Nine first downs.

Two-of-13 on third-down conversions.

Average of 3rd-and-11 on third downs.

“Minus plays” at costly moments.

That tells you everything you need to know about why the Broncos couldn’t pull out a win Sunday despite winning the turnover battle, sacking Justin Herbert four times and holding Omarion Hampton in check.

“The two takeaways were the reason we stayed in that game,” head coach Sean Payton said Monday after watching film on the 23-20 loss to the Chargers. “Obviously, we were playing a good football team. We feel like we’re a good football team, and we flip the script at the end of the second, early third. Then we have to offensively be able to finish. Two weeks in a row, we’ve been in that position to finish in the fourth quarter.”

The most frustrating stat for P

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