These teams don’t play all that frequently.

The Broncos most recently hosted Detroit in 2021 and 2019 and haven’t visited the Motor City since early in a 7-0 start to the 2015 season.

But it would be difficult to find an opponent — and, more particularly, an opposing coach — more familiar to Sean Payton.

Payton’s known Lions coach Dan Campbell for the better part of 25 years and has watched and aided as Campbell went from third-round draft pick to long-time player to young assistant coach to trusted top lieutenant to now one of the most respected head men in the league.

Payton was on the New York Giants staff when Campbell was drafted, first as the quarterbacks coach and then as the offensive coordinator. When Payton moved to Dallas, the Cowboys signed Campbell.

“I was part of the reason we were able to sign Dan as a free agent to the Cowboys,” Payton said Monday while explaining the depth and length of their relationship. “Eventually, I signed Dan to the Saints. He got injured and that’s where his career ended.”

Campbell’s coaching career began with six years in Miami, but then Payton brought him to New Orleans, where he served as tight ends coach and assistant head coach to Payton for six more years before he got the Lions head coaching job in early 2021.

“He’s a close friend, a fantastic coach and someone I’ve always enjoyed working with,” Payton said.

Campbell’s Lions went 3-13-1 in his first season, then 9-8 last year and have a vice grip on the NFC North this year at 9-4, despite losing to Green Bay and Chicago two of the past three weeks.

Saturday night will mark the first time Payton and Campbell have squared off as opposing head coaches.

Interestingly enough, it will be Payton trying to emulate something Campbell’s done as a coach rather than the mentee chasing the mentor.

Detroit, as it happens, started last year 1-6 before getting hot and making a run toward the postseason. It ultimately came up short. The Lions beat Green Bay in Week 18 despite having been eliminated by the time kickoff arrived. Even still, the Lions won eight of their final 10 games and set the groundwork for what’s turned into a surefire playoff team this fall.

Payton’s Broncos, of course, have won six of their past seven and have to keep winning in order to punch a ticket to the postseason over the next four weeks.

Back when Denver was sitting at 1-5, Payton pointed to Campbell’s team last year as one to replicate. He talked of watching the Lions’ surge while serving as an analyst at Fox and marveling at the team’s “grit” and “mental toughness.”

Campbell saw resurgence in Denver under Payton coming all the way back in March at the NFL’s spring ownership meetings in Arizona.

“He’s energetic, he’s highly intelligent, he’s very demanding,” Campbell said of Payton then. “He’s innovative. He’s always been innovative. He’s going to give clear communication. Everybody in the building and everyone in that locker room is going to know exactly where he stands with him.

“He’s going to get it turned is what he’s going to do. He’s going to get it turned. Now, I don’t know when, but it’s going to happen.”

Turns out, it happened at almost exactly the same point in the season as it did for Campbell a year ago.

“At 1-5, we just pointed to a similar situation a year ago,” Payton said. “In other words, a team who was 1-6 and was able to flip the script.

“That was really it.”

Now here the Broncos are, with an opportunity to take another step forward and a familiar foe standing on the other sideline, squarely in the way.

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I have been reasonably content and without questions for several weeks but the current state of Jerry Jeudy’s play and discontent forces me to ask: What the heck? Is he really so upset at his perceived neglect at being targeted? When he is thrown the ball, his performance is often, quite lacking! That’s about as kind as I can be. How does it look from your professional perspective?

— A Referee, Greeley

The airing of grievances has re-commenced, eh, Ref? Kidding, kidding, thanks for writing in as always.

It’s turned into a bit of a funk with Jeudy, hasn’t it? Two of his three lowest production games by yards and targets have come in the past three weeks and in the other game — 51 yards against Houston — there were chances for so much more.

It’s not fair to put all of it on Jeudy. Against Houston in particular — as we detailed pretty extensively in a story Sunday — a bunch of different stuff all conspired against more big plays being made. Some of that is on him, some’s on Russell Wilson, some’s on the defense making good plays, pass protection and more. And, to Jeudy’s credit, he was able to see that and willing to acknowledge that during the week when I talked to him about it.

