Broncos Can Beat the Rams if They're Better in 4 Crucial Areas

The Denver Broncos have been set up as home underdogs this week against the Los Angeles Rams.

Both teams are 1-1. Both teams started off the 2026 season with an embarrassing debut.

But the Broncos are the home team, so why are the Rams the favorite, especially given Denver's nine-game winning streak against NFC teams?

It's because the Broncos have yet to turn in a complete game. Last week's comeback win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was a step in the right direction, but it was still an inconsistent performance overall. It's frustrating; it's painful, but the truth often hurts.

However, if the Broncos improve in the following key areas, I have zero doubt they'll beat the Rams and emerge once again as the 'Overdogs' under the primetime lights of Sunday Night Football.

Execute the First 15

In the NFL, most teams script the first 15-20 offensive plays of the game. That's a big part of the game-planning process leading up to a matchup.

Last week, Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb designed a great first 15 plays, but Bo Nix and company just failed to execute it. I could have made this header 'Start Fast,' but it's really about executing the first 15-20 plays.

The Rams aren't going to make it easy on the Broncos, but we know that Nix and his teammates have it in them to play excellent football. In the NFL, finishing strong is always a priority, but the Broncos won't always be allowed to battle back into the game against the best of the best opponents, and the Rams could be one of those teams.

Offensive Line Must Step it Up on the Ground

Quinn Meinerz. — NFL, American Football Herren, USA 2026: Jaguars Vs Broncos SEP 20 Sep 20, 2026 Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz 77 looks to block during the game between the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars in Denver, CO, USA at Empower Field at Mile High. | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press wire.

The Broncos are averaging just 3.9 yards per attempt on the ground. It hasn't helped that their top two running backs — J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey — have missed time early on, but the lack of efficiency on the ground falls more on the offensive line.

Given that Denver's starting five boasts not one but two first-team All-Pros, that's inexcusable. Left tackle Garett Bolles and right guard Quinn Meinerz haven't been the problem, but nothing they can do individually can offset collective failure when the left guard, center, and right tackle are getting beaten so consistently.

This could be Ben Powers's last year at left guard, while Luke Wattenberg is coming off a huge $48 million extension signed last fall. Mike McGlinchey, usually one of the NFL's better run-blocking right tackles, has been shockingly poor thus far.

The Broncos have two excellent running backs. Dobbins is one of the NFL's best when he's on the field, while Harvey is a home-run threat every time he touches the ball. The starting five just has to block it up.

And with how much heavy personnel the Broncos are using in their base offense, the tight ends must also do a better job of getting push on the ground. Evan Engram has taken some evident steps forward as a blocker, but Adam Trautman and Nate Adkins need to step it up.

If the Broncos can block it up and be more efficient on first and second down, it'll lead to a higher success rate on third down.

Significantly Reduce the Penalties

Sean Payton. — Sean Payton has a conversation with a side judge and a field judge. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penalties were a theme last year that has bled into the 2026 season thus far. Not only are the Broncos being penalized at a high rate that puts them, again, in the bottom 10, but many of them have been egregiously untimely.

Whether it's a Riley Moss illegal contact penalty away from the play that erases a Nik Bonitto strip-sack on Trevor Lawrence, recovered by Denver, or a holding penalty on first or second down that buries the offense behind the sticks, the self inflicted wounds have piled up at an alarming rate early on.

As it stands, Denver's 17 penalties are the ninth-most in the NFL thus far. The Broncos have to be super mindful of their blocking technique this week, because Bill Vinovich's officiating crew loves calling holding penalties.

Both the offense and the defense are complicit in this trouble area. The Broncos have to be more disciplined against the Rams and begin turning it around.

Be Much Better in Situational Football

Davis Webb and Bo Nix. — Davis Webb and Bo Nix chop it up pre-game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By "situational football," I mean third down, the red zone, and two-minute offense. I'm sorry to report that the Broncos are one of the worst third-down offenses in football through two games, ranking 29th with a 26.1% conversion rate. That's putrid.

Much of that has to do with how the offense is so often behind the sticks, due to bad execution on first and second down, but that's not all. Nix has to be better on third down, and as the season marches on and he continues to build confidence in his surgically repaired ankle, he'll use his legs more often on the "money down."

As a passer, though, Nix simply has to be better on third down. In the red zone, he's always been one of the NFL's better quarterbacks at converting touchdowns, but not so far this season. The Broncos are 3-for-7 in the red zone (42.8%), and rank 24th in the NFL.

Nix's red-zone interception last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars was egregious and inexcusable. As a third-year quarterback who's played a lot of football, he simply can't give the ball away inside the 20-yard line, and swing points away from the Broncos like that.

You can't be a bottom-10 offense on third down and in the red zone and expect to truly contend with the NFL's cream of the crop. And by the way, the gauntlet is just beginning.

The Rams are the first of four NFC West teams the Broncos will face between now and Week 7. If Denver doesn't improve rapidly in critical situations, it's going to be tough to hang against the likes of the Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks.

Not to mention the Los Angeles Chargers on the road in Week 5 and a Week 8 rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs. It's time for the Broncos to start showing some poise and presence of mind in critical situations.

The Takeaway

It's all easier said than done. But this is no longer a young team flying by the seat of its pants. The Broncos are experienced and battle-tested, and it's time they start showing it more consistently.

If it seems like I'm being hard on Nix, it's because I am. But it's only because of the expectations he has created. This is Year 3. School's out.

If they can do it on Sunday night, the Rams will go down, and the Broncos will have another upset home victory under their belt. Time will tell.

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