Rams vs Broncos: Denver wins 30-26 after trailing 16-0, as Talanoa Hufanga picks off Stafford twice

The Denver Broncos beat the Los Angeles Rams 30-26 on Sunday Night Football at Empower Field at Mile High, scoring all 30 of their points after halftime. Bo Nix ran in the winning touchdown from inches out with 47 seconds left, and safety Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Matthew Stafford twice, once for a 66-yard touchdown and once in the end zone on the final play. Denver is 2-1 and the Rams, preseason favorites in the NFC, are 1-2. "Rams vs Broncos" is the top search in the US today, with roughly a million Google searches in the past day.

The final numbers

Figures from ESPN's box score. Attendance was 76,333.

How a 225-yard edge turned into a loss

The yardage gap is the headline stat, and it is misleading. The Rams won the middle of the field and lost both ends of it. They reached the red zone four times and scored one touchdown. A dominant first half produced 16 points, not more: Tyler Higbee's 5-yard catch and three Harrison Mevis field goals, the last from 40 yards as the half expired. Denver reached the red zone three times and scored three touchdowns.

Then Denver made its two touchdowns count for eight each. Nix threw a 5-yard score to Pat Bryant and a two-point pass to Jaylen Waddle midway through the third quarter, then an 8-yard score to Nate Adkins and another two-pointer to Bryant with 2:15 left in the quarter. That is 16 points on two drives, and it tied the game while the Rams were gaining 19 yards of offense in the quarter, according to CBS Sports. The first of those drives started at the Rams' 42 after a punt from deep in LA territory, so Denver needed only 42 yards.

ESPN's win-probability model had Denver as low as 5.2% early in the third quarter, after an incomplete pass on Denver's opening possession of the half.

The final five minutes

Mevis' fourth field goal, a 48-yarder after a Josh Wallace interception, put the Rams up 19-16 with 8:40 left. Hufanga then jumped a pass intended for Kyren Williams and returned it 66 yards for Denver's first lead, 23-19, with 4:49 left. Four plays later Stafford found Konata Mumpfield for 48 yards and a 26-23 lead after cornerback Riley Moss fell down, the AP reported.

Nix answered with a 10-play, 65-yard drive that included completions of 39 and 21 yards and three defensive penalties. The one that mattered most was a pass-interference call on Wallace against Bryant on third-and-6 from the LA 11, on a ball Wallace would otherwise have intercepted, which gave Denver a first down at the 7, according to the AP recap. CBS Sports described that drive as possibly "aided by some controversial calls." Stafford drove the Rams to the Denver 14 with two seconds left, a false start pushed them back to the 19, and Hufanga caught his second interception in the end zone.

Who did what

• Matthew Stafford: 30 of 55, 390 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, sacked four times. His 32 first-half passes were a career high, per the AP.
• Davante Adams: 7 catches, 137 yards. That is 15 catches for 332 yards over his last two games, with Puka Nacua out again with a hip injury.
• Kyren Williams: 88 rushing yards on 15 carries, plus 6 catches for 70.
• Bo Nix: 17 of 34, 186 yards, two passing touchdowns, the rushing touchdown and two two-point passes.
• Talanoa Hufanga: two interceptions for 66 return yards and a touchdown, plus a sack and three pass breakups, according to the AP.
• Harrison Mevis: 4 of 4 on field goals, from 36, 35, 40 and 48 yards. Denver's Wil Lutz missed his only attempt.

What it means

For the Rams, the loss drops them two games behind San Francisco, which beat Arizona 36-30 to go 3-0 in the NFC West. The injury list is also growing: cornerback Jaylen Watson was carted off with a shoulder injury before halftime and tight end Colby Parkinson hurt his shoulder, the AP reported. Nacua and Myles Garrett remain out. The Rams play at Philadelphia next Sunday.

For Denver, it is a second straight one-score comeback win, after a 20-13 win over Jacksonville in Week 2. The Broncos are a game behind Kansas City and Las Vegas, both 3-0, in the AFC West, and visit the 49ers next Sunday.

For anyone who had the total: the game produced 56 points against a pre-game over/under of 44.5 listed by DraftKings on ESPN, with 40 of those points scored after halftime.

Full results are on our NFL scores page and the Week 4 slate is on the NFL schedule. Our earlier coverage: Rams beat the Giants 28-6.

Sources: ESPN box score, scoring plays, drive chart, win probability and odds; AP game recap via ESPN; CBS Sports Week 3 grades. Figures as of Sept. 28, 2026.