Against the Chargers, though, it did look like frustration set in. Either of the two deep balls could have been completed. Just one man’s opinion, but the first one didn’t look like a great throw from my seat and the second one was a tough chance, but I thought it got through the defensive back and on to Jeudy’s hands. The throw in the back corner of the end zone is the one you’ve got to have. It’s a four-point difference between getting a second foot down and not. Plain and simple.

Wilson last week insisted he has, “all the trust in the world in (Jeudy).” Quarterbacks tend to default to the guys they have that trust in when things go awry. Wilson always speaks highly of Jeudy in that regard but it’s also no secret that, this year, Wilson’s made the most hay getting the ball to Courtland Sutton in those situations and in the red zone. Sometimes it’s just the way the ball rolls, too. Sutton’s long touchdown against the Chargers was a play originally designed to go to Jeudy. Sometimes that’s the way it goes.

Jeudy’s really talented. His production hasn’t matched that talent. Even on a team that’s not putting up big passing numbers, he should be producing more. The simplest way I know how to say it is it’s on Wilson to get him the ball when he gets open and it’s on Jeudy to be able to stay the course mentally when that doesn’t happen.

It appears when Jaleel McLaughlin enters the game, the defense already knows he’s going to get the ball, since his ability to block is questioned. Any thoughts about using him in the slot or in the backfield with Javonte Williams and/or Samaje Perine?

— Curtis Hanlen, Bosque Farms, N.M.

Hey Curtis, it’s a good point and something we’ve mentioned previously. There was a stretch where the ball was going to McLaughlin — either a carry or a target in the passing game — more than 70% of the snaps he was on the field. That rate has come down but is still high – most recently 7 carries/targets in 13 snaps against the Chargers.

It’s kind of where they’re at offensively at this point. Williams is the go-to guy on early downs and Perine is the trusted pass-protector and pass-catcher on third down (and, when healthy, provides nice punch in the run game). That leaves McLaughlin to handle a handful of snaps a game, usually in situations where they can avoid leaving him in pass protection.

The conundrum: In order to use McLaughlin less, the Broncos would have to play him more. One of the many quirks that makes football great.

Hello Parker, this may not be a popular opinion, but Russell Wilson should be benched if the Broncos hope to make the playoffs. He is a liability on a team with little margin for error. Would it be the same if this were another player making so many mistakes, e.g., running into sacks, missing wide open receivers, not seeing open receivers? Why is he still on the field? Is Sean Payton making a case for waiving him next year? Because the evidence is piling up. Thanks!

— Joe C., Aurora

Hey Joe, Wilson isn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but that’s not happening. And not just because he makes a lot of money and all that. There’s just no reason to think anything other than he gives the Broncos the best chance to win at this point.

It’s interesting: Wilson at this stage of his career misses on stuff that most quarterbacks don’t miss on. But he also still makes a handful of plays per game that most other quarterbacks don’t make. It sometimes leads to performances that aren’t the cleanest or the prettiest to watch, but recently it’s also led to a whole bunch of wins.

We’ve written extensively about the way his contract works, the decisions ahead, the imperfections in his game and all of that. But the caveat has always been and will continue to be that if you win, that stuff matters less. Right now, they’re winning. So you plow ahead trying to make the postseason and worrying less about what it looks like en route. If they falter down the stretch here and fall out of playoff contention, maybe Jarrett Stidham gets a game at the end of the year. But that situation or injury is the only way it’s happening over the next four weeks.

Parker, our win over the Chargers was easily the most dominant I’ve seen our team since Sean Payton became coach. What’s changed since our slow start? We were on the cusp of the season fading into a top-three pick, but now we’re a game away from the AFC West lead.

