The Denver Broncos slogged their way through to a 23-17 Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in Inglewood. Although a win is a win, especially in the NFL, but this one was ugly. The Broncos, who came into 2026 with sky-high expectations, took until the fourth quarter (again) to heat up, scoring 13 unanswered points to come back and win the game.
We take a look at the studs and duds from the Week 5 win.
Stud: Nik Bonitto
Bonitto led all players with two sacks of Justin Herbert on Sunday afternoon. Bonitto flew around what was a patchwork offensive line from the Los Angeles Chargers, and looked like one of the quickest players on the field on defense for the Broncos. With the Denver pass rush at a loss for most of the early season, Bonitto needed to have a game like this to get back on top.
Dud: Bo Nix
Bo Nix just hasn't looked like himself early on. Missing open receivers, looking panicked in the pocket; it just doesn't look like 2025 Bo Nix at any point this season. Maybe Nix just has to get out of his own head. How he does that is going to be crucial as they head into a short week and a mini-bye going into Week 7. Nix finished 16-of-27 for 123 yards, one touchdown, sacked once, and lost a fumble. Whatever slump Nix is in, he had receivers open, but just seemed skittish.
Stud: Defensive turnovers
The Broncos had three key takeaways and a turnover on downs against the Chargers. All of the turnovers led to points on the board. Talanoa Hufanga forced a fumble early on which led to a Broncos touchdown, a turnover on downs led to a touchdown in the fourth quarter, a fumble on a sack of Justin Herbert forced by Zach Allen led to a field goal, and the final interception by Brandon Jones ahead of the two-minute warning led to the final three points of the game. 20 points off turnovers was the difference between winning and losing. Hopefully the defense can keep up that kind of production against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6.
Neither stud nor dud: Jaylen Waddle
Waddle showed a lot of frustration at the lack of targets coming his way on Sunday in Los Angeles, slamming his helmet down on the sideline and looking skyward on the field. Waddle certainly didn't help his own frustrations, dropping one of his five targets through the game, which would have gone for a catch of 10+ yards. As is, Waddle finished with two catches for 19 yards. As explosive as he is, Waddle needs to find some way to hold onto the ball when it's thrown to him, and make the most of the touches he gets every game.
Neither stud nor dud: Courtland Sutton, J.K. Dobbins
Two players who have been disappointing as of late on the Broncos offense were Courtland Sutton and J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins and Sutton got their first scores of the season; Dobbins in the first quarter, Sutton in the fourth which tied the game at 17. Sutton finished with two catches for 18 yards and a touchdown on five targets, while Dobbins led the rushing attack with 18 carries for 68 yards and a score, adding two catches for six yards for good measure. Both players will need to keep up their production in order to not be forgotten in the Broncos' rotation as the season continues.
The Broncos face a brutally short week by going into Thursday Night Football against the defending champs, but they beat the 2024 champions last fall. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. With injuries piling up and uncertainty in the offensive gameplan, there seems to be more questions than answers; a very scary place to be nearly six weeks into the season.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Studs and duds from Broncos’ 23-17 win over Chargers