Los Angeles Rams @ Denver Broncos Preview
Two teams with Super Bowl aspirations face off in prime time as a Denver Broncos host the Branches of Los Angeles on Sunday Night Football.
Both the Broncos and Rams bounced back from Week 1 losses with wins last week, the Broncos fought back to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars while Los Angeles picked up a win over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
The Rams have won their last five meetings with the Broncos, their last loss in that matchup coming in Denver in 2002 when they were based in St. Louis.
But a trip to Empower Field at Mile High represents a stern test of the Rams’ championship credentials, with the Broncos boasting a ferocious defense extremely capable of disrupting a Los Angeles offense that will again be without star wide receiver Puka Nacua due to hip and groin issues.
Without Nacua, Davante Adams was the star man against the Giants, the veteran exploding for 195 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.
Adams will have a tough task Sunday as he faces cornerback Pat Surtain II, the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.
The former Green Bay Packers star is very familiar with Surtain and caught a game-winning touchdown in overtime against him while playing against the Broncos for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.
But Adams is under no illusions about the task he will face in getting separation against Surtain to make life easier for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“They have a lot of guys,” Adams said of Denver’s defense.
“Obviously, Pat is probably one of the best defensive backs in the league. Before I came in this year and played with Trent (McDuffie), I was saying he (Surtain) was the best. That’s my guy and I see him every day, and that’s no disrespect to Pat.
“I’ve had the chance to play against Pat a few times and I love his game, respect him. He’s got some length, speed and a lot of things you can’t teach at that position.
“We’ve had some battles in the past. Obviously the game where we had the go-ahead touchdown there. That was a good memory for me. Then he came back the next time and I can probably honestly say he probably played a little bit better in Denver against me than I played against him, that first goal in 2023. I have a lot of respect, but he certainly has a lot of respect. I have the utmost respect for.”
Denver’s defense will expect more support from an offense that has struggled through the first two weeks. The Broncos rank 27th in expected points added per play, while only 42.2 percent of their offensive plays have been successful, which ranks them 22nd in the league.
But the Broncos scored 17 unanswered points to overturn a 10-point third-quarter deficit against the Jaguars, a turnaround that should boost confidence in their offense ahead of a defense with three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald coming out of retirement.
“It’s exciting to play in the bigs; it always is,” Broncos quarterback Bo Nix said of facing Donald.
“I know he’s a very good football player and he’s going to give us a challenge that we haven’t necessarily faced before. He’s literally one of the best in his position of all time, so you don’t play as many Sundays.
“We just have to limit the time he dominates.
“We’ve just got to find ways to finish the ball, score in the red zone, convert a few more third downs to get to the red zone. It’s just complete football.”