The Denver Broncos’ offense wasn’t perfect in Sean Payton’s return to calling plays, but it was good enough.

Denver beat the Los Angeles Chargers 23-17 on Sunday afternoon.

The Broncos scored 13 points in the third quarter to put the game away.

Denver finished with just 224 total yards.

Part of the reason for the Broncos’ offensive struggles has been quarterback Bo Nix’s hesitancy to “let it rip” at times.

Payton reminded Nix after the win over the Chargers that he’s Denver’s “guy,” and he just needs to go out there and play his game.

“I’ve said to him, ‘Man, you’re the guy that we wanted here. Let’s go,’” said Payton when asked what’s wrong with Nix’s game this season. “He’s done a ton of things well, but I think there’s a lot that goes into that. In that old TV series ‘The Bear’ where they just say, ‘Let it rip,’ I want him to make sure to, hey, let it rip.”

Nix is probably feeling some pressure right now. The Broncos are facing high expectations this season, and he’s eligible for a contract extension in 2027. To say it’s an important season for Nix would be an understatement.

The former Oregon standout, however, can’t think of any of that stuff on Sundays. He just has to go compete without thinking about outcomes or results. If he plays his game and trusts his preparation, everything else will take care of itself. That doesn’t mean it’ll be perfect — the opposing defense is always going to make some plays — but it’ll be better than what we’ve seen so far this season.

It was a good time for Payton to publicly send that message for Nix.