For 30 minutes it was all Rams. They scored 7 in the first quarter and 9 in the second, and Denver's offense didn't put up a point in that span. That was without Puka Nacua, who was inactive with the hip injury, so Stafford's numbers came with his No. 1 receiver in street clothes. The Rams' secondary kept shrinking, though. Kamren Kinchens and Maximus Pulley were both inactive at safety, and cornerback Jaylen Watson left with a shoulder injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game. That was the back end Nix went after in the second half.
The third quarter flipped the game: Broncos 16, Rams 0. Denver came out of the locker room and tied it before the fourth quarter started. The Rams had been the better side on paper all week and had gotten the better of the first half, so blowing the entire lead in 1 quarter is the part of this loss that'll sting in Los Angeles.
The fourth quarter went back and forth, 10 points for the Rams and 14 for Denver. Stafford hit Konata Mumpfield for a 48-yard touchdown that made it 26-23 with 3:38 to go. That's a big answer from a receiver who caught 1 ball for 12 yards against the Giants and stepped up with Nacua out. Denver then went the length of the field and Nix finished it himself. The Rams had 47 seconds left, and the drive ended with Stafford's second interception on the last snap.
The preview's two big matchup questions don't get full answers from the box score used here. It doesn't list Jaylen Waddle's line or Davante Adams's. What the score does show is that the Rams' short-handed secondary gave up 419 passing yards and 30 second-half points after holding Denver scoreless for a half. Myles Garrett (knee, on IR) wasn't there to help the pass rush close it out. Both teams came in 1-1. Denver moves to 2-1, and the Rams fall to 1-2 after losing a game they controlled for 2 quarters.