— Ryan, Castle Rock

Yo Ryan, thanks for the note. It’s a lot of things, but let’s put it as simply as possible:

1. The defense went from one of the worst starts in NFL history to being one of the stingiest groups in the league. Obviously a combination of things at play, but they’ve made a bunch of personnel moves that have paid off – jettisoning Randy Gregory and Frank Clark, giving Ja’Quan McMillian the nickel spot, starting Fabian Moreau, getting P.J. Locke and Baron Browning healthy, etc. — and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has adjusted on the fly.

2. The offense settled into, for the most part, leaning on what it does best. Run the ball, play-action off of it and protect the football. You see what happens when they get away from that, but also how it’s a recipe for success. Then when the game’s on the line, they’ve found ways to get the job done more often than not.

Agree with you that Sunday was pretty convincing. They missed on a few chances and let the Chargers hang around for a while, but overall it felt like they were in control pretty much from the time the defense got that early red zone stand after Wilson’s first-play interception.

Hey Parker, last month I asked you who’s making the Pro Bowl on how we’ve played so far. Who do you have going now? I’m changing my answers to Courtland Sutton (he’s second in the league with 10 touchdown catches), Ja’Quan McMillian (he just makes plays) and Quinn Meinerz (he’s having a breakout year).

— Nick Winters, Colorado Springs

Yeah Nick, the Broncos certainly have more candidates than last time we did this exercise. I agree with your three and would think cornerback Pat Surtain II and safety Justin Simmons would also be good bets.

Good on you for coming around to my suggestion from a month ago about Meinerz. He’s really played well.

And it’s hard to say enough good things about McMillian, who could go from practice squad rookie to Pro Bowler. He’s already set the Broncos’ single-season record for tackles for loss by a cornerback (though nickel and corner aren’t exactly the same thing) with seven.

According to the Broncos, he’s also one of just two players in the NFL this year with multiple sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. That’ll work.

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Head coach Sean Payton has his sights set on a different destination. It’s not just about sneaking in.

“Obviously, we’re a game out in our division,” he said of the AFC West race on Monday. “That’s how we’re looking at it.”

Indeed, Kansas City has won the division seven straight years but looks as vulnerable as perhaps at any point during that streak. The Chiefs dropped a home game Sunday against Buffalo and in the process fell to 8-5, just a game clear of the surging Broncos. They have lost two straight and three of their past four.

A division title isn’t impossible for the Broncos, but it’s also not particularly likely. Denver and Kansas City split their season series, and the next tiebreaker is division record. Currently the Chiefs are 3-1 and Denver 2-2. Each team has a pair of division games remaining — one each against the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas. At present, Kansas City has the edge in common opponents played, which is the third level of tiebreaker.

Even still, the fact that the Broncos can even have this conversation at this point in the season shows how far they’ve come.

“The truth is, in our season we’re 5-1 over the past six weeks and now 6-1,” quarterback Russell Wilson said after Sunday’s win. “I think there’s great belief. (I) told the guys in the huddle before the last knee, ‘Stay humble and hungry, let’s keep going.’

“We’re not even at our best yet, and that’s a good thing.”

Denver’s going to need its best to make the playoffs in any capacity.

Here’s a rundown of where several outlets peg the Broncos’ postseason chances with four games to go:

New York Times: 50% postseason, 9% division title

Sumer Sports: 41.3%, 5.3% division title

ESPN: 38% postseason, 8% division title

In the AFC, teams are jumbled up around the cut line. The Broncos are one of six teams that are currently 7-6. At the moment, there are two spots behind the four division leaders and then 8-5 Cleveland.

“I’m sure we’ve seen it like this either in the NFC or the AFC, but I can’t recall having been a part of it,” Payton said of the big group of teams sporting the same record this late in the season. “We kind of talked about this last week. This next quarter pole is obviously going to define a lot for a lot of teams, and fortunately we’re one of those teams. We’ve just got to focus on the next job.

“But it is unusual.”

For all the moving parts and changing odds, the approach for Denver is pretty simple: Win the last four games and you’re in. Take care of business against the three AFC teams left on the schedule and you’ll have a great chance.

