The Broncos had a chance to secure a spot in the postseason with a win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

They can still reach the postseason if they get help on the weekend. But head coach Sean Payton called the 34-27 loss to the Chargers disappointing because there was so much at stake for his club.

“We got off to a fast start, so that encouraged us,” Payton said after the game. “And then, which is unusual for this season, we didn’t play enough offensively or defensively in the second half or play nearly well. Time of possession, third down numbers, our rushing numbers went down in the second half. We thank Los Angeles for fighting their way back. In the end we didn’t make enough plays. So we’ll go from there.”

The Broncos had a 21-13 halftime lead and took a 24-13 lead on Wil Lutz’s 41-yard field goal to cap the first possession of the third quarter.

But from there, the Chargers scored 21 straight points to take a 34-24 lead. Lutz made it even closer with a 55-yard field goal with 57 seconds left before Denver failed to convert an onside kick.

The Broncos are still in a strong position to make it to the postseason. But Payton acknowledged that Denver still has a lot of work to do in its mini-bye before facing the Bengals next weekend.

“I’ll give you the message when we have a message,” Payton said. “But at the moment we have to make corrections in this game. And then we’ll prepare again for the game against Cincinnati. So we have to find a way to get our tenth win. We know that. But the messages in the locker room after the game didn’t worry me.”

Payton noted that he liked the fight the Broncos showed Thursday night, even if the club came up short.

“I think we play hard,” Payton said. “But we have to be smarter. And as coaches we also have to be smarter.”