The Denver Broncos were manhandled in Sunday’s Christmas Day game against the Los Angeles Rams. Russell Wilson’s return meant very little for the Broncos’ offense which struggled against an Aaron Donald-less Rams defense, while Denver’s defense struggled to stop Baker Mayfield, Tyler Higbee, and the Rams’ offense.
Denver Broncos leave Los Angeles with coal in their stocking
Russell Wilson returned under center for the Denver Broncos on Sunday after missing last week’s game as a precautionary measure after suffering a concussion two weeks ago. In Sunday’s Christmas showdown with the Rams, Denver’s defense found itself up first against Baker Mayfield and the Rams’ offense.
On their first drive, the Broncos’ defense faced an early uptempo approach by Sean McVay and the Rams’ offense. Rams running back Cam Akers rattled off several big runs including a 16-yard run that pushed Denver back past midfield. Denver’s defense buckled down and caught a break after an errant snap by the Rams center backed Los Angeles’ offense up. Eventually, Los Angeles settled for a 55-yard field goal that gave them a 3-0 lead early in the first quarter.
Wilson and the Broncos’ offense were up next. Wilson and the offense answered by throwing an interception on 3rd and 9, immediately giving the Rams possession with great field position. After Wilson’s interception, the Rams scored three plays later as Mayfield connected with Tyler Higbee two consecutive plays in a row on a 22-yard catch and a 9-yard touchdown reception giving Denver a 10-0 deficit early on.
The Broncos starting quarterback was in the giving mood on Sunday, but not toward his teammates as he threw another interception, this time to his former teammate Bobby Wagner. Mayfield and the Rams’ offense capitalized quickly scoring two plays later with Akers punching it in from 3 yards out.
After not seeing a single target in the Broncos’ first two series, Wilson finally connected with Jerry Jeudy who made a move and got upfield for a gain of 23 yards, set up by a great block from Eric Saubert. Unfortunately, Jeudy’s leg got rolled up on during the tackle that didn’t look good on replay. On the next play, a holding call on Broncos center Graham Glasgow backed Denver up to a 1st and 20. Denver’s offense continued to go backward as Chase Edmonds was tackled for a loss of three yards, pinning the Broncos into a 2nd and 23 situation. After a 12-yard catch by Courtland Sutton, Denver’s offense couldn’t convert on 3rd and 10 leading to a Brandon McManus 54-yard field goal that cut the Broncos’ deficit to 14.
After one-quarter of play, the Broncos offense managed to accumulate only 54 yards of offense while failing to convert a single third down attempt, trailing 17-3. Wilson’s two first-quarter interceptions didn’t help with their lack of production.
Mayfield and the Rams’ offense trotted back onto the field after a hot 6-for-6, two-touchdown start from the Rams’ newly acquired quarterback. The hot start continued for the Rams quarterback as he quickly moved the offense downfield against the Broncos defense who struggled to contain Akers on the ground and Higbee in the passing game. Mayfield connected with Higbee once again for his second touchdown of the game, capping off an 11-play 75-yard drive to extend Denver’s deficit to 24-3 early in the second quarter.
Rookie returner Montrell Washington springboarded himself on a 29-yard kick return that gave the Broncos offense decent field position on their ensuing drive. Latavius Murray, coming off a 130-yard rushing performance had three straight carries that gave Denver two first downs and the ball past midfield. After Murray’s effort to inject life into Denver’s offense, the Broncos went backward including Wilson being sacked for a nine-yard loss. More coal in the stocking.
The red-hot Rams offense found themselves marching down the field once again on a 12-play 90-yard drive led by big plays through the air by Higbee and capped off by Akers once again punching it in from two yards out, leading to a very forgettable first half for the Broncos as they trailed 31-6.
The Broncos put up an abysmal 110 yards of offense in the first half, with Jerry Jeudy looking like the only bright spot offensively. On the other hand, the Broncos’ defense surrendered over 261 yards of offense in the first half and struggled immensely on 3rd down, allowing the Rams to convert on 5-of-6 attempts.
More of the same issues crept up for the Broncos in the second half. On the very first play of the second half, rookie tight end Greg Dulcich caught a pass from Wilson across the middle of the field but was blasted on the play, losing the ball, but a replay review showed that Dulcich’s right knee was down, leading to Denver maintaining possession after a Rams recovery.
The Christmas giving continued for Wilson after a promising drive that featured Jerry Jeudy moving the chains for Denver and ended up with Wilson throwing his third interception of the game directly to Jalen Ramsey.
The Rams’ offense capitalized once again, marching down the field with ease before settling for a 30-yard field goal, extending Denver’s deficit to 34-6 midway through the third quarter. At this point, Broncos Country was seemingly hoping for a sim-to-end option from Santa Clause, but that wasn’t realistic.
On Denver’s ensuing drive, Wilson was sacked on back-to-back plays, his sixth time being sacked on the afternoon leading to Corliss Waitman’s second punt on the afternoon.
The Rams’ offense continued to impose their will, marching downfield on an 8-play 60-yard drive capped off by Akers’ third rushing touchdown of the afternoon, giving the Rams a 41-6 lead. Denver’s only touchdown of the game came in the fourth quarter when Wilson connected with Dulcich for an 11-yard score. The Broncos converted on a 2-pt conversion attempt after Latavius Murray punched it in from the one-yard line, cutting the Denver deficit to 41-14 with 8:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Denver attempted to recover an onside kick, but couldn’t recover it. The Rams settled for a 53-yard field goal to extend their lead to 44-14. After that, the Broncos waived the white flag, inserting Brett Rypien in at quarterback. Rypien had several throws that moved the ball downfield, but Rams defensive back Cobie Durant jumped a pass and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown, cementing what would be one of the most embarrassing losses in Broncos history.
Denver dropped Sunday’s game 51-14 in brutal fashion. Many questions now present themselves regarding what’s next with this Denver team who has two games remaining including a road game this upcoming Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs before closing out the season two weeks from now against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Broncos news and notes vs. Rams
Stocking Stuffers.
Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy feels like the only bright spot on offense in Denver’s embarrassing road loss on Sunday. Jeudy had 6 catches for 117 yards and showcased why he is the Broncos’ most dangerous weapon on offense. To compliment him, Courtland Sutton had 5 catches for 74 yards on the day.
Coal in the stocking.
Russell Wilson turned in one of the worst performances of his career on Christmas Day against the Rams. His three-interception performance highlighted a rock-bottom season for the Broncos’ offense. On top of that, the Broncos’ defense surrendered 388 yards on the day in their 51-14 loss.
Broncos inactives.
Wide receiver Kendall Hinton (hamstring) and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson (ankle) were inactive due to injury. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, cornerback Michael Ojemudia, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, wide receiver Brandon Johnson, and defensive lineman Elijah Garcia were healthy scratches vs. Los Angeles.
Broncos injury report.
Broncos rookie tight end Greg Dulcich left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter and did not return.