“It’s shaping up to be a pretty good race to the end,” Denver running back Javonte Williams said. “We’re just trying to focus on these last four games we’ve got and win all of those. The ball’s in our court.”

Williams was reluctant, though, to forecast the Broncos’ odds.

“Yeah I can’t really speak too much on it,” he said with a laugh. “Coach Payton told me I talk about the playoffs too much, so I’ve got to chill.”

The Broncos are going to be talking a lot more about the playoffs if they win on the road Saturday night at Detroit, and likely over the final four weeks of the season regardless.

“I think we’re steady climbing,” Wilson said. “Climbing a mountain is not easy. There’s going to be bumps in the way and there’s going to be stuff that’s going to try to knock you off. We just have to stay focused on the peak and stay focused on what we’re trying to do and understanding that we’re doing this together.

“It’s going to take all of us.”

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Gabriel: Never a doubt. My 8-9 prediction has me currently looking like the opposite of you, Kiz: a real downer instead of a constant ray of sunshine. We got here because the Broncos suddenly started winning the exact kind of games they’ve lost for the better part of the past seven years: Close games. Physical games. 50/50 games. The kind that pockmark the NFL every week. Of course, Sunday wasn’t quite that. It was a pretty thorough beatdown from Sean Payton’s team over a Chargers team and coach in Brandon Staley who looks headed for more rocky road.

Kiz: I don’t know if I believe the Broncos can end the reign of Kansas City as boss of the AFC West. But since beating the Chiefs, Denver has been the best team in the division. Get in the playoffs and the Broncos have a defense to do some damage. Where’s the Super Bowl played this season?

Gabriel: How does the desert sound to you, Kiz? A stretch of February in Las Vegas will be good times for a pair of teams and a big swath of the whole NFL operation. The Broncos? Well … let’s not get too far out ahead of our early winter skis just yet, OK? But we wouldn’t be having this conversation without some really impressive performances across the board, right? So, who you got for MVP of this season-turning run, Kiz?

Kiz: While the connection between Wilson and Sutton has been jaw-dropping, the Broncos would be nowhere near the playoff discussion without the transformation of a defense that was in shambles after surrendering 70 points to Miami. So I have to give the MVP of this amazing turnaround to defensive coordinator Vance Joseph … and can’t wait for the first playoff game against the Dolphins. It’s fate, eh?

Gabriel: Yeah, difficult to go wrong with Joseph. Amazing to say, given the way the season started, but don’t think it’s possible to rule out him getting at least initial interviews during what’s shaping up to be a wild NFL head coaching carousel this winter. My vote for MVP of this run: Justin Simmons. Consider that he spent almost all of training camp dealing with a hip/groin injury and then looked a half-step off his normal ball-hawking self over the first two weeks. Then he missed defensive debacles against Miami and Chicago dealing with the same injury. So let’s call it Week 5 when Healthy Justin started playing this year. My abacus here says they’ve been pretty good with Healthy Justin. How far can Denver take it? We’re fixin’ to find out.

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Stock Up

OLB Jonathon Cooper

The Broncos’ third-year outside linebacker has been solid all season and continued to impress in Sunday’s road win against Los Angeles. He helped set up Denver’s first touchdown when he intercepted a pass tipped by Baron Browning. The Broncos’ edge group is young and ascending, but it’s been through some machinations and growing pains this season. In all of that, Cooper’s been the most consistent, and he’s carried the heaviest workload.

S P.J. Locke

Locke is playing a really good starting partner next to Justin Simmons, and he’s not going to easily give up his starting spot to Kareem Jackson when Jackson returns from suspension next week. Locke’s capable of playing the deep half in coverage, is doing his job in run support and, in perhaps the most pleasant surprise for Denver, he’s become a really good blitzer. Locke had seven tackles, a strip sack and a quarterback hit against the Chargers.

