PENALTY ON D.T. FEELS LIKE “DAGGER” AFTER DENVER’S LOSS TO CHARGERS

CALIF.» After an afternoon CARSON, of frustration under the blazing Southern California sun, the Broncos finally broke through with their biggest play of the season, an 81-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Demaryius Thomas.

But the play that brought a roar from the Broncos-heavy crowd of 25,388 at the StubHub Center on Sunday brought only more frustration. Thomas was called for offensive pass interference as he created separation from a Chargers defensive back during Denver’s 21-0 loss.

“It was a dagger,” Thomas said. “It was a big play, something we needed. It was a spark. We didn’t have that in the first half. We didn’t do that the whole game. You never know, it could have changed the whole game.”

Instead of their first trip inside the red zone, the Broncos were pushed back inside their own 5yard line and were forced to punt four plays later.

Injury report.

In less than a week, the Broncos went from being relatively healthy to depleted, leaving little surprise about their list of inactive players for Sunday’s AFC West game.

Six players were ruled out Friday: wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie, both of whom suffered ankle injuries in a 23-10 loss to the Giants last week; wide receiver Cody Latimer, who is recovering from a knee injury; quarterback Paxton Lynch, who is dealing with a right shoulder sprain; and offensive tackles Menelik Watson and Donald Stephenson, both because of calf injuries. Running back De’Angelo Henderson was the lone healthy scratch Sunday.

Inside linebacker Todd Davis (ankle), who led the team Sunday with 10 tackles, was the only Broncos player to suffer an injury against the Chargers. He left the stadium wearing a boot on his foot and is expected to undergo more testing in Colorado.

Miller update.

Von Miller had two sacks Sunday, extending his latest sack streak to five games and passing Karl Mecklenburg for second place (80½) on the Broncos’ alltime list.

Sunday was the 94th game in Miller’s career. He’s the secondfastest player in NFL history to reach the 80-sack mark, sitting behind only Reggie White (70 games).

Miller has sacked Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers 15 times in his career — the most of any quarterback Miller has faced.

Footnotes.

Nose tackle Domata Peko was Denver’s game-day captain and posted his first sack as a Bronco. … Wide receiver Hunter Sharp (five punt returns for 55 yards) and inside linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams made their NFL debuts. … Miller warmed up with custom rooster cleats, created by Adidas.