Instant reaction: Broncos defeat Chargers to earn top seed in AFC

1 week ago 2

The Denver Broncos took care of business and defeated the Los Angeles Chargers in their Week 18 matchup. By doing so, the Broncos are now the top seed in the AFC for the postseason, get a first-round bye, and coveted homefield advantage. The defense was ferocious, but the offense struggled to be efficient throughout most of the game. Let’s get into some instant reactions from today’s big victory.

Against Chargers’ backups the Broncos’ offense fails to get going

We can ride the good vibes of Denver securing the top seed in the AFC playoffs. It’s been a long time since that has happened. Nevertheless, how the offense performed today should give any fan a reason to be concerned. Especially with the playoffs right around the corner.

For the first half, it was a vanilla gameplan consisting mostly of inside runs and short screen throws. While the Broncos did march down the field on 15-play, 81-yard drive on their first possession of the game, they had to settle for a 24-yard Wil Lutz field goal.

The rest of the game? There really wasn’t much to write home about. It wasn’t until the second half where Bo Nix was able to complete a pass down the field for more than ten yards. The Chargers have a good defense. It’s a Top 10 unit in the league. And yes, Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter might be a Head Coach after this hiring cycle. Regardless, I was expecting more from the offense in this pivotal matchup with Los Angeles resting some key starters.

Will two weeks of preparation for their Divisional Round opponent be enough to finally come up with a gameplan that can be executed well and result in more points? Only time will tell. I certainly hope so. There’s a good shot the Chargers could be coming to Denver for that game. Let’s be real, netting under 250 yards a game settling for field goals instead of touchdowns is not a recipe for success.

Denver’s offensive line struggles with pass protection

One area I haven’t had to critique too much throughout the season was Denver’s pass protection. For most weeks, it has been stellar with Nix has had ample time to operate in the pocket. In today’s game? That wasn’t the case. In fact, pass protection leaks may have been one of the biggest concerns anyone could have taken away from today’s gridiron battle.

Even against the Chargers’ backups, the Broncos gave up a lot of pressure which flushed Nix out of pockets most every drive. I thought Alex Forsyth and Ben Powers had trouble dealing with interior pressure, especially on linebacker blitzes, in the gap between them. For the game, Nix was sacked four times—the most of any game during their 2025 campaign.

Without question, this is an area Denver will have to improve upon if they want to be serious about a deep postseason run. Nix is going to have to be protected well and have time to get into a rhythm in the pocket. If not, Denver could potentially be one-and-done.

Jaleel McLaughlin needs more opportunities in the playoffs

Rookie running back RJ Harvey struggled running the ball today. The Chargers’ defense was quick to plug any gaps he was looking to run through. Harvey had just 28 yards on 15 carries. However, Jaleel McLaughlin was someone I hoped would make some plays. Moving forward, he needs to get more looks.

McLaughlin didn’t get the volume I expected. Especially with Head Coach Sean Payton saying he would have an expanded role. Even so, he had some impressive runs that helped move the chains when he did get to tote the rock. On just six carries, he had 41 yards. That’s almost seven yards per carry.

Here’s an idea—give a decent portion of Harvey’s runs to him. Outside the occasional splash run, Harvey has been averaging less than three yards per carry in most games this year. That’s not going to be good enough to get it done in the postseason.

A ferocious defensive effort was the key to victory with multiple turnovers forced

Going up against Trey Lance provided the Broncos opportunity to face off against a former top pick who had failed to throw 175 pass attempts since being drafted in 2021. I pegged his inexperience as a reason for optimism for Denver to finally start forcing some turnovers on defense.

I had predicted Patrick Surtain II to come away with a turnover in today’s game. However, it was standout nickelback Ja’Quan McMillian who gave the Broncos a lot of momentum with his pix-six in the first quarter. Even Alex Singleton and Riley Moss had their chances at interceptions as well in the first half. Alas, they weren’t able to come down with the ball.

But that wasn’t the only turnover of the game. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Nik Bonitto’s strip-sack of Lance was recovered by Sai’vion Jones. It was Denver’s second turnover and afforded the offense a short field to notch three more points on the scoreboard. On the next drive, they were able to get a turnover on downs.

Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and his players did what they had to do today. They notched four sacks to set the new franchise record at 68. Sure, it was against backups and a patchwork Chargers’ offensive line, but this is the type of dominant performance that could help give the Broncos some swagger and moxie entering the playoffs. If the offense continues to struggle, they are going to need their defense more than ever in just a few weeks down the road.

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