5 Broncos Sleepers Who Could Make the Difference vs. Rams

The Denver Broncos' first six quarters of the season were rough, but they found their footing in the second half last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Broncos will host the Los Angeles Rams this week on Sunday Night Football. The Rams also suffered a blowout loss in the season opener, only to bounce back with a Week 2 win, like the Broncos.

The Rams will be without at least one key player, and they have some injuries to monitor, as do the Broncos, which makes this week's sleepers a bit harder to forecast. However, if these five players can produce a good game, it would go a long way toward helping Denver win.

Let's examine the Broncos' five Week 3 sleepers.

Evan Engram | TE

The Rams do well with handling tight ends, but linebacker Nate Landman is questionable in coverage and is nursing an injury. It's hard to isolate Landman in coverage because of the Rams' defensive scheme, but the Broncos may have the personnel to do so.

Engram would be the key player to get isolated on Landman, giving the Broncos a big advantage. The Broncos will need receivers Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton to pull the safeties' attention away if they want any chance of isolating Engram on Landman.

Ben Powers | LG

There was a lot of attention on Aaron Donald coming out of retirement to join Myles Garrett, before the latter landed on injured reserve, but the Rams also have Kobie Turner and Byron Young.

Focusing on the interior, Donald and Turner are good players. Donald is a household name, while Turner is quite good himself.

No matter who he is going against, Powers will have his work cut out for him. If he struggles, it will make life difficult for Bo Nix and the Broncos' running backs.

Eyioma Uwazurike | DL

The Rams love to go with two or three tight end sets, which could give the Broncos fits, especially if their defensive line isn't demanding extra attention. Uwazurike has been downright terrible through two games and has been easily handled by single blockers.

He doesn't need a big game in the box score, but Uwazurike has to force double teams in the run game to help the rest of the defense, especially when the Rams go with those heavier tight end packages.

Brandon Jones | S

Jones has produced a rough first two games, even with his Week 1 interception. He has been caught out of position too frequently and has struggled to work downhill as a run defender.

Matthew Stafford does a great job finding defenders out of place and hitting his targets to exploit it. Jones playing well is crucial to the Broncos' defensive success this week.

Adam Prentice | FB

Prentice hasn't been used often on offense, but he is a staple on special teams. His special teams play has been great, and that is an area where the Rams are exploitable, both in their own returns and in their coverage units.

If Prentice continues to work as a blocker on return units, the Broncos will have a great opportunity to break off multiple big returns.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google