The Los Angeles Rams dropped to 1-2 on the season with their loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night. After leading 16-0 at halftime, the Rams lost cornerback Jaylen Watson to a shoulder injury in the second quarter and were unable to overcome his absence.
Despite the loss, this is not the time to sound the premature alarm on a doomed season.
Sure, it's easy to say the Rams let this game slip away. It would also be correct, because they did. However, we can not ignore the circumstances that led to the loss, and how uncharacteristic those events are.
Not only were the Rams without Puka Nacua, Myles Garrett, and Kam Kinchens, but despite those holes in their roster, it took five penalties in the final two minutes of the game for the Broncos to take
and hold the lead. Five penalties on one team in the final two minutes hasn't happened since 2000.
On their final offensive drive of the game, the Broncos ran 10 plays inside the red zone. That's not typical, especially when Josh Wallace secured a clear interception in the midst of that sequence – an interception that was wiped away by a controversial defensive pass interference penalty.
The Rams also outgained the Broncos by over 225 yards, the biggest difference by a losing team in two years, according to The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia.
The Rams outgained the Broncos by 225 yards and still lost. That's the biggest yardage differential for a *losing* team in the last two seasons.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) September 28, 2026
Since 2024, teams that outgain their opponents by 225 yards are 34-2.
The Lions' loss to TB in 2024 is the only other exception.
Yes, in the last few years, head coach Sean McVay has gone from being one of the best closers in the NFL to a coach who has witnessed his team meltdown in critical moments, commonly against championship-caliber opponents.
Last night looked like that scenario was occurring again, but in order for the Rams to have lost that game, so many things that go against football logic had to line up for Denver and against Los Angeles that this should be a one-off and not an omen for the future.
The Rams are playing good football. Their offense continues to expand, even without Nacua. Their defense hasn't had the consistency to figure itself out due to injuries but has flashed when its top players are on the field, and did enough last night to secure the win.
The refs, and perhaps the football gods, were not on their side. It happens. This isn't a sign of a bad team or a squad performing below expectations. Two top teams went to battle, and fate swung the result the other way. That's football.
They have a week to recover and put in a game plan based on their current personnel. Nacua could be back this week, as well. Things are coming together quickly, and anyone who watched this team in 2023 and 2024 will clearly see this is not a case of a slow start. Just an unlucky night in Mile High.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Why Rams' loss to Broncos is not a sign of looming failures
