NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams will look to make it two straight wins as they visit the Mile High City. They take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football. The Rams, using a balanced offensive attack, are coming off a convincing 28-6 victory over the New York Giants. They will look to build on that momentum. The Broncos evened their record with a come-from-behind 20-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After a mediocre Week 1, quarterback Matthew Stafford returned to the form fans have come to expect in his time with the Rams. Stafford completed 22 of 31 passes for 327 yards and 4 touchdowns. With Puka Nacua out with an injury against the Giants, Stafford and WR Davante Adams connected for 8 receptions, 195 yards, and 2 touchdowns. What differed against the Giants from the game against San Francisco was Stafford’s effort to stretch the ball downfield. With Nacua’s availability in question this week, look for Stafford to go to Adams early and often against the Broncos’ secondary.
The Rams continued their 1-2 punch in the running game with RB Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Against the Giants, the two combined for 164 rushing yards on 24 carries. Williams and Corum bring different running styles; however, both complement each other well in Coach McVay’s system. Look for Coach McVay to continue to use both Williams and Corum in tandem against the Broncos.
Entering the game against the Giants, the big news was Aaron Donald’s eagerly anticipated return. Fans were at a fever pitch when Donald took the field. Donald was part of a defense that improved drastically from week one. After allowing over 170 rushing yards to the 49ers, the Rams defense limited the Giants to 52 rushing yards. The Broncos, led by Jonah Coleman and J.K. Dobbins, rushed for 104 yards against the Jaguars. They will look to establish their running game against the Rams. The Rams’ interior defensive line, led by Donald, Poona Ford, and Kobie Turner, will look to close up the inside running lanes. In contrast, the edge defenders will look to contain the outside run and force the Broncos’ running backs inside.
Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula took the lessons learned in the loss to the 49ers to heart. He used a more aggressive game plan against the Giants. Relying more on man coverage, the Rams secondary, led by Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, held the Giants to 130 passing yards. A key Broncos receiver the Rams will focus on is Jaylen Waddle, who caught 8 passes for 138 yards. Look for Coach Shula to use McDuffie and Watson in man coverage against Waddle while using a safety to provide over-the-top pass coverage.
Like Stafford, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix bounced back in week two. Against the Jaguars, Nix completed 22-of-31 passes for 288 yards and 1 touchdown. Broncos head coach Sean Payton will look to devise a game plan that lets Nix use quick passes to negate the Rams’ pass rush. Trusting his corners to play man coverage against the Broncos’ receivers, look for Coach Shula to use a blitz package to disrupt Nix’s timing. The Rams’ edge pass rushers, led by Josiah Steward and Byron Young, will look to prevent Nix from escaping the pass rush to the outside. The Rams defense will look to force Nix to step up in the pocket towards the interior pass rush. This should disrupt Nix’s rhythm and could force him into bad decisions with the ball.
The Los Angeles Rams rebounded from their embarrassing Week 1 performance and showed the league why they’re considered Super Bowl favorites with a convincing Week 2 win. The team will look to improve on its victory over the Giants. Look for the Rams to come out aggressively on both sides of the ball. Expect them to improve to 2-1 with a hard-fought victory over the Broncos.
Rams 24
Broncos 13
