Broncos defense keeps Denver competitive while offense remains shaky

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — It doesn't matter who's calling the offensive plays, the Denver Broncos have to be thankful it's Vance Joseph running the defense.

Sean Payton supplanting Davis Webb as offensive play-caller failed to spark the offense or settle quarterback Bo Nix, who was bailed out repeatedly by a dinged-up but still dominant defense in Denver's 23-17 win Sunday over the Los Angeles Chargers.

"It was good enough to win, but there are still a number of things that we need to improve on,” Payton said after the Broncos (3-2) converted just one of 12 third downs, Jaylen Waddle had just two catches and Courtland Sutton wasn't even targeted until the fourth quarter.

Nix is still mired in a slow start. Whether because of his two ankle surgeries last offseason or a simple slump, Nix has regressed, playing more like he did as a rookie in early 2024 than he did in leading Denver to the AFC championship game last season.

“I have said to him, ‘Man you are the guy we wanted here. Let’s go,'" Payton said in his post-game news conference, offering a glimpse into the pep talk he's given his quarterback. “He has done a ton of things well. I think a lot of things go into that. You know that old TV series ‘The Bear’ where they said, ‘Let it rip.’ I want him to make sure he knows that we can let it rip.”

In the show, Mikey used the phrase as a confidence boost.

“I think when a coach says ‘let it rip,’ it means trust what you see," Nix said. “Right now, there’s just a little subtle piece of overall offensive execution that we’re still working towards, because at times, it’s there and we’re really good. At times, for whatever reason, the drive stalls. I think there’s a lot of pieces that go into it, but you’re right, letting it rip is one of the best things that you can do as a quarterback.”

Nix's play, however, continues to exude a mixture of fear and uncertainty.

“At the end of the day," Nix said, "the most important thing is we’re sitting here talking about a win.”

Thanks to three takeaways and a game-turning fourth-down stop by Denver when Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh went for it from his own 41 with a seven-point lead and less than 11 minutes remaining.

Que Robinson got the stop, Denver got the ball and Nix hit Sutton with a 5-yard touchdown toss to tie it at 17. Two plays later, Zach Allen strip-sacked Justin Herbert and Robinson recovered at the LA 23. That led to a field goal by Wil Lutz, who added another after Brandon Jones intercepted Herbert at the Chargers 34. The game ended when Ja'Quan McMillian recorded Denver's fifth sack as time expired.

The turning point was that fourth-down stop, which led to four consecutive Denver drives starting on the Chargers side of the field, allowing the Broncos to overcome yet another slow start.

The defense continues to keep Denver's hopes up.

The offense. It's not just the play-calling or sequencing. It's Nix playing like a shell of himself.

“We’re not giving levels of confidence grades right now on a Monday morning before a Thursday game," Payton said. "You can go ahead and opinionate, but I think confidence comes from — I’m watching the film offensively and there are a ton of things we’re not doing well right now, so that has to improve.”

Joseph continues to burnish his resume for another head coaching opportunity. His unit came up big despite missing some big pieces Sunday.

Nix. He doesn't see open receivers and he doesn't take off running. He wasn't any better with Payton calling the plays.

“When it comes to who’s calling plays, I can’t really worry about it too much, because then it would get me distracted,” Nix said. "And I can’t really control it. It’s completely out of my control. As long as I know the plan, study the plan and feel good about the plan, no matter who’s calling it in my ear, it’s going to be similar plays.”

The Broncos' secondary took another hit with an ankle injury to S Talanoa Hufanga. Already out were CBs Patrick Surtain II (ankle) and Riley Moss (ribs).

123 — yards passing by Nix, the second-lowest total of his career but actually two more yards than Herbert had Sunday. The only worse outing by Nix came in a storm against the Jets two years ago when he couldn't grip the ball and threw for 60 yards in a 10-9 win.

The Broncos have a short week before hosting the Seattle Seahawks (3-2) on Thursday night in what's expected to be a rainstorm.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton cheers his team prior to an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, left, runs the ball as tight end Nate Adkins blocks during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix gestures before taking a snap during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, right, is taken down by Denver Broncos linebacker Que Robinson, left, linebacker Alex Singleton, second from left, and safety Brandon Jones during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

CEUTA, Spain (AP) — Ceuta, a sliver of land in North Africa, is an anomaly for Spain: a city where Muslims and Christians live in almost equal numbers.

But a monthslong migration crisis in the Spanish exclave, which Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia will visit on Tuesday for the first time, has exposed divisions in a place that bills itself as a beacon of coexistence. Some people say the fault lines were always there.

The crisis was triggered in late July when about 80,000 people poured into the Spanish exclave from neighboring Morocco, driven by rumors online that Spain had opened its border. Most of those who crossed left within days, but up to 15,000 migrants stayed, leaving the city under strain and pitting residents against one another.

