What we’re cheering and booing after the Broncos’ 23-20 loss to the Chargers on Sunday: 

Boo!

Sean Payton sees what we all see: the Broncos are an undisciplined team. “We’ve got to be aligned correctly. That needs to be cleaned up fast,” Payton said after another heartbreaking defeat at the final horn. Denver’s boo-boos weren’t limited to the fourth quarter, when Talanoa Hufanga, who has been a revelation for the Broncos defense, earned a 15-yard penalty for body-slamming Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen after the whistle. Star pass-rusher Nik Bonitto earned a critical penalty when he lined up in the neutral zone on a Chargers punt. The result? An automatic first down when the Los Angeles offense was struggling to move the ball.

Cheers…

… to the Chargers for drafting and developing an elite quarterback in Justin Herbert. He runs like Josh Allen with the passing accuracy of Joe Burrow. Now he’s as dangerous in the fourth quarter as Patrick Mahomes. Under serious pressure, Herbert delivered a sidearm dart to Allen for the tying touchdown with 2:37 left in regulation. It looked like a quarterback who knows he’s The Man. What separated the Broncos from the Chargers on Sunday? The Chargers leaned into the quarterback, who saved the day. The Broncos leaned into theirs, and Bo Nix again failed to deliver in crunch time. His 2-8 mark in one-score games is officially a thing.

Boo!

… the thoughtful folks who choose prime-time matchups. They usually nail ’em. But this Broncos-Chargers era has the feel of a renewed rivalry deserving of a Monday night spot. Two 20-something quarterbacks. Two coaches who could use a Super Bowl title to affirm their Hall of Fame status. Two teams beaten down by the Chiefs’ reign in the AFC West and armed to bump K.C. from the top spot. The AFC West race is a slobberknocker. Credit the Bolts for starting 3-0 in the division, no small feat when only one game was played at SoFi Stadium. But the Broncos best be careful here. Don’t want Harbaugh-Herbert becoming Andy Reid-Mahomes.

Cheers…

… to Sean Payton propping up Bo Nix. Like a PGA Tour contender who can’t close a tournament, the mental strain of pulling defeat from the jaws of victory can lead to fourth-quarter yips. But Payton had three words for Nix after another last-minute gut punch: “Keep slinging it.” From my amateur vantage point, it looks like Nix’s three-turnover disaster against the Titans is still hanging over his head. Notice how his missed deep balls are overthrows? That’s the sign of a quarterback who’s trying harder to avoid the interception than to complete the pass. “He’s throwing it real accurately, putting the ball in good places, protecting it,” Payton said.

—Paul Klee, The Denver Gazette