DE Zach Allen

The Broncos paid Allen big money in free agency to be this kind of player. He’s going to gamble in gaps, and occasionally teams will be able to run the ball past him. But the longer Allen’s first season in Denver goes, the more impact he’s making as a pass-rusher. He had a sack and three hits Sunday against the Chargers and is up to five sacks for the season. One more will give him a career high. According to Pro Football Reference, he’s already tied his career best in quarterback hits. Allen’s also carrying a heavy workload, having played 82% of Denver’s defensive snaps this year.

G Luke Wattenberg

Good on the second-year offensive lineman for being ready to roll when his number got called. It’s particularly impressive for Wattenberg because when he got his chances as a rookie, he struggled mightily. The former Washington guard and center was overpowered and got run through too often in limited playing time last year, but he jumped in for Quinn Meinerz on Sunday and held his own just fine.

Stock Down

Team health

The Broncos notched a big victory, but it could end up being a costly one, too. Between Nik Bonitto’s left knee injury, Meinerz’s heart-rate issue and various other bumps and bruises, it’s probably the most question marks Denver has left a game with this year. The team wasn’t going to avoid it forever. But complicating matters is a short week to Saturday night’s game at Detroit.

WR Marvin Mims Jr.

The Broncos just haven’t been able to figure out a way to get Mims going offensively. Russell Wilson targeted him right out of the gate Sunday on the first play, but the placement was a bit off and it got intercepted. Denver’s timing and blocking are getting a little bit better in the receiver screen game as the season goes along, but Mims finished with a modest two catches for 11 yards.

Goal-to-go offense

The first one was easy. Cooper’s interception set the Broncos up at the 3-yard line, and Javonte Williams scampered in on the first play. The second one? Not so much. Wilson threw three straight incompletions, the last of which was originally ruled a touchdown, but Jerry Jeudy couldn’t get his back foot down in bounds. According to NFL stats, the Broncos have scored on just 52.2% of goal-to-go scenarios compared to a 71.8% league average.

Deferring

Actually deferring when Denver wins the coin toss isn’t the problem. It’s what they’ve done to start the third quarter that’s been brutal. The Broncos started the second half with the ball for the 11th time in 13 games Sunday and went three-and-out. Again. On those 11 drives, Sean Payton’s offense has now punted nine times (one total first down) and missed two field goals. Gaining nine yards before willingly taking a delay of game penalty actually, somehow, goes down as Denver’s best effort to open the third quarter since the bye week.

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Head coach Sean Payton on Monday morning didn’t say much more than that, but confirmed, “Quinn will be back today. That’s really the update we have.”

Meinerz reported chest tightness and shortness of breath to the Denver training staff around halftime of Sunday’s 24-7 Broncos win over the Los Angeles Chargers and was transported to a local hospital as a precaution, sources told The Denver Post. Meinerz had an elevated heart rate, and his doctors decided to keep him for overnight observation rather than clearing him to return to Denver with the team after the game.

Players after the game expressed confidence that Meinerz was in good spirits. Payton acknowledged similar Monday when he was answering a question about second-year guard Luke Wattenberg, who filled in ably for Meinerz in the second half Sunday.

“Certainly relieved that Quinn is healthy and is going to be fine,” Payton said.

The rest of Payton’s summation regarding Wattenberg, a fifth-round pick out of Washington in 2022, showed the confidence he has overall in Denver’s depth up front.

“We feel like we’ve got a really strong developmental group of offensive linemen,” Payton said. “They’re smart and tough, and they’ve got the traits we’re looking for. He’s done a good job and I thought he played well coming in in a moment like that. I’m pleased with our depth there.”

Williams reacts to first rushing TD in two years: Broncos running back Javonte Williams has truly reaped the benefits of the work he put in during his rehab from a torn ACL suffered last season. In the first quarter on Sunday, Williams recorded his first rushing touchdown since 2021. Even though Williams has two touchdown receptions in 2023, being able to score off a handoff was a special feeling for the former North Carolina standout.

