Broncos Score 30 Second-Half Points to Beat Rams: 10 Bite-Sized Takeaways

What a game! The Denver Broncos put up 30 second-half points to come from behind and defeat the Los Angeles Rams 30-26 on Sunday Night Football.

Down 16-0 at the half, the Broncos made the big plays when they needed them to walk out with a big win against a team many had as the Super Bowl favorites in August.

What did we learn? Here are 10 bite-sized takeaways from the Broncos' second win of the season.

Early Woes Aren't Davis Webb's Fault

It's easy to hate on the new play-caller, but the Broncos' execution has been a far bigger issue than the calls themselves.

Denver had a similar issue with Sean Payton a year ago. Webb's play-calling isn't changing late in the game when the offense starts looking better.

The calls are the same, but the execution is significantly better. It's on Bo Nix and company to execute better early in games.

Special Teams is Denver's Best Unit

This isn’t to say they're perfect; the Broncos' special teams does have issues, like a missed field goal from a range that Wil Lutz is usually automatic, but the third phase played a huge part in Denver staying in the game and tying it up.

Jeremy Crawshaw and Kolbe Katsis flipped the field with a punt and a return, putting the Broncos in a great position on their first touchdown drive and giving them the momentum to carry it.

Payton & Webb Must Figure Out the Slow Starts

The Broncos have a bad habit of starting slow, and while they've consistently shown a propensity to bounce back so often over the past two seasons, there will be times — like in Kansas City — where it's too much to overcome.

No one is asking for a perfect start, but it would be nice to see the Broncos look like a legitimate NFL contender from the opening bell, rather than a team in over its head in the first half.

No More Subway Throws, Bo

Look, Nix made a couple of great plays, but he's been throwing a lot more meatball subs this year, including a handful in this one.

Nix is fortunate he didn’t have three or four interceptions. Thankfully, Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle played defense to keep two of them from happening.

The cross-body throws and bad decisions need to be reined in. I'm not talking about the interception Nix actually threw, where he was hit and the ball was tipped at the line.

Katsis Shows Plenty of Promise

Kolbe Katis. — Kolbe Katsis gets upended on a return. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Katsis wasn’t without hiccups, with a couple of rough catches as a punt returner, but he showed his explosiveness with the ball in his hands.

With Marvin Mims Jr. again sidelined with an injury and in the final year of his deal, this kind of promise makes the Broncos' returner options interesting after this season.

Broncos' Pass Rush is Getting There

Even with John Franklin-Myers playing in Tennessee and Jonathon Cooper on the commissioner's exempt list, the Broncos' pass rush did a great job against one of the NFL's best pass-protecting offensive lines.

Zach Allen led the charge in the middle of the front seven, while Nik Bonitto, Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, and Dondrea Tillman all had good rushes to keep Matthew Stafford from getting too comfortable.

Give Up? Broncos Don't Know What That Means

Bo Nix. — Bo Nix celebrates a touchdown. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Broncos essentially no-showed the first half, and they entered the second half down 16-0. It would’ve been easy to pack it in and move on to next week, but the Broncos did what they did so often last year.

They never gave up, overcoming the slow start to make it back into the game and win, which is why many had the Broncos and Rams as early Super Bowl favorites entering this season.

Talanoa Hufanga Can Actually Catch

After roughly 10 dropped interceptions in 2025, Hufanga not only got an interception against the Rams, but he got two, and returned one 67 yards to the house, giving the Broncos a four-point lead with under five minutes left.

For a defense that relies so much on momentum, the Broncos were losing it to the Rams after a big Davante Adams catch-and-run. However, Hufanga ended that drive and the Rams' growing momentum with the pick-six.

His second interception sealed the Broncos' win on the final play of the game.

Pat Bryant is There When Nix Needs Him

A touchdown, a big gain, drawing a needed penalty. Each time Nix looked for Bryant, he made the play the Broncos' offense needed.

With Waddle and Sutton ahead of him in the pecking order, it's great to see Nix trust Bryant in big moments and for the second-year receiver to deliver, especially since he's had a rough start with penalties this season.

Bo Chapman Nix? More like Bo ‘Mr. Clutch’ Nix.

Look, the first half stunk, and Nix made some terrible throws that should’ve been interceptions.

Yet, he came through late in the game, led some big drives to put the Broncos ahead, and brought their record to 2-1. It's hard to understand the first-half struggles, but there's no denying that Nix is one of the NFL's best clutch-time quarterbacks.

No matter the hole the Broncos find themselves in, Nix consistently proves that he can dig them out, including against high-quality opponents like the Rams.

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