Sean Payton: Offense was good enough to win, but things we need to improve on

Published October 12, 2026 10:08 AM Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s return to calling the team’s offensive plays didn’t result in a transformation on that side of the ball against the Chargers on Sunday. The Broncos got a touchdown on their second offensive possession of the game, but their next eight possessions featured six first downs and three points along with a turnover, a missed field goal and four punts. Two Chargers turnovers and a failed fourth down try gave the Broncos short fields that they turned into 13 points that erased a Chargers lead and lifted them to a 23-17 road win. The Broncos were 1-of-12 on third downs and their 224 yards of offense were their fewest since Week 1, so it’s no surprise that Payton’s main focus after the game was on the final score rather than the overall offensive production. “It was good enough to win, but there’s still a number of things that we’ve got to improve on,” Payton said.Payton said there were “small steps” in the right direction, but they’ll need to be clearer and more consistent moving forward for the Broncos to put all concerns about the state of the offense to rest.