Facing 4th-and-6 right near midfield down by 3 points with 4:35 remaining in the game, Broncos coach Sean Payton opted to punt.

And so here we are: On to Cincinnati. The Broncos lost because of Dicker the Kicker and Hassan Haskins. The Chargers, despite trailing 21-10, despite giving up a touchdown on the Broncos’ first three possessions, were better.

Then the Broncos took their foot off the gas, and the three straight touchdown drives that Bo Nix led to open the game went up in smoke, as Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert decimated Vance Joseph's defense with one momentum-building scoring drive after another in the second half.