Winners and Losers from the Denver Broncos’ 30-26 victory over the Los Angeles Rams

The Denver Broncos just had the most Denver Broncos thrilling, memorable victory. They trailed 16-0 at halftime, and everything looked awful. Offense, defense, special teams, coaching, and everything else. A lifeless effort and a team that looked to be on the verge of yet another blowout loss on primetime.

As usual, that is exactly where the Broncos wanted them. From there, the Broncos would score 30 points in the second half and complete the thrilling comeback victory over the Rams.

There is A LOT to unpack from this up-and-down rollercoaster of emotions thriller that thankfully ended in a Broncos victory. So, here are my winners and losers from the Broncos' 30-26 victory over the Rams.

Like the game, we are starting with the bad.

The offense was bad, lifeless, and could not get anything going. The defense had no pass rush; they were whiffing on tackles again, and the Rams had no problem moving the ball on them. The special teams even struggled when usually reliable kicker Wil Lutz doinked one off the goalpost.

We were talking about Davis Webb giving up play calling again, talking about Vance Joseph's defense struggling against backs and tight ends, and they were trailing 16-0 at half against a good team and staring down a 1-2 record and another blowout loss on primetime.

It was bad, but we have to remember, this is the Denver Broncos.

They started out the second half with a predictable three-and-out right after an interview where Sean Payton said that series was a very important series for the team.

The defense would get the ball back, and then it was game on from there.

Touchdown to Nate Adkins , a crazy two-pointer by Jaylen Waddle , defense gets the ball back to the offense, touchdown and two-pointer to Pat Bryant , and suddenly, we have a tie game in the third quarter.

Rams would then drive down for a field goal to take a 3-point lead, but then it happened. Talanoa Hufanga CAUGHT THE BALL! Not only did he catch it, but he also took it back for a touchdown!

Holy shit, the Broncos are going to win this game!

Matthew Stafford said NOT SO FAST after Riley Moss was cooked on a double move, and the Rams would take a 26-23 lead. Those doubts started to creep back in as the Rams successfully took back the momentum, but again, remember. This is the Denver Broncos. What do the Denver Broncos do? They win football games in the 4th quarter.

Fourth-quarter magician Bo Nix led yet another 4th quarter comeback with chunk plays to Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin to get deep into Rams territory. After some controversial calls FINALLY fell in the Broncos' favor, Bo Nix called his number (twice) and would score what would end up being the game-winning touchdown.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, the Rams had time to go down and score a game-winning touchdown, and they got pretty damn close. Unfortunately for the Rams, Talanoa Hufanga learned how to catch a football, and on the final play of the game, as the clock hit zero, Hufanga would intercept Stafford for a second time and end the game.

Talanoa Hufanga cannot catch interceptions. He dropped like 10 last season and had two near picks early in this game. We pleaded, "PLEASE CATCH THE FOOTBALL," and the football gods listened and granted Hufanga the ability to catch.

He would go on to have a game-changing pick 6 of Matthew Stafford and later pick Stafford again in the end zone on the final play of the game, sealing the victory for the Broncos.

What a big-time effort by the Broncos' team leader. The Broncos did not force many turnovers last season, and they wanted to change that this season. We saw a game changing INT last week vs. the Jaguars and now, the Broncos had two big ones vs. the Rams.

If Hufanga can start coming down with these interceptions, he will put himself in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.

Bryant was targeted a bunch in Week 1 but was mostly invisible in Week 2 while Jaylen Waddle was having his breakout performance. Well, he wasn't invisible tonight. He had just 2 targets, but he turned those 2 targets into 2 catches for 44 yards and 1 touchdown. He also caught one of the two Broncos' two-point conversions.

His second and final catch came on a 2nd-and-20 play with 3:25 left deep in their own territory. The Broncos were coming off a penalty, and things were looking bleak, but he would get open, and Nix would hit him for a 39-yard catch-and-run to set the Broncos up in field goal range.

Bryant would contribute later when he drew a controversial DPI on the Rams to give the Broncos an automatic first down and extend their drive. That drive would go on to end with what would end up being the game-winning touchdown.

The first half was ugly. He looked flustered and had two near-ugly interceptions, but that is just first-half Bo Nix. After halftime, second-half Bo Nix showed up and led the Broncos to three touchdown drives, including his game-winning QB sneak for the lead late in the 4th quarter.

Bo Nix now has 11 4th quarter comeback wins since 2024, which leads the NFL. It may not always be pretty; the analytical darlings hate him, the media disrespects him, but you cannot deny that Bo Nix is a gamer and has that magic to him.

When the Broncos scored their first touchdown and converted the two-point conversion, I knew the comeback was on. We have seen this script before, and Nix has ice water in his veins.

If he and the Broncos can ever put together a complete game, they could beat anyone at any time.

LOSER – CB Pat Surtain II: I do not type this often, and I believe it might be the first time that I have, but it's a fact. Davante Adams had Surtain's number tonight. PS2 is still an elite corner who will lock down opposing WRs more often than not, but tonight was not his night.

WINNER – TE Nate Adkins: Adkins caught his second touchdown of the season and now has a touchdown in back-to-back games. While the tight end position may not have an elite playmaker, if Adkins can score within the red zone, he can be a real weapon for this team.

WINNER – WR/KR Kolbe Katsis : It wasn't a perfect night for him, but he had a big return, which sparked the Broncos' comeback.

LOSER – LB Alex Singleton : Missed tackles, poor coverage, and more missed tackles. I noticed him much more in the first half, but it didn't seem like a strong night for him.

LOSER – CB Riley Moss: Moss has had a nice start to the season, but he had a rough one tonight. Most of the Broncos' corners struggled tonight, but Moss was called for an ugly DPI, gave up some plays throughout, and was burned on a double move for a long touchdown.

WINNER – Broncos pass rush: It did disappear at times, but it came alive in the second half and had 4 sacks of Matthew Stafford. Bonitto, Allen, Hufanga, and Uwazurike all combined for 4 sacks.

LOSER – WR Jaylen Waddle: He did have that nice two-point catch, but finished the night with 2 catches for 10 yards and had a couple of drops. The Rams had good coverage on him, but I was hoping for more from the Broncos' playmaking wide receiver.

LOSER – RB JK Dobbins : We simply need more from the Broncos' running back. He averaged 2.9 yards per carry tonight and struggled to get anything going consistently on the ground.

WINNER – Brandon Jones : He lacked the big impact play, but he was consistently around the ball and made good plays throughout. He was juked out of his socks by Kyren Williams once in the backfield, but shit happens.

WINNER – Red Zone offense: 3 for 3 after some struggles there vs. the Rams.

WINNER – Davis Webb, the play caller: His seat got hot again in the first half, but 3 touchdowns and two 2-pointers in the second half changed the tune a bit.

WINNER – Second-half adjustments: What a difference a half makes.

WINNER – Mile High crowd: They were loud again for a second straight week. Big home-field advantage.

LOSER – My health: This team is taking years off my life. What an emotional rollercoaster and thriller. Glad it ended with a win, though. Worth it.