The Rams are up 7-0 on the Broncos after a wild first quarter that saw Los Angeles find the end zone and Denver absolutely crumble in scoring opportunities. Matthew Stafford looked sharp, while Bo Nix and the Broncos offense struggled to get anything going, even with some huge breaks.
Rams Roll, Broncos Crumble Early
Denver actually won the coin toss and deferred, giving the Rams the ball first, and they made it count. Matthew Stafford immediately found a tight end for a 13-yard gain. Kyren Williams showed some real agility, weaving through defenders for a first down after a run and a short pass. While Riley Moss made a nice play to break up a pass to Tyler Higbee, and Nik Bonitto came up with a sack to force a punt, the Rams were just setting the tone. Denver’s first drive was a disaster. Bo Nix handed off to J.K. Dobbins for a 3-yard loss right out of the gate. After a quick pass to RJ Harvey for seven yards, Nix was forced to throw it away, leading to a quick three-and-out. You can’t start like that in the NFL.
Big Plays for LA, Big Misses for Denver
The Rams got the ball back and Stafford went deep, connecting with Davante Adams for a huge 22-yard gain over the middle, leaving Pat Surtain in the dust. Even facing a 4th and 5, Stafford stayed cool, finding Kyren Williams past the sticks for another first down. After a failed challenge on what looked like an incomplete pass, Stafford kept it rolling, hitting Tyler Higbee for 15 yards and pushing into the red zone. The dude then scrambled for a first down at the 5-yard line before the Rams punched it in for the opening touchdown.
Denver’s second drive started with a heart attack. Nix rolled out and nearly threw a pick, but the Rams defender had butterfingers. Talk about a lucky break! Nix then found Courtland Sutton who made a sick spin move for Denver’s first first down of the night. After a few short gains, the Broncos were across midfield. Troy Franklin was absolutely mugged on an incompletion, drawing pass interference and moving the ball into field goal range. But Nix then threw a super questionable pass across his body into the end zone that was nearly intercepted, with Sutton having to break it up. After another short gain, Nix tried to hit Jaylen Waddle who was blanketed, bringing out the field goal unit. Wil Lutz then banked his kick off the upright. No good. Nothing.
The Rams are driving again with Williams as the first quarter closes out. This second quarter is gonna be massive for the Broncos to show some fight and get on the scoreboard. They cannot let this Rams offense keep rolling like this.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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