'[We've] got to start making the plays': Broncos can't recapture fourth-quarter magic as comeback falls short

[Miles]

Lock said after the game that it was one of those plays that he has "to get out" of his system, and he did largely avoid mistakes for the rest of the game.


Brandon McManus' missed 37-yard field goal on the Broncos' next possession created another empty trip to the red zone.


Later in the first half, Jerry Jeudy dropped a pair of critical passes and had another drop in the end zone later in the game.


In all, the Broncos had the ball seven times in Chargers territory, racked up nearly 400 yards of offense, recorded 23 first downs — and scored just one touchdown.


"We've got to come up with points when you get into the other team's territory, and obviously we didn't do a good job of that today," Fangio said.


Defensively, the Broncos allowed just one touchdown, which came early in the second quarter. Fangio wasn't pleased with De'Vante Bausby's tackling, though, which led to Parnell Motley taking his spot.


"I didn't like the way Bausby was tackling — or not tackling," Fangio said. "I took him out earlier in the game, he begged for another chance, I gave it to him, and then he totally flagged on another tackle in the second half. So, the chance went out. I thought Motley came in and competed — he again played too soft there on the last drive. But for the amount of preparation he had and for where he's at in his career and just being here a couple days, I thought he went in there and competed and tried his best."


That last drive was perhaps the defense's worst, as the Broncos responded to tieing the game at 16 by allowing rushes of 11 yards and 23 yards to Austin Ekeler.


"Yeah, the first call we were in a coverage to help the corners and they ran it and squirted it out of there for 11 yards," Fangio said, "and then I believe on the second one we made an adjustment — we lined up incorrectly and the ball cut back there and then he steam-carried us for a few extra yards there at the end."


Dre'Mont Jones recorded a sack on the Chargers' final third down to give Denver a chance, but a missed throw by Lock and a drop by Jeudy forced the Broncos to try for a deep Hail Mary.


It came within a couple of yards of the end zone before being picked off. It was close, as were the Broncos.


And unlike the team's electric Week 8 win, this time that wasn't quite good enough.