DENVER — Mile sigh.
A heavy one. The what-the-heck-just-happened kind.
That’s how the stunned Rams felt Sunday night.
Coach Sean McVay and his team came here aiming to put together a second consecutive impressive prime-time performance.
Share via Close extra sharing options
Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in a 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.
And through 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 into thin air.
After rallying briefly, the Rams could not hold off the Broncos in a 30-26 defeat in front of 76,633 at Empower Field at Mile High.
“We just 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 — picked off quarterback Matthew Stafford’s pass in the end zone as time expired.
But the Rams lost control about 29 minutes and 58 seconds before that when they began to let the Broncos come back.
So now the Rams, the much-ballyhooed super team that opened the season as a heavy Super Bowl favorite, are 1-2.
That’s rare for a McVay-coached team.
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 play the Eagles in Philadelphia.
“It’s nothing to freak about,” receiver Davante Adams said of the situation. “There’s a lot of football left and it’s not like we’re not playing good ball.”
The Rams played well on Sept. 21 when they routed the New York Giants 28-6 at SoFi Stadium.
They appeared on their way to another dominant defensive effort — until they weren’t.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix passed for two second-half touchdowns and dived one yard for a touchdown with 47 seconds left.
“It’s only Week 3 — a lot of football ahead,” linebacker Nate Landman said. “The future’s bright for this team, so there’s no panic but there’s frustration. We’ve got to be better and make more plays.”
The Rams did produce a few highlights: Stafford passed for two touchdowns, tight end Tyler Higbee and receiver Konata Mumpfield scored, Harrison Mevis kicked four field goals and defensive back Josh Wallace intercepted a pass.
But the Rams could not overcome Nix or their own mistakes. Several first-half drives that moved inside the 20-yard line resulted in field goals rather than touchdowns.
“Part of that is penalties, hurting ourselves,” Higbee said. “Ultimately, it kind of got us in the end too.”
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix passes against the Rams in the first half 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 dramatic comebacks, the Rams were on the verge of possibly pulling out 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 into the end zone.
“You play against a really good defense on the road, going backwards is going to be tough,” said Stafford, who completed 30 of 55 passes for 390 yards.
Going anywhere but SoFi Stadium has proven difficult for the Rams.
Their ill-fated whirlwind trip to Australia ended with a humiliating 27-7 defeat by the San Francisco 49ers, who on Sunday improved to an NFC West-leading 3-0.
“Everybody’s circling us on their calendar, 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 receiver Puka Nacua will play against the Eagles after a hip injury forced him to sit out the last two games.
Offensive lineman Steve Avila was a member of the 2024 Rams team that turned it around after a terrible start.
“We’ve been in a place like this before,” Avila said. “We’ve gone through a lot, and feel like we have the right people to respond.”