The Broncos were shut out for a half and staring at a 16-point deficit, but Sunday night ended with Denver celebrating a 30-26 comeback win over the Rams.
What changed? Everything in the final 30 minutes. Denver flipped the game with two touchdowns and two-point conversions to tie things at 16-16 with 2:15 left in the third quarter, then kept grinding until Los Angeles finally cracked again late in the fourth.
The biggest swing came on third-and-6 from the Denver 38. Matthew Stafford’s pass was intercepted by Talanoa Hufanga and taken 66 yards the other way for a pick-six, putting the Broncos ahead 23-19. It was the 33rd interception return touchdown of Stafford’s career, moving him past Brett Favre for the most in league history.
Stafford answered immediately, firing a 48-yard touchdown pass to Konata Mumpfield to push the Rams back in front 26-23 with 3:38 remaining.
Denver still had one more surge left, and Los Angeles helped it along. A play that initially looked like Josh Wallace’s second interception was wiped out by a questionable defensive pass interference call.
NBC analyst Terry McAuley said it appeared Pat Bryant pulled Wallace down rather than Wallace interfering with the receiver. An illegal hands to the face penalty then moved the Broncos to the 2-yard line, and a few snaps later Bo Nix lunged in for a 1-yard touchdown to make it 30-26 with under a minute left.
The Rams got one last chance, driving deep enough to spike the ball and stop the clock with two seconds remaining. But Stafford’s throw from the 19 to Davante Adams was picked off by Hufanga to end it.
Nix finished 17-of-34 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Bryant and Nate Adkins caught his touchdown passes.
Stafford went 30-of-55 for 390 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also became the first player in league history to throw for 20,000 yards for two teams in the first half. Adams had seven catches for 137 yards and recorded back-to-back 100-yard games with the Rams for the first time.
Aaron Donald, playing in his second game back from retirement, had one tackle and one QB hit. As a team, the Rams managed just one sack and three QB hits.
Denver’s defense kept pounding Stafford in the second half, finishing with 14 QB hits, five sacks and eight tackles for loss.
The Broncos are now 2-1 and head to San Francisco to face the 3-0 49ers in Week 4. The Rams fell to 1-2 and will travel across the country to play the Eagles next Sunday.
In Other News...
Rams Loss Sparked An Officiating Outrage Fans Will Want To See
A late officiating decision turned a tight Rams-Broncos game into a postgame argument as much as a loss. Los Angeles fell 30-26 to Denver in a 2026 NFL matchup, and the most talked-about moment came on a controversial pass interference call against Josh Wallace that drew immediate criticism from former players, analysts and even a rules expert.
The flag helped set up the Broncos decisive touchdown, leaving the Rams with another frustrating result to sort through before heading home. Their next test comes against the Philadelphia Eagles, and given the way this one ended, the conversation around the officiating figures to linger well into the week. [Read more 🡒]
Rams Just Got The Myles Garrett Update They Were Dreading
Myles Garretts knee situation is shaping up to linger longer than the Rams first hoped, after arthroscopic surgery led to a recovery timeline of about six weeks. Los Angeles already placed him on injured reserve after the season opener, and the early view was that this could be a short-term absence. Now, though, the picture is clearer: the Rams are looking at multiple games without one of their most important defenders.
Week 9 is the rough target for a possible return, but even that comes with the usual caution that follows a knee rehab. The Rams are taking a careful route with Garrett, which makes sense given how much they need him once he is back. For now, the focus is less on rushing him into the lineup and more on making sure the injury does not become a bigger issue later in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Sean McVay Added To Rams Frustration After Brutal Collapse
The Rams spent Sunday trying to explain away a collapse that felt all too familiar, a 16-point halftime lead against the Broncos slipping into a loss that pushed Los Angeles to 1-2. It was the kind of defeat that leaves more questions than answers, especially for a team trying to establish a rhythm early in the season and avoid letting a strong first half get buried by everything that follows.
Sean McVay only added to the frustration afterward with a notably short postgame press conference, a move that did not sit well with the team's beat writers and left the mood around the team even sharper. He is expected to address it more fully at the next media session before the Rams turn their attention to the Eagles, where the pressure to reset quickly will only grow. [Read more 🡒]