DENVER– Mile sighs.
A heavy one. Like what the hell just happened.
That’s how the stunned Rams felt Sunday night.
Coach Sean McVay and his team came here looking to put together a second straight impressive primetime performance.
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Gary Klein explains what went wrong for the Rams in Sunday night’s 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos.
And during the first half against the Denver Broncos, it looked like the Rams would do just that.
But the Rams’ 16-0 halftime lead literally vanished.
After a brief rally, the Rams couldn’t hold off the Broncos in a 30-26 loss in front of 76,633 at Empower Field at Mile High.
“We came up short tonight,” McVay said.
It came down to the final play: Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga — who returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter — recovered quarterback Matthew Stafford’s pass in the end zone as time expired.
But the Rams lost control about 29 minutes, 58 seconds before that when they started to let the Broncos back.
So now the Rams, the much-hyped super team that opened the season as a heavy Super Bowl favorite, are 1-2.
That’s rare for a team coached by McVay.
Consider: In the previous nine seasons under McVay, the Rams had started a season 1-2 only once.
In 2024, the Rams were 1-2 after three games and 1-4 after five. They rebounded to finish 10-7 and advanced to the divisional round, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Rams coach Sean McVay reacts to a call during a loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
(Bart Young/Associated Press)
Next Sunday, the struggling Rams will face the Eagles in Philadelphia.
“There’s nothing to panic about,” wide receiver Davante Adams said of the situation. “There’s still a lot of football left and it’s not like we’re not playing good ball.”
The Rams played well on September 21 when they defeated the New York Giants 28-6 at SoFi Stadium.
They seemed headed for another dominant defensive effort — until they weren’t.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix passed for two touchdowns in the second half and dived 1 yard for a touchdown with 47 seconds left.
“We’re only in week three – there’s a lot of football to come,” linebacker Nate Landman said. “The future is bright for this team, so there is no panic but there is frustration. We have to be better and make more plays.”
The Rams produced some highlights: Stafford passed for two touchdowns, tight end Tyler Higbee and receiver Konata Mumpfield scored, Harrison Mevis made four field goals and defensive back Josh Wallace intercepted a pass.
But the Rams couldn’t overcome Nix or their own mistakes. Several first-half drives that took place inside the 20-yard line resulted in field goals rather than touchdowns.
“Part of it is the sanctions, the hurting us,” Higbee said. “In the end, it kind of affected us too.”
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix passes against the Rams in the first half on Sunday.
(Jack Dempsey/Associated Press)
The Rams were penalized 13 times for 91 yards, including several critical calls against them in the final minutes. Wallace intercepted another pass but was called for pass interference. Safety Quentin Lake was penalized for illegal use of hands.
“It’s not the result we wanted,” Lake said, “but it’s not the end of the season either.”
Given Stafford’s history of spectacular comebacks, the Rams were poised for a victory.
With 42 seconds left, Stafford drove the Rams from their 33-yard line to the Broncos’ 14 in 40 seconds. A false start penalty pushed them back to the 19 before Hufanga intercepted Stafford’s pass in the end zone.
“You’re playing against a really good defense on the road, going back is going to be tough,” said Stafford, who completed 30 of 55 passes for 390 yards.
Going anywhere but SoFi Stadium proved difficult for the Rams.
Their ill-fated whirlwind trip to Australia ended in a humiliating 27-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, who improved Sunday to take the NFC West lead 3-0.
“Everyone is around us on their schedule, so our games are going to be hard-fought,” Lake said, “and this game was one of them.”
It remains to be seen whether star wide receiver Puka Nacua will play against the Eagles after a hip injury forced him to miss the last two games.
Offensive lineman Steve Avila was a member of the 2024 Rams team that turned things around after a terrible start.
“We’ve been to a place like this before,” Avila said. “We’ve been through a lot and we think we have the right people to respond. »
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