There are no moral victories in the NFL, which is abundantly clear with the playoffs on the line, but there were some important nuggets to be taken away from the Denver Broncos' awful loss in Week 16 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Broncos are one of the youngest teams in the NFL, and they continue to get excellent contributions from young players in every phase of the game. Although the team lost to the Chargers, the details of the game might actually give us some nice indicators for the future in terms of players being able to step into bigger roles very soon.
In no particular order, let's explore some of the top developments during the Chargers game that might be getting overlooked because of the outcome.
Broncos getting huge contributions from young players in loss to Chargers
1. Audric Estimé was unleashed...in the first half, at least
Everyone is going to be wondering why the Broncos didn't stick with handing the rock to Audric Estimé in the second half of the game against the Chargers, and justifiably so. Estimé was featured early and often vs. the Chargers and scored his first NFL touchdown on the opening drive of the game for Denver.
Averaging 5.3 yards per carry, Estimé showed a combination of power, vision, and a simple unwillingness to take a loss that was refreshing to see after so many issues in recent weeks. It felt like the Broncos had a true bread and butter in the running game when Estimé was getting the ball. He carried the ball five times in the first half for 30 yards and a touchdown with four sporadic carries for 18 yards in the second half.
Why did the Broncos not feed Estimé after he averaged six yards per carry in the first half?
2. Blake Watson finally gets involved
Well, Blake Watson was one of the Denver Broncos' biggest UDFA additions this past offseason, and we finally got the chance to see why on Thursday night. Although he had just 23 yards from scrimmage on five total touches, Watson showed outas both a runner and receiver with a 13-yard catch and run in addition to a nice 7-yard run early in the game.
Watson's involvement was rather minimal, but it was exciting to see the Broncos get him some chances.
3. Bo Nix, Broncos offense opened with three straight TD drives
Although they didn't finish the game well, the way this young Denver Broncos offense came out and unleashed on the #1 scoring defense in the NFL was impressive.
The Broncos had three touchdowns on three straight drives to open the game against LA, and they were as balanced as we have ever seen them on that side of the ball. I know a lot of people are harping on Bo Nix for the throw to Marvin Mims late in the game on Thursday, but the way he was orchestrating the offense and making throws in the first half was a thing of beauty.
Frankly, Nix set his team up extremely well. He had his team up by 11 points on the road in a "win and in" game. It's a shame it didn't end well.
4. Kris Abrams-Draine with an INT
You just felt like this one was coming, right?
Abrams-Draine has been making plays on the ball dating back to the preseason, and he has been consistently making plays on the ball since coming into the lineup late in the game against the Cleveland Browns.
He undercut a pass from Justin Herbert with the Chargers threatening late in the 1st half and picked off what would have otherwise been a touchdown. What's really frustrating about this is that the Broncos were caught in poor position in zone coverage a lot in this game and Abrams-Draine seems to afford Vance Joseph the opportunity to play the man coverage he desires to play.
The rookie continues to impress with his opportunities.
5. Another Devaughn Vele touchdown catch
After seeing his involvement ramp up significantly after the trade deadline, I figured Devaughn Vele would make a lot more noise than we've heard from him over the last three weeks. Vele caught 14 passes in a three-game stretch (Kansas City, Atlanta, Las Vegas) and was targeted 18 times over that stretch.
In the Broncos' last three games (Cleveland, Indianapolis, Los Angeles), Vele has been targeted just eight times and has only three receptions. The Broncos need to find more ways to get him going but seeing him make a play for a touchdown early on was a lot of fun.
Vele has strong hands, great body control, and can make plays at the catch point. Hopefully, we see more and more involvement from him over the final two regular season games.
6. Drew Sanders got himself a sack
The Denver Broncos welcomed Drew Sanders back into the fold for the first time last week, and they got him some defensive snaps against the Chargers.
And he took advantage, notching his first sack of the 2024 season. Sanders is what Sean Payton has labeled a "pressure player" and he proved it on Thursday night with his explosive move to get to the QB. It's only a matter of time before his snaps increase.