Sean Payton Sounds Off on Broncos' Undisciplined Penalty Fest in L.A.

The Denver Broncos looked like a woefully undisciplined team in Week 3's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Sep 21, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with with side judge Boris Cheek (41) and line judge Mark Steinkerchner (84) in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Entering Week 3, the Denver Broncos had a mildly concerning trend with penalties, ranking 15th in the NFL with 24 through two games. In the wake of their 23-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, though, it's become a four-alarm fire that requires the entire coaching staff's immediate attention.

In Sunday's defeat at SoFi Stadium, the Broncos were penalized 10 times for 90 yards. Not only was it a high volume of penalties that cost Denver some serious yardage, but many of them came in extremely inopportune times.

Safety Talanoa Hufanga's unnecessary roughness penalty late in the fourth quarter was a good example. You can't suplex a ball-carrier after the whistle has been blown, and not expect to draw a flag.

The Broncos were protecting a seven-point lead, and that helped accelerate what ended up being a game-tying drive by the Chargers. Thanks for the field position, Huf.

What was even more mystifying was Broncos tight end Adam Trautman's offensive offsides penalty — a foul as rare as the day is long, just ask the team's quarterback. Bo Nix wasn't keeping a detailed list of each and every penalty, but he couldn't escape the feeling of his offense moving backward when it should have been striking forward with the game on the line.

“Honestly... Not really paying attention really to what they are just know we’re going backwards, and  our coaches will handle that. I just know an offsides on the offense," Nix said post-game. "I never even really knew that was possible, to be honest with you, but those things we just got to fix. It’s accountability on us. We’ll fix them, and we just can’t have that happen.” 

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The Broncos showcased an alarming lack of poise. The first half, especially, was an utter slop-fest. The Broncos showed poor situational awareness, a lack of tact and poise, and a reckless approach to the game.

That's on the coaching staff. The Broncos looked like a woefully undisciplined team, and their 1-2 record reflects that. Even Nik Bonitto's neutral-zone infraction on a 4th-&-3 on punt-coverage team was utterly head-scratching.

"We had too many penalties," Payton said post-game. "Tough loss nonetheless. Credit to them.” 

For example, how could Bonitto not realize A.) he was in the neutral zone and B.) be that unaware of the situation (that a five-yard penalty would give L.A. a first down? Again, the buck stops with the coaches.

“It’s something we will look at on film. I think there was really one behavior, and the rest were either technique or we got to be able to align correctly," Payton said. "If we get a team to punt and then we're in the neutral zone or line up offensively and have a big play, we're in the neutral zone like that. That needs to be cleaned up fast.”  

Broncos Country is justified in its shock at how the first quarter of this season has unfolded. After all, it was Payton himself who inflated expectations by telling a reporter that this team had all the markings of a Super Bowl contender. Fans tend to believe it when it's coming from the head coach, and a guy who's hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.

However, the season is young. There's a lot of football left to be played. If the Broncos can clean things up — the penalties are only part of the puzzle — they'll be a tough team to beat.

“Yeah. I get it. We’re in the third week of the season," Payton said at the end of his press conference, before thanking the gathered press and walking off the stage.