“It felt good just (because of) all the hard work that I’ve put in to get to the spot I’m in now,” said Williams.

Williams had a solid performance against the Chargers, rushing for 66 yards on 17 carries. This season, he has 650 rushing yards while averaging 3.8 yards per attempt despite suffering a season-ending knee injury in October 2022. He was recently named the team’s 2023 Ed Block Courage Award winner for his dedication and approach to the rehab process.

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He thought he had a touchdown.

No, not thought.

“I know I did,” he said with a smile.

The grin, of course, came easily despite the fact that he’ll never watch tape of this game and believe Easton Stick’s hand was moving forward when McMillian rocked him, jarred the ball loose, picked it up on his own and ran it into the end zone.

The grin came easily because the Broncos’ bottle rocket of a nickelback is writing himself a starring role in this defense’s Hollywood turnaround story.

Credit for another dominating outing? That’s easy. He gets plenty.

Credit for helping turn the most maligned unit in the NFL into one of the most intimidating? Oh, yeah.

“The guy who has that athletic ability but also is smart is the perfect combination,” defensive end Zach Allen said of McMillian after the game. “… He’s been awesome and he’s been a huge reason why we’ve been winning these games.”

A 24-7 win here against the Los Angeles Chargers marked the Broncos’ first divisional road triumph in 1,526 days but also the team’s sixth victory in their past seven games.

It came on the strength of a defense embodied by its short-in-stature-only nickel.

“It’s fun when you’re making plays and all the guys are making plays and flying around and doing their job and focused on the details,” McMillian said. “And it’s fun when you’re winning. It’s always fun when you’re winning.”

The Broncos got back to that in a much-needed bounce back after last week’s last-second loss at Houston. Now they are 7-6, still the hottest team in the AFC West and have everything in front of them even if the path to the postseason remains studded with obstacles.

In fact, they almost got tripped up right out of the gates against a reeling Los Angeles team.

After Denver’s defense started the game by forcing a punt, quarterback Russell Wilson threw a first-play interception deep in his own territory that set Justin Herbert and the Chargers up 13 yards from pay dirt.

Four plays later, however, Joseph’s group had the first of five fourth-down stops on the afternoon and kept the game scoreless.

“Sean and ‘VJ’ were talking about starting fast and we did exactly that,” said safety P.J. Locke, who provided coverage on Justin Herbert’s fourth-down pass into the end zone at that early pivot point and finished the game with seven tackles, a sack and forced fumble. “Once we did that, we were just in rhythm the entire game.

“That gave us a little boost right there.”

They were just getting started.

L.A. missed all 12 of its third-down tries, didn’t hit a fourth down until the fourth quarter and needed 49 minutes, 23 seconds before it got to the end zone.

Six different players logged a sack on Herbert and then Stick after Herbert was knocked out of the game with a fractured finger.

Inside linebacker Alex Singleton (14 tackles) snuffed out the Chargers’ first drive with a third-down takedown of Herbert, and safeties Locke and Justin Simmons blasted Stick in a three-play span around the two-minute warning to close out the half.

“It comes a time when you’ve got to pressure the quarterback and (Joseph) is calling the dogs,” Locke said. “Somebody’s going to make a play.”

That confidence has steadily grown over the past two-plus months as Joseph’s defense morphed from historically bad into a group that believes it can do anything.

“Instead of survival, you’re trying to excel, which is the way defense is made to be played,” said Allen, a centerpiece of the Broncos’ free agency play who played the first four years of his career for Joseph in Arizona. “VJ, he calls a great game and everyone is going to get their opportunities. It’s a really fun defense to be a part of.

“This is the best defense, by far, I’ve ever been a part of. It’s the most fun we’ve had playing football right now.”

A month from now, teams will be preparing for Wild Card weekend. If the Broncos are still kicking at that point, it will be in large part because Joseph’s group continues on this course.

They haven’t given up more than 22 points since a Week 5 loss to the New York Jets. That afternoon at Empower Field, the Jets rolled to 407 yards.

