The Broncos have figured out late-game scoring, but does that matter?

DENVER — For the Denver Broncos, just how much hope was there in the second half of Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers?

Yes, the Broncos drove to scores on three-consecutive drives after staggering into the fourth quarter with the prospect of the first home shutout in franchise history staring them between the eyes. But this is the third time in as many losses this season that the Broncos made some window-dressing inroads to make the score respectable; they did this against Seattle and Pittsburgh to open the season, too.

Through 6 games, Denver’s offense has 9 touchdowns. More than half of them — 5 — have come in the fourth quarter, including two in each of the last two games.

So, you can say they’ve figured out the fourth quarter. But where the work last week came when the Broncos were in the process of turning a 20-10 lead into a blowout, these scores — like the touchdown to narrow the 26-13 gap at Seattle in Week 1 — had the effect of altering the score against a team playing to avoid the big strike while conceding clock-chewing connections underneath.

They changed the scoreboard numbers, but not the outcome.

“When you get the offense going at the end of the game and you’re down by 23, they’re playing a lot of off (coverage),” tight end Adam Trautman said. “So, you can get these 10- to 20-yard chunks kind of continuously.”

What can the Broncos offense take from scoring 16-straight points in the fourth quarter? According to TE Adam Trautman, it's more about character than tactics.

"When you get the offense going at the end of the game and you're down by 23, they're playing a lot of off (coverage).… pic.twitter.com/cNDZZWxMY9

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 14, 2024

And the Broncos went up-tempo, too. Which means fewer pre-snap substitutions, something that arose in the first two weeks when Denver was vastly more efficient when it went no-huddle compared with when it operated at a more deliberate pre-snap tempo.

“Look, let’s be honest. [The offense] picked up when we started going up-tempo. And when you’re behind, then you’re getting a different coverage look,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.

And then he pointed out the times when going up-tempo didn’t help.

“So, we played with some tempo early in the first half. We had a false start. We played with tempo,” he said. “In the second quarter, we fumbled a football. Those were all up-tempo plays.”

In other words, don’t expect the Broncos to mash the accelerator.

“Towards fourth quarter, fortunately, we were able to make some plays down the field,” he said. “But I think the game was in a different position at that point.

“But look, we fought to get back in it.”

And that’s something that does apply to other portions of the game.

Can the Broncos offense apply what it did in the 4th qtr. Sunday — when it scored 16 points — to the rest of the game? "Look, let's be honest: It picked up when we started going up-tempo. And when you're behind, then you're getting a different coverage look," Sean Payton said. pic.twitter.com/KlzASHjsMx

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 14, 2024

BUT BRONCOS COMEBACKS SHOW CHARACTER

Just as they did last year in rallying from a 1-5 start to reach playoff-contender status by December, this year’s team has plenty of resilience.

On the defensive side, it was a matter of recommitting themselves at halftime after four drives following Pat Surtain II’s concussion resulted in Chargers scores.

“I mean, we all looked at each other in the locker room and said, ‘Guys, we’re better than this, and we’re not going back to what we did last year. We’re not doing that,'” cornerback Riley Moss said.

And on offense, it was a matter of taking swings until some connected. In the fourth quarter, they finally did.

“The mindset and the fight, we can obviously apply at all times, but I think that’s the tell of good locker room, good team, good culture,” Trautman said.

“So, I think that was obviously encouraging, but that was about it.

It’s something that reveals what the Broncos can bring together if they solve the riddle of their slow starts.

How can the Broncos get Bo Nix and the offense going sooner?

How can the defense avoid falling into a funk when adversity strikes?

Questions abound after a loss that shows just how far the Broncos have to go in their development.

My report from the field: pic.twitter.com/3l5isrF8ig

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 14, 2024

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