Broncos report card: Sean Payton picked a bad time for a bout of bad clock management before halftime vs. Chargers

OFFENSE — C-

The contrast could not have been more stark. The Broncos came out blistering hot, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions. They bullied the ball down the field. They used several ball-carriers. They did anything they wanted. And then… just about nothing. One effective drive to open the third quarter. But overall a possession chart that looked like this: Punt, punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt, field goal. They rolled to 212 net yards on their first three drives and then had just 124 on seven subsequent possessions. That won’t get it done.

DEFENSE — D

Don’t look now, but Vance Joseph’s defense is suddenly stuck in a rut. The past three games have included surrendering 552 yards to Cleveland, a slow start (but dominant finish) against Indianapolis and then a 34-point night at the Chargers on Thursday. They’d only given up 92 points in the second half through the first 14 games this year and surrendered 21 against Justin Herbert and company. More concerning: They busted several times in coverage, allowing Chargers receiver Ladd McConkey and others to run wide open in the middle of the field. All in all, a bad night at the office and now a big challenge with a dynamite Cincinnati offense up next on the docket.

SPECIAL TEAMS — D

Tremon Smith has been among the Broncos’ unsung heroes this year. He’s done terrific work on special teams and is a reason why Denver’s had among the league’s best units over the past two seasons. But the interference penalty on the final snap of the first half was a brutal blow. It moved the little-known fair catch free kick chance for Los Angeles to 57 yards. Maybe they would have tried it from 72, but that obviously would have been a much lower-percentage proposition. It wasn’t all bad: Smith downed another Riley Dixon punt at the 4-yard line and Wil Lutz knocked home a 55-yard field goal on another clean place-kicking night, but the bad far outweighed the good.

COACHING — F

A perplexing sequence before the end of the first half: The Broncos started with the ball, backed up, and 41 seconds remaining. Head coach Sean Payton said after the game it called for being “pretty conservative.” But after a first-down screen went for minus-3, Denver rushed back to the line and snapped the ball with 23 seconds still left on the play clock and just 17 seconds left in the half. Incompletion. Then a third-down run that drew a quick Los Angeles timeout. Play aggressive or don’t — sitting on the ball would have been fine given Denver was up 11 and starting the second half with the ball — but that sequence played right into the Chargers’ hands. Combine it with abandoning the run game after two drives and another penalty filled night and it was not Payton and the coaching staff’s best night. Not by a long shot.

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.