Then on a short week, Denver gave up 389 at Kansas City but only surrendered 19 points. In retrospect, it was the beginning of a major turnaround.

Not coincidentally, McMillian had three tackles for loss that night at Arrowhead Stadium.

All he’s done since then is make big plays.

All the Broncos have done since then is turn themselves into a contender for the playoffs — and, after the Chiefs lost Sunday at home to Buffalo, maybe even the AFC West — instead of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

None of it is unexpected to the kid from East Carolina, who’s gone from an undrafted practice squad player as a rookie to a Pro Bowl candidate in his second season.

All he wanted was a chance.

All the Broncos needed was a spark.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” McMillian said. “I’ve done this on every level if you go back. College I’ve done it. High school I’ve done it. But just to do it on this level, it’s a blessing.

“Whoever is watching, hopefully they find out who No. 29 is.”

AFC playoff race tightens up at the bottom

The race for the final two Wild Card spots in the AFC tightened up considerably Sunday, with six teams sitting at 7-6 by the end of the day. All told, 11 of 16 teams in the AFC will be above .500 heading into the final four weeks. That will give conference games an added degree of importance down the stretch, especially with one of the top playoff tiebreakers being record vs. conference opponents. The good news for the Broncos: They have the easiest remaining schedule of the 7-6 teams with just one opponent (Detroit) over .500. Here’s a look at where each team stands, including their remaining opponents:

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Imagine how dangerous the group might be if Jerry Jeudy finds any semblance of a rhythm down the stretch.

Denver coach Sean Payton and quarterback Russell Wilson made a concerted effort to push the ball down the field to the talented receiver, but he finished with just two catches for 16 yards on six targets in a 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Jeudy had two chances to make catches up the right sideline in the first half, but couldn’t come down with either. Then he had a touchdown in the back corner of the end zone wiped off the board just before halftime when he failed to get his trailing foot down inbounds.

Instead of leading by two touchdowns, Denver eventually settled for a short Wil Lutz field goal and took a 10-0 lead into the break.

“Oh look, he’ll get his touches. Gosh,” Payton said. “The key is winning. He had a chance to make a play or two today and he made a few plays early on. I’m not as worried about it.”

To Jeudy’s credit, he sounded just like the head coach in the post-game locker room.

“This was a big game for us,” Jeudy said. “It was a must-win. Coming in here after a loss and getting it done is huge for the team.”

Jeudy, the 2020 first-round pick, hasn’t had more than 64 yards in a game since Week 3, but didn’t seem concerned after the game.

“I’m always confident,” he said. “… Throughout the season you deal with a lot of adversity, but we’ve got guys in this locker room that can overcome that. I’m very confident.”

Injuries crop up. The Broncos had the injury bug show up Sunday during their convincing win against the Chargers. In addition to right guard Quinn Meinerz being held in the area overnight due to a heart rate-related concern, outside linebacker Nik Bonitto left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and didn’t return.

Bonitto was not seen in the locker room after the game and Payton said he had no updates on any of Denver’s injured players.

Several others, including safety P.J. Locke, nickel Ja’Quan McMillian and outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper were hurt during the game, but that trio each returned and made a big impact.

Locke and McMillian at one point collided, but before that Locke took a helmet to the neck/throat area and after the game barely had a voice.

TE impact. The Broncos got a pair of big plays in the passing game from their tight end group, a relative rarity this season.

First, Lucas Krull made his first NFL grab count on a wide-open 35-yarder that put the Broncos in scoring range before halftime.

“It was awesome, man,” Krull said. “Seeing that Cover 3 look come up, I knew it was going to give me an opportunity to get that ball. It was a great call, it was great to get that first one but also get that win. That’s really all I care about. This team’s rolling and it’s going to be fun to see where we go.”

