3 Winners and 6 Losers From Rams’ Crushing Loss to Broncos

The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Denver Broncos in heartbreaking fashion on Sunday Night Football. After leading 16-0, the Rams lost 30-26. It was a game that the Rams dominated during the first half, but mistakes in all phases let the Broncos back in the game. Here are three winners and six losers from the loss.

Winner: RB Kyren Williams

For the most part, Kyren Williams had a great game against a tough Broncos defense. Williams had 15 carries for 88 yards and added six receptions for 60 receiving yards. His catch along the sideline in the first half was incredible for a running back. Williams was a big part of the Rams’ success on offense and an argument can be made that he should have been used more.

Ayyo what a catch by Kyren 🤯

📺 @SNFonNBC | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/kOmguNPUXg
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 28, 2026

Loser: Sean McVay

It would be fair to say that Sean McVay lost control of this game. In a game where the Rams were leading by double digits and never trailing until the fourth quarter, there is no reason Matthew Stafford should have 55 passing attempts.For a third time in the last two years, the Rams have lost double-digit leads.For a coach who used to have a perfect record when leading at halftime, this has become a worrisome trend.

Loser: CB Josh Wallace

Putting Wallace in the loser category here may seem harsh. In a sense, Wallace was put in an unfair position. Filling in for an injured Jaylen Watson wasn’t going to be easy, especially against this Broncos offense. However, Wallace wasn’t good for the most part and played a role in the Broncos getting back in the game. They attacked him consistently. Additionally, Wallace was called for defensive pass interference after seemingly ending the game with an interception.

Loser: RB Blake Corum

Through the first two games, the split between Williams and Corum had been almost 50-50. However, on Sunday night, Corum had just six carries to Williams’ 15. He also averaged just 2.5 yards per carry. This shouldn’t be a sign of the split moving forward, but the Rams didn’t use Corum as much as they arguably should have.

Winner: WR Davante Adams

There was a lot of talk heading into the game of the matchup between Davante Adams and Patrick Surtain. When lined up across from Surtain, Adams had five catches for 77 yards. He finished with 137 yards on the night. Without Nacua over the last two weeks, Adams has shown that he can still be a WR1. He has now recorded back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time since 2024.

Loser: Rams Wide Receiver Depth

While Adams shined, the Rams’ wide receiver depth did not. It’s true that Konata Mumpfield made a big play. However, he caught just four of his eight targets. He was also the only targeted wide receiver outside of Adams. Xavier Smith wasn’t targeted at all and neither was Jordan Whittington. When Terrance Ferguson left the game, there was a clear dynamic shift in the passing game and a lot of that is because of the lack of a WR3.

Loser: Special Teams

Special teams didn’t cost the Rams last week against the New York Giants. However, it certainly did on Sunday night. I’m not sure how many times we have to have this same conversation before changes are made. It’s clear Ethan Evans is not the answer at punter. Emmanuel Forbes’ penalty is inexcusable. The Broncos needed to travel an average of just 47 yards on their first two touchdown drives, in large part because of the Rams’ special teams errors.

Loser: Bill Vinovic’s Officiating Crew

It should come as no surprise that a controversial call was made at the end of a primetime game in the NFL. The defensive pass interference call on Josh Wallace, which negated an interception that would have effectively ended the game, was egregiously bad.It was Pat Bryant who initiated contact before flopping to get a call. Three plays later, Quentin Lake was called for illegal hands to the face on a call that was just as questionable. The Rams were flagged 13 times, which is the most times they’ve been flagged in a game since 2020. They were flagged five times in the final two minutes. That’s tied for the most in a single game since 2000.

NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay did not believe Rams CB Josh Wallace should have been flagged for pass interference, in what may have otherwise been an interception.

The Broncos went on to score what would serve as the game-winning TD. pic.twitter.com/A0YDJ8ZmZl
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 28, 2026

Winner: DL Kobie Turner

Talking positively about the defense after they gave up 30 points in the second half is very difficult. However, Kobie Turner deserves some recognition for how he played. Turner consistently got interior pressure on Bo Nix and tipped a pass that ended up being intercepted. The defense had its shortcomings, but Turner was not among them.

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