5 Keys to Victory for Rams in Week 3 vs. Broncos

The Los Angeles Rams are set to take on the Denver Broncos in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season on Sunday Night Football. With both teams sitting at 1-1, Sunday's game provides an opportunity to carry some momentum into the next few weeks. Here are five keys to victory for the Rams against the Broncos.

Keep the Offense on Schedule

The Rams can’t afford to get behind the chains on offense against this Broncos defense. It’s going to remain critical for the offense to stay on schedule and keep the Broncos pass rush guessing. If the Rams get into a bunch of third-and-long situations, that will allow Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, and Jonah Ellis to pin their ears back and get after Stafford. That’s not a world that the Rams want to live in.

Last week against the Jaguars, the Broncos allowed a 43.6 percent success rate on early downs, which ranked 19th in the NFL. The Broncos defense is dangerous, but if the Rams can set themselves up well on early downs, it can mitigate some of the Broncos’ strengths on defense and help protect Matthew Stafford.

Force Bo Nix to Beat the Blitz

A big part of this game is going to be about which team can get pressure on the opposing quarterback. Bo Nix generally does a good job taking care of the football. However, the Broncos’ offense can sputter when he’s under pressure. When under pressure this season, Nix has EPA per dropback of -1.18. That ranks last in the NFL.

Last week, the Rams got a much more aggressive game plan from Chris Shula. His blitz rate against the Giants nearly doubled. Now, was that part of the game plan, or was it because Jaxson Dart went out on the first series? According to NFL Pro, Nix is 31-for-36 for 323 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against four or fewer pass rushers. Against the blitz, he is just 8-for-23 for 96 yards and an interception. Against the Giants, the Rams generated pressure on 10-of-13 blitzes. If the Rams are going to get after Nix, they may need to get creative.

Take Advantage of Blake Corum’s Elusiveness

For as good as the Broncos defense has been this season, they have struggled at times to tackle. They missed 28 tackles against the Chiefs in Week 1. While they were better against the Jaguars, they were still credited with 10 missed tackles. Justin Strnad’s 28.6 percent missed tackle rate is the second-highest among linebackers. Riley Moss has a 40 percent missed tackle rate at cornerback and Brandon Jones has a 21.4 percent missed tackle rate at safety.

The Broncos are good up front in the run game, but you can run inside on them. This is where the Rams can utilize Blake Corum and his elusiveness. Corum’s 0.32 missed tackles forced per attempt ranks second behind only Kenneth Walker. Kyren Williams ranks inside the top 10 at 0.22 missed tackles forced per attempt, but this is where Corum truly excels. The Rams need to stick to the run game and allow Corum to create.

Create Opportunities for Terrance Ferguson

Without Puka Nacua in the lineup against the Giants, the Rams got big games from Davante Adams and Terrance Ferguson. Adams had eight receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns while Ferguson added six receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown of his own.

The Rams may not be able to rely on Adams as much, especially if the Broncos have cornerback Patrick Surtain follow him. Adams can have performances like last week’s, but Surtain is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for a reason. The Rams need to find ways to continue getting Ferguson involved. While he was used more underneath against the Giants, Ferguson has upside to create explosives, which the offense will need. Travis Kelce had three receptions for 71 yards in Week 1 against the Broncos defense and the Rams may need similar production from Ferguson on Sunday.

Nice one here from Liam Coen and the Jaguars. Brenton Strange is lined up at fullback and is running a sail route after releasing through the line off play action pic.twitter.com/FAJePW0pqF
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 21, 2026

Finish the Game in the Fourth Quarter

Just last season, Nix and the Broncos had seven fourth-quarter comebacks. The Broncos have tended to be pretty stale through three quarters before turning it on in the fourth. If the Rams are going to win this game, they need to play a full 60 minutes, and especially be dialed in during the fourth quarter.

After trailing 13-6 heading into the fourth quarter last week, the Broncos scored two touchdowns in the final 12 minutes of the game. The Broncos gained 154 of their 392 yards of offense in the fourth quarter. Over the last two years, Nix’s EPA per dropback in the first three quarters of games has been .05 compared to 0.07 in the fourth quarter. The Rams need to be ready for a Broncos comeback effort.

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