The Denver Broncos have been no strangers to painful losses during the young 2025 National Football League season.

Denver won their first meeting against the Tennessee Titans 20-12 in quarterback Cam Ward’s first NFL start. The defense was impeccable and had Ward flustered all game. Broncos QB Bo Nix wasn’t great in this one, but the defense was stingy enough to overcome his two interceptions.

The next two games against the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers ended in field goals as time expired. Denver’s defense was vulnerable against the Colts and kept getting beat when they blitzed. A costly leverage penalty on the final play of the game, a 60-yard field goal attempt that kicker Spencer Shrader initially missed, resulted in a 15-yard penalty and a re-spot. Shrader booted the 45-yard attempt through the uprights for a walk-off 29-28 victory.

In Los Angeles, the Broncos were dominating QB Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense throughout the first 56 minutes of play until another costly penalty set up a 10-point swing. Herbert completed a third-down pass to receiver Keenan Allen for a first down, but Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga body slammed Allen to the ground, resulting in a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty enforced at the end of the play. Herbert would throw a touchdown to tie the game, and after forcing a Denver punt, kicker Cameron Dicker drilled a 43-yard field goal for the win as the clock hit 0:00.

The Broncos’ biggest problem heading into Week 4 are these late-game collapses, according to Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon.

“In Week 2, the Colts closed out a 29-28 victory over the Broncos with nine unanswered second-half points,” Gagnon wrote Friday. “And in Week 3, the Chargers closed out a 23-20 victory over Denver with 10 unanswered second-half points.

“The defense hasn't been as crisp as expected, but a lot of this also falls on an offense that hasn't lived up to expectations. The Broncos aren't sustaining drives, as Bo Nix faces a potential sophomore slump.

“The result of this is a third consecutive poor September for the Sean Payton-coached Broncos, who couldn't make up for that against the Chiefs in 2024 and now face a similar challenge considering the Bolts are 3-0 overall and within the division.”

Denver will host the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 4. This is a favorable matchup for the Broncos offense and defense. Expect Nix to play much better in this game.