Broncos Analysis: Brandon McManus field goal at buzzer lifts Denver past Chargers in Drew Lock’s debut (Ryan O'Halloran, The Denver Post)

What happened was an event the Broncos hope repeats itself for years: Lock throwing a pass to receiver Courtland Sutton to produce a big play. In the first half, it was touchdowns of 26 and five yards.

In the final seconds, it was a long throw that was incomplete, but Sutton was interfered with by cornerback Casey Hayward. The 37-yard penalty set up Brandon McManus' 53-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Broncos a 23-20 win.

QB Drew Lock lifts Broncos past Chargers in debut (Jeff Legwold, ESPN)

It took Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock all of 10 or so football minutes of his first career start Sunday to learn an important lesson -- get the ball to Courtland Sutton and things could work out just fine.

A changed route, a revenge kick and one major veto: Drew Lock secures a ‘W’ in his first NFL start (Nicki Jhabvala, The Athletic)

Every number and every circumstance seemed to play against the Broncos when they took the field Sunday to host the Chargers. Yet somehow, Denver overcame its own miscues and did just enough not to let their fourth-quarter lead go to complete waste.

Inside the Broncos' decision to play for the win in 23-20 victory over the Chargers (Aric DiLalla, DenverBroncos.com)

"The first thought that the offensive coach said [was], 'Just take a knee,'" Fangio said after the game. "I said, 'No.' First, I was looking for a play that could get a big chunk over the middle [and then] bang a timeout. We didn't like that as much. I said, 'Let's go down the sideline and see what happens.'"

How ‘Baby Megatron’ Courtland Sutton’s big day put the Broncos in position for a win over the Chargers (Ben Swanson, DenverBroncos.com)

"Being able to make those plays, honestly, it's beyond me," Sutton said. "It's a God-given ability that I can't really explain what happens. I'm just grateful that I have the ability to do it, for sure."