5 Up, 3 Down as Denver Broncos Beat LA Rams in Primetime
Hufanga was incredible on Sunday night. Meanwhile Bo and the DBs need to step up.
The Denver Broncos comeback win over the LA Rams in primetime was an instant classic.
Denver showed once again they’re a Second Half Team™️ as they put up all 30 points after halftime and looked like a contender once again. But only after the break.
There were more positives than negatives on Sunday night: Let’s look at the Denver Broncos stock report.
5 Up: Talanoa Hufanga, a Man Possessed
1. Talanoa Hufanga
Hufanga was by far the player of the game. He’s had many great performances since joining the Broncos before the 2025 season, but this was his best.
It was a legendary game for him.
Obviously, his pick-6 was the play of the game. While the Broncos stole the momentum to start the second half, tying it up at 16, they squandered it with an interception and 3-and-out. The Rams retook the lead at 19-16 and were driving again when Hufanga jumped a route and picked it off. Then he made Matthew Stafford look silly as he avoided the QB on the way to paydirt.
He also had a huge sack to hold LA to a field goal on their previous drive and he picked off the game-clinching last pass.
Hufanga enjoyed the highest grade from Pro Football Focus of all defensive players on the Broncos with an 88.9 overall.
Denver won the turnover battle (2-1) because of him and won the game.
He became the first-ever Broncos player and only fifth safety in NFL history to have 2 interceptions, 1 pick-6, and 1 sack in a game.
2. RJ Harvey
Harvey’s return to the lineup was a huge boost to the Broncos. He only ran twice for 6 yards, but was solid in the receiving game. Harvey led the team with 6 receptions and his 41 yards were third. Without a reliable tight end, Harvey has become Bo Nix’s safety blanket and helped move the chains on multiple drives.
3. Brandon Jones
Hufanga outshined everyone, but we can’t forget about Brandon Jones. Jones was phenomenal in this game. He led all defenders with 12 total tackles, 10 of them solo. He also enjoyed a tackle for a loss, a pass breakup and a QB hit. Jones and Hufanga together create a fantastic safety tandem when both of them are healthy and playing at a high-level like they are currently.
4. Zach Allen
Zach Allen, quarterback nightmare.
Allen had 5 QB hits on Stafford, no one else in the game had more than 2 QB hits. He's also the NFL's QB hits king over the last few years, with 120 while the next most, Myles Garrett, has less than 100 with 97 QB hits.
His sack at the end of the third quarter put the Rams behind the chains; in a 2nd and 19 to start the fourth. They ended up punting on that drive and it helped keep the score 16-16.
5. Kolbe Katsis
Shoutout to the undrafted Katsis playing in his first NFL game.
Katsis enjoyed a 28-yard punt return which set Denver up with a short field. They started in plus territory, at LA's 42 yard line and turned that brilliant field position into their first touchdown on the night.
"The one return was a spark for us. The punt return (from Katsis)," Sean Payton said from the podium on Sunday night. "I think it was a good first night."
Katsis held down the return man job while Marvin Mims missed a second straight game due to injury.
Katsis actually set a Denver Broncos record with his performance, too. With 107 kickoff return yards and 39 punt return yards, he had 146 total which was the most by a Broncos player in their first game. He passed Goldie Sellers in 1966. Rick Upchurch and Charley Mitchell were also on the list.
3 Down
1. Patrick Surtain
It brings me no pleasure to say this, but Patrick Surtain rode the struggle bus on Sunday night. Davante Adams ate his lunch for the most part, with 7 receptions on 137 yards. It should be noted that a few of those catches were made when Surtain wasn't on him, but others were with PS2 nearby.
According to Pro Football Focus, Surtain's 37.6 overall grade was the lowest among all Denver Broncos defenders on Sunday. And his 31.7 coverage grade (out of 100) was the lowest single-game grade of his career. The second lowest? It also came against Adams in 2022 when he was with the Raiders (32.8).
He's had down games like this before, so this changes nothing in terms of him being the best cornerback in the NFL. But Denver desperately needs him to be on top of his game from here on out.
2. Bo Nix
Bo, bro.
He was going through it in the first half—like he basically always does—against the Rams. He nearly threw two interceptions and was lucky neither of them were caught.
Then, he did throw a pick in the fourth quarter when he was hit as he threw. The timing of the interception was absolutely terrible because the Broncos had just forced a punt—partially thanks to that aforementioned Allen sack—and they had all the momentum. Their last two offensive drives were touchdowns. But Nix gave the ball away, his third interception of the year with one in each contest.
Similar to Surtain, his 42.5 PFF grade was the lowest on the entire offense. It was his third-lowest graded game in his career by PFF, with Week 1 being his worst-ever. Nix's final numbers were 17-34 for 186, 2 TD, 1 INT; a 73.9 passer rating. That passer rating was second-worst in the NFL to Bryce Young.
He also only one completion that went 20-plus yards in the air, to Courtland Sutton down the sideline late.
And if that defensive pass interference doesn't get called—correctly, and PFT agrees—Nix would've thrown away the Broncos chances of winning. Yes he was scrambling and avoiding a sack. And it was 3rd and 6, likely to be more like 4th and 20 if he is sacked.
But Nix can't throw that ball up for grabs with the game on the line. It looked like he tried to throw it away live action but on the All-22 he was trying to force it into Bryant.
[Highlight] All-22 view of the controversial DPI from the Rams-Broncos game
by u/purplebuffalo55 in nfl
Sometimes you have to fight another day and throw the ball away.
Rich Kurtzman
Buy Denver Broncos artwork, drawn by Rich Kurtzman and printed in Fort Collins, CO. Great for gifts!
3. Riley Moss
Moss struggled a bit in this game, notably when he gave up the go-ahead touchdown when he was burned by Konata Mumpfield.
Moss was clearly gassed on that play and you could see it on the play before, too. But he also bit on the out part of the out and up.
[Highlight] Stafford floats it up to Konata Mumpfield for 6
by u/nfl in nfl
PFF gave him a 49.8 overall grade, the fifth-worst defender on Denver on Sunday. He missed one tackle and allowed 66.7% of passes (4-6) to be completed on him.
Honorable mention: Evan Engram
Engram was a no-show yet again. He had zero catches on 2 targets and his 45.0 grade by PFF was second-lowest to Nix on the offense.
Thanks for reading! Please subscribe today. Or leave a tip in the tip jar!
New offer: Get a free artwork print of your choice with a paid subscription.
Follow The Broncos Blitz on Bluesky!
Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
Comments ()