Good morning, Broncos Country.
This Sunday night, the Denver Broncos have a huge challenge going up against the Los Angeles Rams in primetime. Each team suffered losses in Week 1 of the season, but both rebounded in a big way to defeat their Week 2 opponents.
Everyone knows the Rams have a high-powered offense led by quarterback Matthew Stafford—last year’s league MVP. They also have a good run game, two of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and a handful of different tight ends that will be a huge test for Defensive Coordinator
Vance Joseph and his players.
However, their revamped defense will certainly be something to keep your eyes on this weekend. After falling to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game, the Rams pushed all their chips in to bring their defense from an average unit to an elite one. Yesterday after practice, quarterback Bo Nix talked about what has stood out to him throughout the week going over film while preparing for Sunday night’s gridiron battle.
“They have a veteran defense. They have a really good front. They really play through their front four, their front five, the guys that are the defensive line that are in there. They’ve done a good job of building on their back end this off season with some corner depth. They’re going to be good, they’re going to provide a challenge for us,” stated Nix.
The premier move for General Manager Les Snead was swinging a huge trade that sent rising star Jared Verse and a bounty of picks to the Cleveland Browns for Myles Garrett—a future Hall of Famer. After suffering an injury in Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, Garrett won’t be on the field to face the Broncos in just a few days.
Several other players they brought in are poised to make an impact against Denver. As Nix mentioned, they added to their defensive backfield which was in desperate need of an infusion of talent. The premier acquisition at cornerback was trading for two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie. They also inked his former teammate in Kansas City, Jaylen Watson, to a multi-year contract during free agency.
However, one major addition to their defensive line will come into focus under the bright lights at Empower Field at Mile High. That’s the resurgence of Aaron Donald who came out of retirement to chase one more Super Bowl title with the Rams. One of the greatest defenders in NFL history, Donald was impressive in his outing last weekend and came back like he had never left.
Nix is excited to be able to go head-to-head against one of the best to ever do it. Though knows limiting his impact and game-changing ability will be an absolute must for the Broncos to earn their second win of the season.
“He’s going to provide a challenge that we haven’t necessarily faced before. He’s literally one of the best at his position of all time—you don’t play those many Sundays. He’s going to be a good player; he’s going to play more and more as the season goes with rep count. He’s just getting back in the swing of things, but a dominant player for a long time. I honestly don’t expect anything different, we just have to limit the time he’s dominant.”
How the Broncos go about combatting Donald’s pass rushing prowess and penchant for making plays behind the line of scrimmage will be a huge story line to watch. There’s no doubt Denver’s offensive line, especially those on the interior, are going to have to play a great game to keep the future Hall of Famer from wrecking their game plan.
As always, thank you for reading. Here is today’s slate of articles for Horse Tracks.
