The Rams (4-10) host the Broncos (4-10) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles' final home game of the regular season. Kickoff from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. pacific time on CBS and Nickelodeon.
In advance of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Broncos, presented by Nickelodeon.
Notable Broncos additions
- Traded for QB Russell Wilson in March: After three seasons of 2019 second-round pick Drew Lock, the Broncos elected to go for a more established name under center in Wilson via a massive trade with the Seahawks that sent Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive end Shelby Harris, 2022 and 2023 first-round picks, 2022 and 2023 second-round picks and a 2022 fifth-round pick to Seattle. Wilson has completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,805 yards with 11 touchdowns against six interceptions in 12 starts this season.
- Selected TE Greg Dulcich in the third round of this year's NFL Draft: Rams fans who also follow UCLA are likely familiar with this name. Dulcich wasn't very involved as a target in the passing game until a breakout Week 6 performance against the Chargers with two catches for 44 yards and one touchdowns, and has seen consistent involvement in that phase of the offense ever since. He has 29 receptions for 372 yards and one touchdown while starting in five of the nine games he's played so far this season.
Top performers in Week 15
Starting in place of Wilson – who cleared concussion protocol but was held out as an organizational decision to give him another week of rest – QB Brett Rypien completed 21 of 26 pass attempts for 197 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Denver's 24-14 win over the
RB Latavius Murray led the Broncos backfield with a game-high 24 carries for 130 yards and one touchdown.
WR Jerry Jeudy was Rypien's top target with a team-high seven catches for 76 yards; TE Eric Tomlinson (three for 28) was on the receiving end of Rypien's lone touchdown pass.
S Justin Simmons' two interceptions accounted for two of three takeaways created by Denver's defense; CB Patrick Surtain II's interception represented the third.
On special teams, K Brandon McManus made 1 of 2 field goal attempts and both of his extra point attempts, while P Corliss Waitman averaged 44.8 yards per punt across five punts – three of which landed inside the 20.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
Similar to last week's game against the Packers, this week is another case of the Rams and their opponent finding themselves in much different circumstances than they envisioned.
The Broncos have had a difficult first season under head coach Nathaniel Hackett, especially on offense as Wilson's numbers show. Like the Rams, that can be attributed in part to injuries to key players on that side of the ball throughout the season like wide receiver Courtland Sutton, left tackle Garrett Bolles and Wilson. Also like the Rams, the Broncos' defense has held up well statistically – they've allowed the fifth-fewest total yards of offense per game (309) entering Week 16 and also allow the third-fewest points per game (18.1). The similarities even extend to having identical records heading into Sunday's game.
So for both teams, this week is – as Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner said last night – about continuing to play with effort and pride, and more opportunities for younger players to get some playing time.
