Denver Broncos have 3 plays that loom large in Week 3 loss, all committed by the same player

Travis Wakeman

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Denver Broncos have 3 plays that loom large in Week 3 loss, all committed by the same player image

The Denver Broncos had the Los Angeles Chargers beat in Week 3. The team overcame a slow start and had taken all of the momentum early in the second half, only to give it up at the end and lose on the last play of the game for a second straight week. 

The Broncos can go back and look at what went right and what went wrong in this game and as is the case in many NFL games, one bounce one way or the other often plays a big factor in the result. However, three plays will stick out like a sore thumb. 

Bo Nix had some terrible overthrows in this game, which played a huge factor in the result. In the NFL, you have to hit on these kinds of plays when they are there, particularly when the difference between a win and a loss can come down to one play. All three of these throws can be reviewed here. 

On the first, the Broncos dial up a flea flicker to counter some of the quick pressure that the Chargers were getting. The play was run to perfection, but Nix seemed to let the ball go just a tad early and overthrew a wide-open Marvin Mims on what would have been a touchdown. 

Watching that replay, you'll notice that Nix is rushed, seemingly panicked, or maybe even excited that his guy is wide open, and he doesn't get his feet set. He almost jumps into the throw and he just has too much on it. 

Later, Nix has Mims open again in the end zone but he missed him badly. This was on the series after the team scored a touchdown to start the second half and then forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. A touchdown there would have given the Broncos a 21-10 lead, but instead they settled for a field goal. 

Finally, coming off the shock of the play Justin Herbert made to tie the score late in the fourth quarter, Nix gets an opportunity to hit a wide-open Courtland Sutton streaking down the sidelines. Sutton gets his fingertips on the ball by diving for it, but again, it's overthrown. 

On this play, Nix did get his feet set; he just misjudged the throw. It came on 3rd-and-10 and forced the Broncos to punt to L.A. and of course, they never saw the ball again as the Chargers went down the field, got into position for a game-winning kick, drained the clock down and made the field goal to win it. It's truly a game of inches. 

 

If you have followed Bo Nix's career, you know that this is nothing new. Nix does have an issue with overthrowing his targets. It's something he needs to specifically work on with his current group of receivers, working on that timing and getting it down to where this is something that becomes quite rare. 

It cost the team a game on Sunday. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.