Courtland Sutton scored two first-half touchdowns and then drew a 37-yard pass interference penalty to set up Brandon McManus’ 53-yard field goal as time expired to give the Broncos a 23-20 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The Broncos took over at their 28-yard line with nine seconds remaining. Rookie quarterback Drew Lock threw long to Sutton down the right sideline. Cornerback Casey Hayward interfered with Sutton. After a Chargers timeout, McManus drilled the game-winner.
The Broncos improved to 4-8; the Chargers dropped to 4-8.
In his starting debut, Lock was 18 of 28 passing for 134 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
“I think he handled himself well during the game, calling the plays in the huddle, not looking like the situation was too big for him,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said. “I think it was a great start for him, something that he can build upon.”
The Chargers controlled the second half, rallying from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17-all with 12:18 remaining on Keenan Allen’s 26-yard touchdown catch. Allen ran a crossing route and got lost in coverage and was wide open.
The Broncos, meanwhile, went punt, punt and interception to start the second half.
Los Angeles, after Lock’s interception, missed a chance for its first lead with 9:14 remaining when Michael Badgley’s 55-yard field goal attempt clanked off the upright.
The Broncos re-took the lead (20-17 with 4:26 left) on McManus’ 52-yard field goal. Phillip Lindsay started the possession with a 12-yard run and Lock threw three yards to tight end Jeff Heuerman on third-and-2. Three plays later, DaeSean Hamilton dropped a pass over the middle on a play that would have gotten the first down and maybe a touchdown.
On the next drive, the Chargers faced a fourth-and-1 from their 34. Guard Dan Feeney was called for a false start. (Defensive end Derek Wolfe, who had two sacks earlier in the game, was injured during the play). On fourth-and-6, the Chargers had another false start penalty. No matter, Rivers threw 38 yards to receiver Mike Williams on fourth-and-11 and two minutes remaining.
The Chargers then faced a fourth-and-1 from the Broncos’ 29, but after bleeding the clock from 52 to 19 seconds, coach Anthony Lynn sent out Badgley for a 46-yard field goal, which he made with 14 seconds left in regulation.
After a 26-yard kick return by Diontae Spencer, Sutton drew the penalty to set up the winning kick.
“I was happy for the guys, this team has fought pretty hard through thick and thin,” Fangio said. “These guys have been fighting and playing their butts off all year.”
The Broncos built a 17-10 halftime lead on two Sutton touchdown catches (26 and five yards). Lock was 12-of-19 passing for 123 yards in the first half.
Lock and Sutton went to work on the Broncos’ second drive. Lock converted two third-down plays (five yards to Hamilton and seven yards to Heuerman) to set up a third-and-8 from the 26.
Running against Hayward, Sutton made the acrobatic touchdown catch that was part-diving/part-one-handed.
Defensive end Dre’Mont Jones set up the next Lock-Sutton touchdown. Jones read the Chargers’ screen-play call and intercepted a Rivers pass and returned it to the Chargers’ 18. It was Jones’ biggest play of his rookie year.
The Broncos made it 14-0 when Lock avoided trouble and threw five yards to Sutton. Earlier in the drive, Lock found Heuerman for five yards on third-and-3.
The Chargers got back in the game thanks in part to a Broncos special teams penalty. Los Angeles was set up to punt from its 39, but Ty Long was roughed by Devontae Booker, creating a new set of downs. Los Angeles stalled at the Broncos’ 12 and settled for Badgley’s 30-yard field goal.
The Broncos made it 17-3 with 5:32 left in the first half on McManus’ 31-yard field goal. The Broncos punted, but the muff was recovered by Josey Jewell (his second special teams fumble recovery in three games) at the Chargers’ 21. The Broncos curiously ran three consecutive times before the field goal.
Two big plays late in the first half allowed the Chargers to get back in the game. Williams gained 52 yards (20 post-catch) when he got wide open after cornerback Isaac Yiadom and safety Justin Simmons collided. On the next play, the Chargers ran Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler on a double wheel route-type play. Linebacker Todd Davis had his eyes on Gordon, but that allowed Ekeler to get behind him for a 30-yard touchdown.
The Broncos moved into Chargers territory in the final minute of the half, but coach Vic Fangio opted against a 64-yard McManus field goal attempt. McManus walked off the field and slammed his helmet to the turf in disgust.
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December 01, 2019 at 04:37PM
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Brandon McManus field goal at buzzer lifts Broncos past Chargers in Drew Lock’s debut - The Denver Post
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