The Denver Broncos did not make it easy, once again. The Broncos were staring down a very ugly loss, perhaps one of the worst of the Sean Payton era in Week 5. However, a really strong fourth quarter from both the offense and defense was enough to seal the deal.
The Los Angeles Chargers were dealing with a plethora of injuries on both sides of the ball, and, on offense, they were down most of their primary wide receivers and starting offensive linemen. This could not have been a Broncos loss - it was flat-out needing to be a win.
And while it's never easy, the Broncos are now 3-2 on the season. Let's dive into our immediate takeaways here.
Denver Broncos immediate takeaways following ugly Week 5 win over the Chargers
J.K. Dobbins came to life in the second half
Running back J.K. Dobbins, who was flat-out bad in the first half, did come alive a bit with some very efficient, much-needed runs in the second half. Dobbins has certainly not been close to how he looked last year, and many have even wondered if he's playing hurt, but the Broncos did need to him to step up a bit in the second half, and he did.
Dobbins didn't light up the stat sheet in Week 5, but his veteran presence as the game wore on was evident, and if there was ever a time for Dobbins to struggle and then turn it on, it needed to be in that fashion - when his team needed him to the most.
The Broncos offense is still a major issue
The Broncos offense is still an issue, folks. It feels like you could list five things that aren't working with this unit and then mention that Bo Nix has not looked good. It's certainly something that we keep saying needs to get cleaned up, but I am not sure it's possible.
It feels like the offensive line can not only not clear running lanes, but is also allowing far too much quick pressure. We also have not seen Nix use his legs nearly as much as he did his first two years, and the team might have a regressed player on their hands in Dobbins.
The offense is still a primary issue.
Talanoa Hufanga left the game with an ankle injury
Talanoa Hufanga forced a crucial fumble in the first half and left the game in the second half after an awkward tackle. He hurt his ankle and did not return. With the Broncos being on a short week, Hufanga's status is going to be a major storyline, as both Patrick Surtain II and Riley Moss are already hurt.
The Broncos win another one-score game and come alive in the fourth quarter
Thanks to 13 points in the fourth quarter, the Broncos earned another one-score victory. What is really funny is that the two losses this year have been by double-digits, so the one-score victory streak remains alive, and it has definitely spilled big-time into 2026. While things have felt quite sloppy this year compared to last year, the team still being able to finish games is refreshing.
The secondary could be an issue going forward...
This is mainly with an injury-focused lens. If Hufanga, Surtain, and Moss are not able to go in Week 6 on Thursday Night Football, this secondary is going to get picked apart by Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and the Seattle Seahawks. When healthy, it's one of the best units in the NFL, but that's really the key here - it'll be very interesting to see how the injury report looks this week.
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