By losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in such a cumbersome manner, the Denver Broncos have lost a vital foothold. But the Broncos still understand they've got to deliver just one more win, with two chances to do so.
Broncos rush linebacker Nik Bonitto seemed determined not to overly obsess over the team bursting its own balloon on Thursday night. Even though Bonitto was shut out by Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater, the bigger goal takes precedence.
"I mean, just look at the game. It was a lot on us that we could have controlled what happened that went wrong in the second half," Bonitto said via DNVR's Zac Stevens. "So, you can't be discouraged. So, if anything, we've just got to go back—we've got to go look at the film—get what we need to fix and just win this last two."
Bonitto's determination to get the Broncos over the line and into the playoffs is commendable, especially given that the 25-year-old is firmly in the mix for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. Such individual hype can be intoxicating and could very quickly go to Bonitto's head, but the former second-round pick has a laid-back personality, which comes in handy when brushing off all the increased attention.
"It's pretty dope—I mean you just gotta kind of keep it one game at a time," Bonitto said via Stevens. "We got these last two games to finish up with so it's just being able to go out there as a defense and have good performances, and just continue winning is the main thing."
Despite being held without a sack at So-Fi, it's still safe to say that Bonitto's performances are the least of Sean Payton's problems. Indeed, it could be argued that Payton has gotten a bit too greedy of late.
Payton's decision to agree to the NFL flexing the Broncos' Week 16 tilt vs. Chargers to Thursday night backfired on him, as evidenced by Vance Joseph's defense appearing a little gimpy on a short-week turnaround.
Furthermore, getting too aggressive before halftime and playing into the shrewd hands of Jim Harbaugh cost the Broncos three points. But perhaps most importantly, the botched clock management and gunner Tremon Smith's subsequent sloppy penalty flipped the momentum in a game the Broncos seemed to have well under control.
There are lessons to be learned for sure, and perhaps we shouldn't be that surprised to find the young Broncos still finding their way. Still, Payton is long enough in the tooth to avoid falling into traps set by his adversaries, but not on Thursday night.
"I think we're playing hard," Payton said. "But we've got to be smarter. And we've got to be smarter as coaches as well."
As far as the defense's current woes go, the quick fix everybody is pointing toward is the Broncos getting their outstanding No. 2 cornerback Riley Moss back in the lineup. That scenario would be a massive boost, but Moss' return from his knee injury still must be carefully managed.
In the meantime, Bonitto bouncing back after being shut out vs. the Chargers holds a massive key to getting that one last crucial win the Broncos require to punch their ticket back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
