It wasn't pretty offensively, but the Denver Broncos finally won at SoFi Stadium, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 23-17.
The win puts the Broncos at 3-2, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for second place in the AFC West. The 4-0 Kansas City Chiefs were on bye this week, but they still lead the division.
The injury bug and Sean Payton's decision to take back the play-calling had a huge impact on the Broncos' Week 5 snap counts, with a few surprises. Let's examine how the Broncos relied in different players.
Keep in mind, on offense, Bo Nix and the Broncos' offensive line played 100% of snaps, with 62. Alex Palczewski garnered a season-high eight snaps in this one, too, as the Broncos deployed an extra O-lineman in some heavy looks.
Running Backs
- J.K. Dobbins: 32
- RJ Harvey: 23
- Tyler Badie: 7
- Adam Prentice: 6
After taking a back seat to Harvey last week, Dobbins led all Broncos running backs in snap share and touches, finishing with 18 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown, while catching two passes for six yards. Harvey was a relative non-factor in Payton's first game back as the play-caller, carrying just three times for seven yards and garnering just one target, which he did not catch.
Badie carried once for six yards and caught one pass for minus five yards. Prentice received his first touch of the season, diving three yards to move the chains for Denver's offense.
Wide Receivers
- Courtland Sutton: 50
- Jaylen Waddle: 40
- Troy Franklin: 39
- Lil’Jordan Humphrey: 14
- Marvin Mims Jr.: 12
Sutton again led the way in snap share, but only finished with two catches on three targets for 18 yards. But at least the Pro Bowler notched his first touchdown of the season.
Waddle posted his third game of the season with two catches or fewer, despite leading the Broncos with five targets. He dropped one that would have been a sizable gain.
Franklin continues to keep his head down and do the dirty work as a blocker, and when Nix looks his way, he answers the bell, finishing with two catches on two targets for 16 yards. Humphrey out-earned Mims in snap share, and caught his only target for eight yards; it was the Broncos' first first-down conversion on an opening drive of the season.
Still wondering what the heck is going on with Mims? Me too. He caught both targets for six yards and carried once for three yards.
Tight Ends
- Evan Engram: 30
- Adam Trautman: 30
- Nate Adkins: 19
Engram was one of the Broncos' few impact players on offense, leading the team with four receptions for 55 yards. He's staying on the field to block way more than last year.
Trautman is a blocker, and so is Adkins. Neither garnered a target in Nix's 27 attempts.
Defensive Line
- Zach Allen: 46
- Malcolm Roach: 41
- Eyioma Uwazurike: 30
- D.J. Jones: 29
- Sai’vion Jones: 20
Allen once again had a monster game, finishing with several pressures and his fourth sack of the season. Roach was a force, too, notching three tackles and disrupting the Chargers' beleaguered offensive line.
Nose tackle D.J. Jones turned in one of the best performances of his career as a Bronco, while Sai'vion Jones saw a season-high snap share. The main rotation is a four-man show, though, with Uwazurike as the fourth leg.
Outside Linebackers
- Nik Bonitto: 38
- Jonah Elliss: 37
- Que Robinson: 32
- Dondrea Tillman: 27
Bonitto was a force, sacking Herbert twice. Robinson was disruptive, and Tillman led the group in pressures. Elliss is still looking a little... slow.
Denver might want to consider replacing Elliss with Robinson in the starting lineup until Jonathon Cooper returns.
Inside Linebackers
- Alex Singleton: 67
- Justin Strnad: 60
This was one of the Broncos' linebacker duo's best games of the season. Both played well, with Strnad leading the team in tackles (eight), followed by Singleton's seven.
No other inside linebacker saw the field on defense this week.
Cornerbacks
- Jahdae Barron: 67
- Kris Abrams-Draine: 67
- Ja’Quan McMillian: 37
A tip of the cap to Barron and Abrams-Draine for holding down the fort while Pat Surtain II and Riley Moss are injured. The two young corners played well, although it's worth mentioning that L.A. was without Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey.
McMillian was his usual solid self in the nickel.
Safeties
- Brandon Jones: 67
- Talanoa Hufanga: 44
- Devon Key: 26
- JL Skinner: 1
- Tycen Anderson: 1
Jones had a great game, notching an interception and a fumble recovery, but Hufanga exited with an ankle injury in the second half. That foisted Key onto the field, and he was... okay. Not great, but okay.
Amid the shock of losing Hufanga, Skinner and Anderson each garnered one snap. It was the first defensive snap of the season for Anderson, and only the second game of the campaign where Skinner saw time beyond special teams.
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