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Film Room: The Tape Behind Talanoa Hufanga’s Record Night vs. Rams

Let's examine exactly how Talanoa Hufanga was able to swing Sunday night's game in Denver's direction and make history while he was at it.
Lance Sanderson|
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 27: Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga 9 walks off the field celebrating and holding intercepted balls after a win in a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High on September 27, 2026 in Denver, Colorado.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 27: Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga 9 walks off the field celebrating and holding intercepted balls after a win in a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High on September 27, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. | Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

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Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos team have no quit in them.

They continue to find ways to win close games in the most absurd ways possible. Sunday night was no exception, as Denver overcame a 16-0 first-half deficit to magically defeat the Los Angeles Rams 30-26 at Mile High.

Even though the Rams couldn’t finish drives in the end zone, Denver’s defense had no answers for Matthew Stafford’s potent offense in the first half. Bolstered by their three-tight-end formations, a blistering running game, and a spectacular defensive performance, it appeared as if the Rams were on their way to a blowout after 30 minutes. 

That was, until Talanoa Hufanga, Zach Allen, and Broncos' defense figured it out in the third quarter. 

Hufanga had his most spectacular performance in a Broncos uniform on Sunday Night Football. Highlighted by a pair of interceptions and a critical third-quarter sack on a safety blitz that helped lead to a Rams field goal, Hufanga was all over the field for most of the game.

His play literally turned the tide in the fourth quarter. Let’s have a look at the tape in this week’s film room.

High Blitz Usage

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph made his intentions apparent early in the game: using Hufanga as a blitzer was a high priority. Stafford has a bad rap sheet playing against blind-side pressure, and Joseph dialed up Hufanga on eight total safety blitzes from the left side of the offensive line throughout the game, including the three plays above in the first quarter alone. 

Hufanga has always been a tremendous downhill defender, and his ability to get after the quarterback and as a tackler in the running game has been a huge part of the Broncos’ defensive success. Even though he didn’t get home on any of these plays, his presence was felt immediately.

He did get a pressure early on, but Rams running back Kyren Williams did a nice job in pass protection to keep Stafford clean early on. We’ll come back to this here in a bit. Remember that part about Williams as well.

Another Dropped Interception

Halfway through the first quarter, Hufanga gets tasked in man coverage against Rams tight end Terrence Ferguson. This is a nifty formation from the Rams, and they try to hit Ferguson on the slant route in front of Hufanga’s face.

Hufanga isn’t known for being a quality coverage safety, especially in one-on-one situations, so Stafford does well to target a favorable matchup here.

Ferguson was dealing with an ankle injury before the game, and it showed multiple times against the Broncos. He falls down on this route due to the injury and it doesn’t appear like Hufanga is ready for the ball as it smashes him directly in the chest.

This is a play you have to have, though, considering the Rams would score a touchdown a few plays later. This has been one of the biggest knocks on Hufanga over the last two seasons, but he definitely makes up for it later. 

Third Quarter | 13:14 | A Near Pick-Six

Hufanga nearly did it to start the second half. Denver’s offense came out of the locker room with a pathetic three-and-out, and the defense desperately needed to force a quick turnaround.

On 2nd-and-7, Hufanga did a great job flattening to the sideline against Tyler Higbee before jumping the route. Watch defensive tackle Malcolm Roach (97) here, as his pass pressure forces Stafford into an errant throw to the left.

If this ball were on target, this would have been a walk-in touchdown for Hufanga. Instead, Hufanga lays out to try to make a spectacular catch, and the pass goes incomplete to set up third down and eventually force a Rams punt. 

Denver’s offense would go on to score two touchdowns with a pair of two-point conversions to tie the game, setting up a historic effort from Hufanga in the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter | 9:22 | The Blitz Gets Home

Denver had all of the momentum following those touchdown drives, and the defense had Empower Field at Mile High rocking at this point in the game. Unfortunately, Bo Nix threw an interception as he was hit by Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner, which set L.A.'s offense up with good field position.

After a quick first down, the Rams are knocking on the door to take the lead.

On 3rd-and-5 at the Denver 20-yard line, Joseph went back to the safety blitz well, firing Hufanga off the left side for the eighth time in the game. This time, though, Hufanga gets home and delivers a massive sack to shut the drive down and force a field goal.

Watch Rams running back Blake Corum, who is motioned into the backfield and set up as a bumper in pass protection against a double A-gap pressure look. That motion allows Hufanga to close down to the line of scrimmage and get a free run at Stafford off the edge.

The Rams had success blocking Hufanga with Williams for the majority of the game to this point, highlighting a tremendous play call from Joseph in the moment. 

Fourth Quarter | 5:01 | The Pick-Six

After another frustrating three-and-out from the Broncos offense, it was starting to look like the Rams would jump back into the driver’s seat. Stafford hit Davante Adams for a 49-yard gain to open their next possession, and the Rams were on the edge of field goal range. 

This is where Joseph and Hufanga turned the game on its head. 

The Rams dial up a slant-flat combination to Stafford’s left, and Hufanga jumps the flat route in front of Williams for a house call. Hufanga trusted his eyes and made the play of the game in a critical moment.

Joseph’s aggressiveness had been getting under Stafford’s skin for the majority of the second half, and he brought linebacker Alex Singleton on another blitz up the gut to try to speed up Stafford’s decision-making, which worked.

Fourth Quarter | 0:02 | History

On the last play of the game, Hufanga became the first player in NFL history to record a sack, two interceptions, and a pick-six in the fourth quarter of a single game, per OptaSTATS.

Denver is operating in a picket-fence defense, trying to keep everything out of the end zone. Stafford rolls to his right and fires a no-look pass in the vicinity of Adams, and Hufanga makes a great play to seal the victory. The All-Pro also does a great job of holding on to the football as he gets blasted after making the catch.

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Lance Sanderson
LANCE SANDERSON

Lance Sanderson has been with Denver Broncos On SI since 2020, beginning on the beat originally in 2018 with Mile High Huddle. He covered the 2019 NFL draft on location in New York City. His works have also appeared on CBSSports.com, 247Sports.com, and BleacherReport.com. He co-hosts the Dove Valley Deep-Divers podcast on Mile High Huddle.

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