Broncos need to learn to finish games

In back-to-back weeks now, the Denver Broncos have lost a game they should have won to a last-second field goal by the opposing team. These games were on the road against two of the better teams in the AFC right now, and the Broncos let the win slip out of their hands late in the fourth quarter in each of these games.

This is the problem. A problem we have seen from this team since last season. They lack the killer instinct to finish a game and get the win on the offensive side of the ball. They are letting winnable games slip away due to them beating themselves with mistakes, penalties, and poor play.

We saw it in this one. After doing nothing for most of the first half, the Broncos scored on a brilliant 4th down call by Head Coach Sean Payton to make it 10-7 at halftime. Then, they come out of the half and running back J.K. Dobbins carries them into the end zone to make it 14-10. Following that, they force a fumble on the kickoff return and get the ball in Chargers territory. They have a shot to put this game away, but they settle for the field goal and make it a 7-point game.

Later in the game, they go for it on 4th down, and again, they convert on a big play and get 15 yards added on due to a facemask. The Broncos are set up with 1st and Goal and ready to make this a two-score game. Instead of handing it off to Dobbins or throwing it to Sutton or whoever, you call a QB keeper, and Nix runs into the ass of his blockers. Later, you have Troy Franklin dropping a touchdown and being called for offensive pass interference, and the drive just goes off the rails. You had a good chance to make it 24-13 in the 4th quarter with your defense playing really well, and you once again settled for a field goal.

It was once again a 7-point lead for the Broncos in the 4th quarter. They needed the Broncos’ defense to continue to hold the lead and hope they could add on later. Unfortunately, that did not happen. The defense would give up a touchdown to quarterback Justin Herbert, and the offense would get the ball two more times and go three and out in each of those drives, including their final drive late in the 4th quarter after the Chargers tied it up. They couldn’t drive down the field with the game on the line, and just punted the ball away to Herbert, who went down and won the game.

We saw this same thing vs. the Colts the week prior. They had a chance to put the game away or at least extend the lead, and Bo Nix throws a costly interception, then kicker Wil Lutz misses the field goal, and the offense is once again unable to put the game away.

So,...