The Rams’ third straight prime-time game to open the 2026 season brings them to Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday night, and the matchup in front of them is less about one isolated duel than a defensive pattern Los Angeles has already started to build.
That pattern runs through Quentin Lake and Trent McDuffie.
Entering Week 3, the two defensive backs are tied for the NFL lead in passes defensed with six apiece, and each has an interception. Lake has five pass breakups in just two games, while McDuffie piled up four of his own on Monday night and Lake added three in the same game. The production has come fast enough that it would be a respectable season total for most players, not a two-game sample.
The Rams are 1-1 after two games, but the defense has already shown a clear identity. Los Angeles has allowed 167 passing yards and 113 rushing yards per game, and the secondary’s work is being framed inside the team as more than just reaction speed. The official Rams explanation centers on calm demeanor, maximizing opportunities, and trust in teammates.
That matters against Denver because the Broncos are built around the pass. Their offense averages 284 yards and 15 points per game, with 201.5 of those yards coming through the air. Quarterback Bo Nix and receivers Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle give Denver a passing game that can stretch a defense in different ways, and Nix’s passing numbers have already jumped from 131 yards in Week 1 to 288 in Week 2.
Waddle is the Broncos’ only skill player to top 100 yards in a game so far, after catching eight of 10 targets for 138 yards in a 20-13 win over Jacksonville last week. That makes Denver’s passing volume and its top targets the obvious stress test for a Rams secondary that has been producing at a league-leading rate.
Los Angeles also enters the game with a broader defensive question attached to the matchup: whether it can generate pressure and contain Nix in the backfield, or whether the secondary can hold up long enough to take away Denver’s receivers. The Rams’ defensive backs, including Lake and McDuffie, are expected to give the pass rush confidence, which is part of why the team’s stated edge against Denver is being described as a shared formula rather than a single matchup win.
Josh Wallace adds another layer to that picture. He has been described as the “Swiss Army knife” of the secondary, contributing at nickel against the Giants and willing to play wherever he is needed. That kind of flexibility fits the same theme the Rams are leaning on: communication, composure, and the ability to turn a contested throw into a deflection or takeaway when the chance appears.
The Broncos’ defense has shown some ability to tighten up as well, holding running back Bhayshul Tuten to 65 yards on 13 carries in Week 2. So the Rams’ own offense will need to do its part, especially with Matthew Stafford needing time from the offensive line and space for the run game to function. The interior of the line has done well in both run blocking and protecting Stafford, and the more time the line gives him, the easier it becomes for the Rams to operate in Denver.
Still, the clearest Rams advantage entering Sunday night sits on the back end. Lake and McDuffie have already turned early-season opportunities into league-leading production, and the question now is whether that same calm, coordinated approach can travel into a prime-time road game and hold up against a Broncos passing attack that has already shown it can move.