That catch alone vaulted Krull past the injured Greg Dulcich, block-first Chris Manhertz and rookie Nate Adkins into second place among tight ends in receiving yards this year behind Adam Trautman

Trautman salted the game away with a wide-open touchdown grab from Russell Wilson with 3 minutes, 11 seconds remaining.

After pondering for a moment whether it was the most open he’s ever been on a scoring grab in his career, the fourth-year tight end came to a simple conclusion.

“Yes,” he said.

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It took the Denver offense time to settle into a rhythm. They still missed a bunch of chances down the field and the connection between quarterback Russell Wilson and receiver Jerry Jeudy is still missing. But the Broncos did what they had to do, cashing in a turnover in the first half and getting a terrific, 46-yard touchdown catch from Courtland Sutton in the third quarter to eventually build a comfortable margin. Even given that, though, there’s work to be done. Denver’s rushing attack was more churning than explosive in Southern California, cresting the 100-yard mark on the 26th attempt and grinding out nine first downs. Their most impressive drive: A burly, 13-play, 75-yarder that chewed up 7:26 off the clock and ended with a wide open touchdown pass to Adam Trautman.

Defense — A

Vance Joseph’s group arrived at SoFi Stadium with a bad attitude and wasted no time showing it. They harassed Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert from the start, racked up six sacks total between Herbert and back-up Easton Stick and carried a shutout into the fourth quarter. The home team’s offense contended with crowd noise from Broncos fans, went 0 for 12 on third-down tries and failed on five fourth down attempts, too. Nickel Ja’Quan McMillian continues to be a revelation. Zach Allen’s second-half surge continued. This is the group that will lead a potential playoff push.

Special teams — B

Outside of the punt that got partially blocked at Houston, Riley Dixon’s been really good the past couple of weeks. He punted seven times, averaged 44.7 yards per attempt and put five inside the 20-yard line. Broncos returner Marvin Mims Jr. generated 13 yards on his first punt return of the game. For the most part, it was a quiet day in the third phase. Wil Lutz knocked home a short field goal and hasn’t missed one since Kansas City’s Justin Ross got away with jumping offside on Oct. 29 and blocked an attempt at Empower Field. Lutz has hit 14 straight.

Coaching — B

This one almost started with disaster when Sean Payton put Wilson in an empty formation and he threw an interception deep in Denver territory on the game’s first play. But the defense held — Brandon Staley coached like a desperate guy the whole game and it turned out very badly for him — and the Broncos won a game they absolutely had to win. Now they’re at coin flip odds for the playoffs and have a slate in front of them that includes a trio of AFC teams with losing records. It’s all there for the taking for Payton’s first Denver team.

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Meinerz was transported to a local hospital and is set to remain in the Los Angeles area overnight for observation rather than traveling back to Denver on the team’s charter flight Sunday night, the source said. The indication is that those decisions were made mostly as a precaution.

Broncos coach Sean Payton said he had no update on Meinerz or others who were injured during the game and added, “I’ll never talk to you about injuries after a game. But I’ll keep you posted, though.”

Payton only added that Meinerz was not ill before the game.

“Our training staff, starting with Beau (Lowery) and Vince (Garcia) do a great job making sure everybody’s OK,” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “From my understanding, (Meinerz) will be alright.”

The third-year guard is in the midst of his best season as a professional. He missed a handful of snaps due to a shoulder injury against Houston last week but otherwise has been healthy this year.

“It’s tough losing Quinn. That’s, in my opinion, the heart and soul of our line,” center Lloyd Cushenberry said. “We’re going to miss him if he has to be out.”

Second-year man Luke Wattenberg, a fifth-round draft pick in 2022, replaced Meinerz in Denver’s lineup.

Wattenberg played spot duty last year and struggled, but has worked his way back to being in Denver’s top reserve mix at the three interior positions up front.

“Luke came up big, man,” Cushenberry said. “He can play both center and guard. He’s so versatile. His confidence has continued to rise. Last year was tough on all of us, but we just continue to work and he’s just continued to work and his confidence has continued to grow and grow. The sky’s the limit for Luke.”

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