After being shut out in the first half, the Broncos put together a strong final 30 minutes, ultimately hanging on to beat the Rams 30-26.
Trailing 16-0 at halftime, the Broncos came back strong with two touchdowns and two-point conversions to tie the game at 16-16 with 2:15 left in the third period.
But even though the Rams took a three-point lead with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter, the Broncos took advantage of every Los Angeles mistake to win.
On third-and-6 from the Denver 38, quarterback Matthew Stafford was picked off by Talanoa Hufanga and returned for a 66-yard pick-six, giving the Broncos a 23-19 lead.
That pick six was the 33rd of Stafford’s career, breaking a tie with Brett Favre for the most in league history.
But Stafford was able to recover, coming right back with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Konata Mumpfield to make it 26-23 with 3:38 left.
Rams penalties allowed the Broncos to rally by the final margin with less than 60 seconds left in the fourth quarter. When it looked like Josh Wallace had his second interception, a questionable defensive pass interference penalty wiped the pick off the board and maintained Denver’s possession. Reviewing the play, NBC analyst Terry McAuley noted that it appeared receiver Pat Bryant pulled Wallace down rather than Wallace interfering with the receiver.
An illegal hands-to-the-face penalty gave the Broncos another first down at the 2-yard line.
A few plays later, Nix dove into the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
The Rams were there until the end, driving deep into Denver territory to punt the ball and stop the clock with two seconds left. But Stafford’s pass from the 19 to Davante Adams was intercepted by Hufanga, ending the game.
Nix finished the game 17 of 34 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Pat Bryant and Nate Adkins caught touchdowns from Nix.
Stafford — who also became the first player in league history to total 20,000 yards for two teams in the first half — finished 30 of 55 for 390 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Adams recorded seven receptions for 137 yards, recording consecutive 100-yard games for the first time with the Rams.
In his second game of retirement, Aaron Donald had only one tackle and one QB hit.
Overall, the Rams had just one sack and three QB hits.
The Broncos defense was particularly active around Stafford in the second half, recording a total of 14 QB hits in the game and five sacks. The unit also recorded eight tackles for loss.
Now at 2-1, the Broncos will be on their way to facing the 3-0 49ers in Week 4.
The 1-2 Rams will travel cross country to face the Eagles next Sunday.
Gn sports
