Talanoa Hufanga #9 of the Denver Broncos was celebrating walking off the field after their wild 30-26 win against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High, and honestly, who wouldn’t be? After two quarters where the Rams absolutely kicked them up and down the field, these Broncos reminded everyone that NFL games have four quarters, not two. You cannot count this team out, not after what they pulled off on September 27, 2026.
The First Half Mess: Same Old Story?
Let’s not kid ourselves, the first half was a mess. It was the same old song and dance we’ve seen from these Broncos over the past year with Sean Payton calling plays. Davis Webb, what’s going on with the early play calls? Starting nearly every drive with a run, then following up with simple short passing plays mostly at or behind the line of scrimmage, or within five yards of it? Teams are burying Denver early because that is just too predictable. The big issue lies in the pass game design and how they execute plays early. Bo Nix isn’t throwing downfield much at all early in games, and that absolutely has to change. Is it play call? Is it execution? Who knows from the outside, but whatever the cause, this offense is getting limited by an obvious trend. It’s been happening this season and last.
Never Say Die: How Denver Flipped the Script
But then, something clicks. The second half of this game was a completely different animal, and that’s why you can’t ever count these guys out. This is the same Denver Broncos team we cheered for last year, a squad that never stops fighting. They believe in each other and their coaches, and Sean Payton, with Davis Webb and Vance Joseph, knows how to make adjustments when things aren’t going to plan. They are capable of putting teams away, they just need to play football in the first half the way they do in the second. What a turnaround, from getting dominated to Hufanga celebrating a win.
This team has flaws, yeah, we’ve been talking about these same weaknesses for a year or two. But they also have guts, they’ve got winners packed into that locker room, and they absolutely showed it against the Rams. Underestimate the Broncos at your own risk, because if they figure out those first-half woes and put together a complete game, watch out. They showed everyone what happens when they play four quarters of football.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mile High Report.
Leave a Reply