The Rams are still shaking off the stain of that ugly Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia, but two games into the season, the picture isn’t as bleak as the record suggests.
Los Angeles sits at 1-1, and one of the clearest reasons for optimism is the back end of the defense. Trent McDuffie has already looked like more than a nice addition, and Quentin Lake has quietly piled up five pass breakups through two games - a number that would stand out over an entire season, let alone this early. He’s still flying under the radar, but the production is impossible to ignore.
That duo could end up shaping the Rams’ matchup with the Denver Broncos on Sunday night in Denver.
The Broncos arrive averaging 284 yards and 15 points per game, with 201.5 of those yards coming through the air and just 82.5 on the ground. Los Angeles, meanwhile, has given up 167 passing yards per game, 113 rushing yards and 16.5 points.
That sets up a surprisingly even matchup, and maybe one that tilts toward the Rams if the pass rush does its part. Denver hasn’t exactly flashed much offensive firepower yet, and the only skill player to top 100 yards is wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, who followed a 138-yard game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.
The Rams’ defensive backs are no longer the weak link. With Lake and McDuffie holding up in coverage, the front can hunt. If that happens, Aaron Donald and the rest of the rush should have a real chance to make life difficult for the Broncos’ quarterback.
On paper, Week 3 might look like a tough ask. But with this secondary coming together, Los Angeles could actually bring the better defense to the field - even without edge rusher Myles Garrett. That’s the matchup worth watching.
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 🡒]