Rams' Pass Defense Dismantled by Broncos

The Los Angeles Rams were dismantled by the Denver Broncos throughout their 41-0 on Saturday night.

The Rams' offense and defense failed to meet expectations, not only against the Broncos but the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers in the previous two weeks as well.

Hanging a donut on the scoreboard doesn't happen very often, but allowing 41 points is also rare.

Although the Broncos scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, this game was set in stone by halftime, as Denver was up 27-0.

Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett had the worst outing of his small three-game sample size against Denver, but Los Angeles' pass defense was arguably even worse.

Starting off strong with a touchdown immediately gives a team momentum up until the other team scores too. According to FiveThirtyEight.com, NFL teams who score first are more than 60% likely to win the game outright. However, the Rams obviously never put points on the board.

Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham was perfect on his first drive, completing all six pass attempts for 71 yards, and running back Jaleel McLaughlin ran in for a short score.

Denver had three plays over 15 yards on that drive alone. Receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey hauled in three receptions for 45 yards on the possession.

Rams sixth-round rookie cornerback Tre Tomlinson has stood out throughout training camp and the offseason for his ability to stay with his opposing receiver and break up a few targets thrown his way.

However, he was ejected less than five minutes into the game after an aggressive face mask. His absence was certainly apparent as the Rams' pass defense only got worse from there.

Stidham launched the ball over 50 yards to rookie Marvin Mims to reach the red zone on the first play of their second drive. Rams cornerback Robert Rochell committed a defensive pass interference on the play too. Luckily, the Rams held Denver to a field goal, though.

The Rams' defense continued to struggle in the first quarter, as Stidham broke multiple sack attempts and ran for a 20-yard gain, which eventually led to a touchdown pass to tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Okwuegbunam logged four receptions for 46 yards by the end of the first quarter but finished the game with seven for 109.

The Rams' defense simply couldn't get off of the field in the first quarter as the Broncos ran 24 offensive plays for 190 yards compared to Los Angeles' 10 and 26.

Granted, they only allowed one play over 15 yards in the second quarter, but that throw-and-catch went for 49 yards.

Stidham finished the half completing 17-of-28 attempts for 236 yards and a touchdown. Simply put, he torched the Rams' pass coverage.

Broncos quarterback Ben DiNucci played the entire second half and continued to dissect the defense, as he completed 11-of-15 attempts for 117 yards and a touchdown. He made a couple of long connections with Okwuegbunam, but most of his completions were methodical as he drove down the field.

In total, Stidham and DiNucci exposed the Rams' pass defense on 65 percent of their attempts for 342 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Despite practically every member of the Rams secondary being a backup in the preseason, their expected starters collectively have a very small amount of experience. This is a position group to really watch this season.

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