The Denver Broncos (1-1) are set to face the Los Angeles Rams (1-1) on Sunday Night Football in Week 3. Ahead of that cross-conference showdown, here's a quick look at five storylines to watch for as the two sides compete to move above .500.
1. Denver’s run defense vs. Rams’ offense: Two weeks into the young season, the Broncos have allowed 157.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks fourth-worst in the NFL. L.A., meanwhile, has averaged 142.5 rushing yards per game, sixth-most in the league. If Denver's going to upset the Rams, Vance Joseph's unit will need to slow down Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
2. Pat Surtain vs. Davante Adams, Part V: PS2 and Adams faced off four times when they both played in the AFC West, with Adams dominating the first
two games and Surtain bouncing back in the final two contests. They are now set to face off for the fifth time in their careers, and with Puka Nacua likely sidelined, L.A. will want Adams to have another big game like he did in Week 2.
3. Luke Wattenberg and Broncos’ guards vs. Aaron Donald: He's back. After coming out of retirement, Donald returned to action in Week 2 and promptly posted the NFL's best pass rush win rate among interior defensive linemen. Denver won't want center Luke Wattenberg frequently matched up one-on-one with Donald, so guards Ben Powers (left) and Quinn Meinerz (right) will likely be asked to frequently join the effort to limit Donald's dominance.
4. Denver’s running back rotation: J.K. Dobbins (hip), RJ Harvey (hamstring) and rookie Jonah Coleman (ankle) are all banged up, and it remains to be seen who will be available on Sunday. If Coleman is ruled out, Tyler Badie would be the next man up on the active roster, and the Broncos also have Cody Schrader available on the practice squad.
5. Bo Nix and Broncos’ offense finishing drives: Two games into the season, Denver's offense is picking up 26.1% of third downs (fourth-worst in the NFL), and they're scoring a touchdown on 42.86% of their red-zone trips (ninth-worst). Facing off against a Rams unit that cruised to a 28-6 victory last week, Bo Nix needs to protect the ball and finish drives in the end zone on Sunday.
Sunday's game (6:20 p.m. MT) will be nationally televised on NBC and available to stream on these platforms.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X!
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: 5 storylines to watch for when the Broncos host Rams on 'SNF'
