INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The visiting locker room at SoFi Stadium quietly cleared out Sunday afternoon as a Broncos defense found itself in disbelief. 

Again. 

They won the turnover battle with an interception and fumble recovery. They sacked Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert five times. But all that didn’t matter on their final drive of the game when Los Angeles kicker Cameron Dicker hit a 43-yard field goal to hand the Broncos a 23-20 defeat.  

It was reminiscent of a Week 2 road loss to the Colts. 

“We’ve got to just find ways to finish,” inside linebacker Alex Singleton said.  

Their effort was summed up in another uncharacteristic mistake by cornerback Pat Surtain. 

In the first quarter, defending a Chargers third-and-7, Herbert completed a pass to wide receiver Quentin Johnston about 10 yards downfield before getting met by Surtain. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year wrapped up Johnston but never brought him to the ground.  

Johnston broke free. He ran away for a gain of 37 yards. It appeared Surtain expected his progress to be blown dead by the officials. But there wasn’t a whistle. 

“Honestly, I’ve got to do a better job of finishing,” Surtain said. “I was frustrated that I gave up a catch. … I just sort of relaxed at the end. But I’ve got to finish and take him to the ground. That’s on me. I’ve got to know to bring him to the ground in that situation.” 

Broncos team captains on defense expressed confidence despite a 1-2 record entering Monday Night Football against the Bengals (2-1) at home.  

“It’s always a tough loss. Especially to a division opponent,” safety Talanoa Hufanga said. “But I started a season 4-4 and still made it to the NFC championship (with the 49ers). So, it’s not that we’re in a bad spot. … It’s close games, too. But there were mistakes that were made. We’ve got to go out and fix them.” 

Surtain added: “I feel like everything is right in front of us. We control our own destiny. I believe in this team as a whole. I think we built a great team here. … We have a big game next week (on) Monday night. We’ve got to find a way to win that and then move onto the next. That’s our mindset. Correct what we’ve got to work on in the film room. Get better. That’s about it.”