Many migrants who remained in Ceuta have sheltered in Muslim neighborhoods, sleeping on streets, in doorways and in makeshift tent camps and centers run by NGOs and locals. Residents say the chaos never ended for them and have grown frustrated.

Mohamed Susi, a resident of the Muslim-majority neighborhood of El Principe, watched as hundreds of migrant boys gathered at a church next to his house one day in early October to await the arrival of a visiting minister.

“What do they want? That we feed all of Ceuta?” Susi said. “Find a solution already!” he said, slamming his door shut.

Next to one of the city's main mosques, volunteers and workers at a Muslim charity filled plastic to-go containers with stewed lentils and pasta on a late September day.

Halima Ahmed, spokesperson for the Luna Blanca charity, said it has distributed between 3,000 and 5,000 meals per day to migrants still in the city. The volunteers and workers have received threats and insults for doing so, she said.

“There's tension,” Ahmed said. “People are fed up with the situation.”

Ceuta's downtown, frequented by Christians and Muslims, regained a sense of normalcy within days of the initial rush. People returned to restaurants, bars and open-air terraces. Shops reopened. But signs of the city's discontent abound. Storefronts carry signs that read: “Ceuta stands its ground — Ceuta won't give up!” while the flags of Spain and Ceuta hang from balconies.

Spanish police and thousands of soldiers have been deployed, patrolling the city center and areas near the border.

Residents have staged regular protests as the crisis persisted. At a demonstration outside the city government in early October, around 200 people demanded solutions from Spain's left-wing national government. Men and women draped in Ceuta's black-and-white flag banged on pots and pans and expressed their dissatisfaction with what they described as the Spanish government's slow response. Very few of those in attendance, if any, were Muslim.

Francisco Luna, 45, the owner of an auto repair shop, said coexistence has been frayed. He described the atmosphere in one word: “terrible."

Some Muslims in the city are protecting migrants, he said, which made him question their loyalty to Ceuta.

“We have always lived together well,” Luna said. “Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus — we’ve never had any problems. But now, I do see it, because there are Muslims who defend the (migrants) from Morocco.”

Ceuta has belonged to Spain for centuries. Its 84,000 residents are Spanish and European Union citizens. Many are from the mainland. Most of the city's Muslims trace their roots to Morocco, have relatives there and speak Moroccan Arabic. The city has smaller Jewish and Hindu populations.

The territory is poorer than much of Spain, and Muslims experience higher rates of poverty compared to the rest of the exclave, a 2025 report published by the Catholic charitable organization Caritas said. It reported that 44% of Muslim households were marginalized, compared to 28% of the city's overall population.

Some predominantly Muslim neighborhoods on the city's peripheries, with narrow and steep mazelike streets, have high crime rates. Muslims and Christians frequent downtown shops, lively plazas and broad avenues, but the Muslim-majority neighborhoods see less mixing.

Local politician Mohamed Mustafa described the divisions as predating the summer's border crisis. But he acknowledged it has made things worse. Ceuta has lived through previous migrant surges at its border, but this year's was the deadliest.

“The image of coexistence is a mirage," Mustafa said. "It’s a tourism slogan, but it doesn’t reflect reality.”

On Tuesday, Spain's royals will attend a ceremony at a Muslim cemetery in the city to memorialize the more than 140 migrants who died attempting to cross in July. Dozens of unidentified migrants were buried there.

The visit will be the monarchs' first to the Spanish territory, where many say they have felt abandoned by the country's national leaders.

As the crisis stretches into its third month, Ceuta's residents agree on one thing: They are tired of the situation.

When migrants constructed a vast makeshift tent camp on a beach, Emilio Muñoz, who lives in a house close by, decided he needed to leave.

He pitched a tent outside the city government to protest, demanding action, and began sleeping there, too. Soon, around a dozen others joined him, sleeping on and off for a month until the beachside tent camp was fully demolished when Spanish police removed a few thousand migrants.

Muñoz said his demonstration was not done to mock the migrants. “People say this is pantomime, but I don't make light of the situation.”

He described Ceuta as a city of different religious and ethnic groups working and living together, but acknowledged that something had been damaged.

“I do see a rift,” Muñoz said, “but we have to move forward.”

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Migrants cook food at the Tarajal warehouse area in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue) CORRECTION: corrects caption to 'Migrants cook food at the Tarajal warehouse area in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026' instead of 'A Muslim woman walks past a Catholic church in downtown Ceuta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026.'

Spanish soldiers patrol downtown Ceuta on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A Muslim woman walks past a Catholic church in downtown Ceuta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Employees and migrant volunteers prepare meals for migrants at the Luna Blanca NGO's headquarters in Ceuta, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A Muslim woman walks past a Catholic church in downtown Ceuta, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Local residents protest the Spanish government's handling of the Ceuta border crisis, two months after it occurred, in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. Banners read in Spanish: "Ceuta does not give up". (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Local residents protest the Spanish government's handling of the Ceuta border crisis, two months after it occurred, in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)