Chargers jump on sleepwalking Broncos for 23-0 fourth quarter lead

DENVER — Maybe the Broncos should changeup their home-cooking diet.

Maybe there’s some lumps in their own beds.

Whatever the reason, the Broncos have started slow in all three home games this season. And this time they didn’t have Pat Surtain II to wake them up.

The Broncos were getting whipped by the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers, 23-0, entering the fourth quarter on an otherwise perfect (68 degrees, sunny) mid-October, Sunday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High.

So far this season, the Broncos begin home games as if they thought kickoff was at 3:05 p.m.

In their first home game this season against Pittsburgh, the Broncos fell behind 13-0 and lost 13-6.

In their second home game, they fell behind the Las Vegas Raiders, 10-0 and were about to go down, 17-3 when Surtain came up with 100-yard pick six that was a 14-point play. The Broncos went on to beat the Raiders, 34-18, but against the Chargers, Surtain suffered a concussion on the first defensive play of the game.

And with the Broncos playing in four days at New Orleans on Thursday night, there does not figure to be enough time for Surtain to clear the concussion protocol for the game against the Saints.

The Broncos were especially sluggish Sunday against the Chargers. Two Javonte Williams’ runs created nothing more than third and 8. Broncos’ rookie quarterback Bo Nix overthrew Marvin Mims Jr. on a deep middle route. Mims reached up to get a fingertip on the ball, which deflected it to Chargers’ safety Elijah Molden, who returned it 25 yards to field goal range.

The Chargers moved to first and goal at the 5 but an offensive pass interference call pushed them back and they had to settle for a rare 20-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker.

While the Broncos’ offense was going interception, punt, punt on their three, first quarter possessions, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert finished off his second possession with a perfectly thrown wheel route to running back Kimani Vidal, who outraced Broncos linebacker Cody Barton to the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown. It was 10-0 Chargers.

A lost fumble by Broncos’ running back Javonte Williams, who was held up and had the ball yanked away, set up the Chargers’ final touchdown before the half. J.K. Dobbins finished the 11-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown run in which he broke two Denver tackle attempts to make it, 20-0.

There was a stark contrast in quarterback play in the first half.

Herbert was 18 of 26 for 184 yards with a touchdown and a 102.1 passer rating at intermission.

Nix was 3 of 10 for 22 yards with an interception and a can’t-get-any-worse 0.0 rating.

Nix did have a 46-yard strike down the middle to Courtland Sutton with 26 seconds left in the first half, but the big play was called back on a Quinn Meinerz holding penalty.

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh left the sidelines and into the visiting locker room in the first quarter because of illness. He returned to his coaching sideline position in the second quarter. …

The Broncos gave uniforms – an odd mix of orange tops and blue bottoms — to rookie running back Audric Estime, who was fresh off injured reserve with an ankle issue. They also played tight end Lucas Krull ahead of Greg Dulcich, who was inactive for a second consecutive week. And defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike dressed for his first game since 2022 as he was suspended all last season for gambling violations and was inactive through the first five games.