is a very sticky situation for Sean Payton to have to navigate.
Courtland Sutton, wide receiver
It's been a complete and utter shame to see the way Courtland Sutton has played through the first four games of the 2026 season.
Sutton was horrible against the 49ers, falling down multiple times in the game when he was being targeted by Bo Nix, and on one play, Sutton just ran directly into a 49ers defensive back and tried to complain his way to a penalty called in his favor.
The Courtland Sutton we're seeing this season is not at all the Courtland Sutton of old, and it's becoming hard to watch.
Sutton's separation skills are simply not there. The Broncos can't scheme him open because teams are taking away the deep, in-breaking concepts in which another receiver is going vertical to clear space for Sutton. Nothing is working right now for Sutton, and it's becoming difficult to stomach.
Broncos' defense, Jeremy Crawshaw lead top winners vs. 49ers
Jeremy Crawshaw, Punter
Yippee, the punter is a big winner from an otherwise dismal loss...
Not to diminish what Jeremy Crawshaw brings to the table, but we'd all prefer to see him as the holder for extra points than coming out there to pin opponents deep after drives stall out near midfield.
But we have to give credit where it's due. Crawshaw punted five times against the 49ers, and four of them were down inside the 20. It would have been a perfect 5-for-5, but Pat Bryant was called for illegal touching on a punt that was otherwise downed at the one-yard line, so it was ruled a touchback.
Crawshaw was a weapon that helped keep the Broncos in this game by flipping the field.
Alex Singleton, linebacker
The performance we saw from Alex Singleton against the 49ers was much more in alignment with what you expect from a player who is known for being cerebral and playing instinctively.
Singleton is no stranger to leading the Denver Broncos in tackles, which he did again vs. the 49ers. He finished the game with 14 total tackles, 7 solo, and the team's only tackle for loss in the game.
It's been a bit of a rough year so far for Singleton in 2026, at least from the outside looking in. The Broncos passed on a number of really good linebackers (both in free agency and the NFL Draft) to keep him. This was a solid step in the right direction for him after a tough September.
Zach Allen, defensive lineman
Zach Allen is a beast, and there's really no other way to look at it.
He racked up another 3 quarterback hits in this game against the 49ers, and blocked a field goal before halftime to preserve some momentum for the Broncos. If only the offense could reward him for what he's brought to the table so far this season...
Allen is one of the most consistently disruptive players in the NFL, and might be the best interior defensive lineman in the entire league right now.
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