CHICAGO – The Broncos once again faltered on defense but were able to storm back from a 21-point deficit for a dramatic win Sunday over the Chicago Bears.

Here are three takeaways from the 31-28 victory at Soldier Field that gave Sean Payton gets his first triumph as Denver’s head coach:

1. It was generally another bad showing by the Broncos’ defense. But they came up with a huge stop when it was needed. On fourth-and-1 at the Denver 18 and the score tied 28-28, Khalil Herbert was stopped for no gain with 2:52 left. That set the stage for Wil Lutz’s game-winning 51-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining. Still, huge questions remain about the Broncos’ defense after quarterback Justin Fields shredded it for much of the game. Field went 28 of 35 for 335 yards and four touchdowns.

2. Credit the Broncos for their resilience. They fell behind 28-7 in the third quarter and easily could told the pilot to warm up the plane. But they fought back to tie the score 28-28 with 6:55 left on a 35-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Jonathon Cooper after a Nik Bonitto strip sack. And then they made the huge stop when needed to get the ball back. In a 70-20 loss at Miami the previous week, the Broncos completely fell apart in the second half. But this time they were fortunate the foe was the hapless Bears.

3. Broncos running back Javonte Williams was lost for the game in the second quarter with a hip injury, but that did enable Jaleel McLaughlin to get more work. The undrafted rookie carried seven times for 72 yards. He also caught three passes for 32 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown pass that opened the scoring. Regardless of how long Williams might be out, McLaughlin has earned the right to continue to get a good amount of playing time.