The Denver Broncos had a playoff ticket in hand but let it get ripped away by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sean Payton's crew controlled much of the first half and built an 11-point lead midway through the third quarter. But in a snap, the lead deteriorated. The Chargers scored three second-half touchdowns, turning a 24-13 deficit into a 34-24 lead. L.A. would hold on for a 34-27 victory.
"It was disappointing because there was a lot at stake, and we know that," Payton said, via The Associated Press. "We had a fast start. I was encouraged by that, and then uncharacteristically this season, we didn't finish or play nearly well enough in the second half, both offensively and defensively. Time of possession. The third-down numbers. Our rushing numbers fell off in the second half. Credit Los Angeles for fighting their way back in, and we didn't make enough plays in the end. So we go from there."
Denver opened the game with three consecutive TD drives but couldn't find the end zone past the midway point of the second quarter. The Broncos went three-and-out three times on the night and generated just six second-half first downs.
The offense hit a lull and the defense uncharacteristically got burned, leaving Chargers wideouts open repeatedly for chunk gains as Justin Herbert carved up Vance Joseph's crew.
"Everybody in that locker room -- every guy -- wants to already play next week, I think, at this point," quarterback Bo Nix said. "We're all competitively frustrated. I think we're excited for this opportunity. We know that this next one's the most important, and we just want to go out next week and not feel this way again."
Added linebacker Jonathon Cooper: "I just feel like the frustration comes from the fact that we knew we could have won this game, and we started the way we knew that we wanted to. We just didn't finish the way we wanted to. ... Everybody is hurt. It's a tough loss, a very tough loss. But we've just got to learn from it and come back next week stronger and focus on getting our 10th win."
The collapse was a group effort, with the offense going cold and the defense making miscues. Payton said he liked how his team battled, but they must be smarter, particularly with five "dropped coverages" from the defense.
"I think we're playing hard," Payton said. "But we've got to be smarter. And we've got to be smarter as coaches as well."
A win would have clinched a playoff berth for Denver. Even with the loss, they still have an 85% chance of making the postseason, per Next Gen Stats' model. However, the defeat pushes them to the No. 7 seed, which means, if standings hold, they'd travel to Buffalo to face the juggernaut Bills in the Wild Card Round.
