Rams-Broncos Preview: Adams-Surtain Battle Headlines Sunday Night Test

The Los Angeles Rams will visit the Denver Broncos at 8:20 p.m. EDT Sunday on NBC, with both clubs entering Week 3 at 1-1. Los Angeles will arrive after a 28-6 Monday night win over the New York Giants, while Denver will return home following a 20-13 victory over Jacksonville. The Rams lead the all-time series 10-5 and won the teams’ most recent meeting, 51-14 on Dec. 25, 2022.

The marquee assignment will place Rams receiver Davante Adams in the orbit of Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, the 2024 AP Defensive Player of the Year. Adams caught eight passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns against the Giants, and he will bring 11 receptions, 221 yards and two scores through two games into Denver. Their history includes Adams’ 35-yard overtime touchdown for the Raiders in a 22-16 win on Nov. 20, 2022; Surtain called the coming matchup “another battle,” while Adams said of the cornerback, “I love his game, respect it.”

Matthew Stafford will bring 482 passing yards, four touchdowns and only one sack suffered through two games into a confrontation with a Denver defense that has four sacks this season. Rams coach Sean McVay described Broncos coordinator Vance Joseph as aggressive and difficult to prepare for because of his personnel variations, while Stafford called Denver’s secondary one of the best Los Angeles will face. Puka Nacua’s status remains unknown because of a hip injury, adding further importance to the Rams’ offensive distribution.

Denver quarterback Bo Nix will face a Rams defense that has allowed 280.5 yards per game, seventh in the league through two weeks. Aaron Donald, 35, will continue his return after playing 33 snaps in the Giants game, his first NFL action in more than two years following his March 2024 retirement. Nix has passed for 419 yards and two touchdowns in two games and said Donald will present a challenge “that we haven’t necessarily faced before.”