Sunday Night Football in Week 3 brings a matchup that feels like an early measuring stick for both sides. The Denver Broncos, with Bo Nix under center, host the Los Angeles Rams and Matthew Stafford in a game that pits two teams coming off Week 2 bounce-backs after ugly losses to open the season.
Denver steadied itself at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, erasing an early hole to avoid a 0-2 start. Los Angeles answered after its own rough Week 1, looking sharp on offense in a Monday night win over the New York Giants. The Rams did it without Puka Nacua, who was out with a hip injury, and Myles Garret, who remains on injured reserve and will miss this primetime game.
The Rams enter as road favorites, and that’s been a comfortable spot for Sean McVay’s team for quite a while. Still, the Broncos will try to make this a second straight statement win after showing some fight in Week 2.
Nix has had an uneven start to 2026, with two touchdown passes and two interceptions as Denver sits at 1-1. He was much better against Jacksonville, completing 22 of 31 passes for 288 yards, but he still hasn’t offered much as a runner. Through two games, he has just eight carries for eight yards, a far cry from the dynamic ground element he brought last season when Denver earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
That matters here because the Rams’ defense has been sturdy. Los Angeles shut down the Giants in Week 2 and ranks seventh in the NFL in EPA/Pass and yards per play allowed this season.
For Denver, that means Nix will need to keep trending upward, especially with Davis Webb now handling the playcalling. Otherwise, the Broncos could spend a long night trying to solve a defense that’s been tough to move.
There’s also a clear run-game concern for Denver. The Broncos have allowed 5.1 yards per carry, the third-most in the NFL this season, and that’s a dangerous number against an L.A. offense that has been productive on the ground. The Rams rank sixth in the NFL in rushing yards in 2026 and are averaging 5.0 yards per tote.
Los Angeles has also been efficient enough through the air to keep defenses honest. Even with Nacua and Jordan Whittington out against New York, the offense looked comfortable after adjusting to being back in the United States following a strange season opener in Australia.
Denver’s defense was better in Week 2 after a poor tackling performance against Kansas City, but the numbers still leave room for concern. The Broncos rank 18th in EPA/Play and 19th in yards per play allowed, and the offense hasn’t been nearly efficient enough to give them much margin. Denver sits 27th in EPA/Play on offense, which is a tough place to be when the other sideline brings this much balance.
The Rams have covered as road favorites at a strong rate under McVay, going 26-19 in that role, but this one feels more like a straight-up call than a spread debate. Los Angeles has the cleaner profile on both sides of the ball, and the matchup against Denver’s run defense is especially telling.
Pick: Rams to win.
In Other News...
Sean Payton Just Put A Broncos Assistant In The Spotlight
After Denvers Week 1 offense sputtered, Sean Payton made a point of putting offensive coordinator Davis Webb in the spotlight for the way he responded and adjusted. For a Broncos staff still shaping the early-season identity around a new seasons opening growing pains, that kind of public credit matters, especially when the head coach is signaling that the fixes are being handled internally and with purpose.
The broader AFC West picture only adds to the pressure around Denvers work. Jim Harbaugh is trying to steady the Chargers after an 0-2 start, with Derwin James talking about the need for honesty and improvement, while Andy Reid is already managing workload issues and a larger role for rookie Emmett Johnson in Kansas City. In a division where every week seems to bring a fresh adjustment, Paytons praise for Webb suggests the Broncos are treating their own early issues as something to solve quickly, not something to explain away. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Backfield Suddenly Has A New Concern Before Rams Game
The Broncos backfield has picked up some extra attention heading into their matchup with the Rams, with rookie running back Jonah Coleman dealing with a sprained ankle suffered in the Week 2 game against Jacksonville. Sean Payton said Coleman played well even while working through the injury, a small reminder of how quickly the depth chart can get tested in a physical early-season stretch.
RJ Harvey is also still being managed as he works his way back, while J.K. Dobbins is expected to practice this week. For Denver, the issue now is less about one injury than the accumulation of them, and how much flexibility the offense will have if the group is still sorting itself out by game day. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Win Put Two New Offensive Answers In Focus
The Broncos win over Jacksonville offered a first real glimpse of how quickly the offense can change around two new pieces, with receiver Jaylen Waddle and rookie running back Jonah Coleman both giving the game a different feel. Waddle was especially hard to miss, piling up eight catches for 138 yards in a home debut that stood out even by franchise standards, while Jonah Coleman added another layer to an attack that needed fresh answers.
Sean Payton came away calling the victory significant, and it was easy to see why. For a team still sorting out its identity on that side of the ball, Waddles production and approach gave Denver something concrete to build on, while Colemans presence hinted at a run game with more life than it had shown earlier in the year. [Read more 🡒]