After getting blanked in the first half, the Broncos put together a strong final 30 minutes, eventually hanging on to beat the Rams 30-26.
Down 16-0 at halftime, the Broncos stormed back with two touchdowns and two-point conversions to tie the game at 16-16 with 2:15 left in the third period.
But even as the Rams took a three-point lead with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter, the Broncos were able to take 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 shake it off, coming right back with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Konata Mumpfield to make the score 26-23 with 3:38 left.
Rams penalties allowed the Broncos to go up by the final margin with under 60 seconds in the fourth quarter. While it looked like Josh Wallace had made his second interception, a questionable defensive pass interference penalty wiped the pick off the board and kept Denver’s possession going. Reviewing the play, NBC analyst Terry McAuley noted that it looked like 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 couple of plays later, Nix dove into the end zone for a 1-yard, go-ahead touchdown.
The Rams were in it until the end, getting deep into Denver territory to spike 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 contest 17-of-34 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Pat Bryant and Nate Adkins caught Nix’s TDs.
Stafford — who also became the first player in league history to throw for 20,000 yards for two teams in the first half — finished 30-of-55 for 390 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Adams registered seven receptions for 137 yards, recording back-to-back 100-yard games with the Rams for the first time.
In his second game back from retirement, Aaron Donald had just one tackle and one QB hit.
As a whole, the Rams had just one sack and three QB hits.
The Broncos’ defense was particularly active around Stafford in the second half, registering a total of 14 QB hits in the game and five sacks. The unit also registered eight tackles for loss.
Now at 2-1, the Broncos will be on the road to face the 3-0 49ers in Week 4.
The 1-2 Rams will travel across the country to play the Eagles next Sunday.
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