Matthew Stafford picked off on final play in Rams’ stunning loss to Broncos

DENVER — Mile sigh.

A heavy one. The what-the-heck-just-happened kind.

That’s how the stunned Rams felt Sunday night.

Coach Sean McVay and his team came here aiming to put together a second consecutive impressive prime-time performance.

VIDEO | 01:25

Rams blow a 16-point halftime lead and lose to the Broncos

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Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in a 30-26 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday night.

And through the first half against the Denver Broncos, it looked like the Rams would do just that.

But the Rams’ 16-point halftime lead literally vanished into thin air.

After rallying briefly, the Rams could not hold off the Broncos in a 30-26 defeat in front of 76,633 at Empower Field at Mile High.

“We just came up short tonight,” McVay said.

It came down to the final play: Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga — who returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter — picked off quarterback Matthew Stafford’s pass in the end zone as time expired.

🏈 Broncos 30, Rams 26 — FINAL

Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga picked off Matthew Stafford in the end zone — his second interception of the game — on the final play to complete Denver’s comeback from a 16-point halftime deficit.

Stafford completed a 20-yard pass to Kyren Williams at the Denver 14, leading to a frantic sprint to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball and stop the clock with two seconds left. On the final play, Stafford tried to find Davante Adams in the end zone, but Hufanga came up with the catch.

The Rams fall to 1-2 and the Broncos improved to 2-1.

🏈 Broncos 30, Rams 26 — 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter

Bo Nix scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge to put the Broncos back into the lead with less than a minute left in regulation.

The touchdown came after two Rams penalties on third down in the red zone kept the 10-play, 65-yard drive. Critically, the drive kept the clock ticking, forcing Sean McVay to use two timeouts.

The first penalty came with Josh Wallace being called for pass interference on Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant off a desperation throw from Bo Nix as he was being pulled down by Byron Young.

Three plays later, Rams safety Quentin Lake was called for a hands-to-the-face on third-and-goal, giving the Broncos a new set of downs at the Rams’ two-yard line.

Earlier in the drive, Nix completed a 39-yard pass to Bryant and a 21-yard pass to Troy Franklin.

🏈 Rams 26, Broncos 23 — 3:38 left in the fourth quarter

Konata Mumpfield broke coverage and caught a 48-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to put the Rams back into the lead.

The play, which came two throws after Mumpfield caught a 21-yard pass, capped a four-play, 77-yard drive.

🏈 Broncos 23, Rams 19 — 4:49 left in the fourth quarter

Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga scored on a 67-yard interception return, shaking off a tackle attempt by Matthew Stafford in the process, to give Denver its first lead of the game.

Stafford was trying to find Kyren Williams, but Hufanga read it perfectly, jumping in front of the running back to snag the pass.

Stafford was holding his right arm after the play, appearing to be in some pain.

The drive started promising, with Stafford completing a short pass over the middle to Davante Adams, who found space and picked up 49 yards.

On the previous Rams possession, Hufanga sacked Stafford on third down to force a punt.

🏈 Rams 19, Broncos 16 — 8:40 left in the fourth quarter

Harrison Mevis kicked a 48-yard field goal — his fourth field goal of the game — after the Rams were thwarted by the Denver defense on third down.

Talanoa Hufanga sacked Matthew Stafford, slicing around the edge unguarded for an easy takedown.

The missed opportunity came after an interception by Rams cornerback Josh Wallace.

🏈 Rams 16, Broncos 16 — 12:58 left in the fourth quarter

Rams cornerback Josh Wallace picked off a pass from Denver quarterback Bo Nix intended for receiver Courtland Sutton to give the Rams some momentum after a one-sided third quarter.

The Broncos managed to move the ball to midfield before Wallace’s interception gave the Rams the ball at the Denver 37. Strong pressure by the Rams’ defensive line played a key role in the pick.

🏈 Rams 16, Broncos 16 — 13:46 left in the fourth quarter

Matthew Stafford and the Rams are struggling to generate much of anything on offense, with the Broncos putting near-constant pressure on the veteran signal-caller.

Following the Broncos’ second touchdown, a six-play Rams possession sputtered, with Stafford being sacked before throwing three consecutive incompletions.

🏈 Rams 16, Broncos 16 — 2:15 left in the third quarter

Bo Nix completed an eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Nate Adkins, and then fired a two-point conversion pass to Pat Bryant to tie the score.

Nix has completed 13 of 25 passes for 97 yards.

🏈 Rams 16, Broncos 8 — 7:44 left in the third quarter

Bo Nix fired a five-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bryant and then completed a two-point conversion pass to Jaylen Waddle to cut the Rams’ lead to eight points.

The Broncos drove to the five-yard line, but the Rams stopped running back JK Dobbins for no gain, and then stopped running back RJ Harvey for no gain after he caught a pass.

But Nix ended hope for a shutout with the touchdown pass.

🏈 Rams 16, Broncos 0 — HALFTIME

Harrison Mevis kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to extend the Rams’ lead.

The field goal came after a 10-play, 54-yard drive. It was Mevis’ third field goal of the game.

Rams cornerback Jaylen Watson was carted off to the locker room with a shoulder injury in the second quarter. He was ruled out early in the third quarter.

Stafford completed 19 of 32 passes for 190 yards with a touchdown and Kyren Williams rushed nine times for 69 yards. Davante Adams made four catches for 71 yards in coverage against Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.

🏈 Rams 13, Broncos 0 — 4:43 left in the second quarter

Harrison Mevis kicked a 35-yard field goal to cap a 14-play, 63-yard drive.

The Rams were positioned to do more when they drove to the Broncos’ 15-yard line on Matthew Stafford passes to Konata Mumpfield and Davante Adams.

But on first down, they were penalized for delay of game. They were subsequently cited for an illegal formation and pass interference, pushing them back to the 30.

The drive stalled, bringing on Mevis.

🏈 Rams 10, Broncos 0 — 13:17 left in the second quarter

Harrison Mevis kicked a 36-yard field goal to extend the lead.

The Rams drove 49 yards in seven plays.

Running back Kyren Williams had several big plays during the drive, including a 30-yard run on the first play and an 18-yard reception.

But on third-and-two from the eight yard-line, the Rams were penalized for holding. Matthew Stafford’s third-down pass for Konata Mumpfield fell incomplete.

🏈 Rams 7, Broncos 0 — 4:55 left in the first quarter

Matthew Stafford tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Higbee to give the Rams the lead.

The Rams drove 58 yards in 11 plays for the touchdown.

After the teams exchanged punts, the Rams got the ball with 9:27 left in the first quarter.

Stafford started the drive with a 22-yard pass to receiver Davante Adams.

Stafford’s fourth-down pass to running back Kyren Williams kept alive the drive that also featured a 12-yard pass to Higbee and nine-yard scramble by Stafford that gave the Rams’ a first-and-goal situation at the five yard-line.

Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson left the game and was taken to the locker room with 7:30 left in the quarter after he fell trying to catch a pass that fell incomplete. He is questionable to return with an ankle injury. He wasn’t the only tight end to sustain injury for the Rams:

As expected, Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua (hip) will not play against the Denver Broncos. Here are the inactives for the game:

Rams

WR Puka Nacua

S Kam Kinchens

WR CJ Daniels

WR Tutu Atwell

QB Ty Simpson (emergency third QB)

S Maximus Pulley

OL Bill Murray

Broncos

QB Sam Ehlinger (emergency third QB)

WR Lil’ Jordan Humphrey

WR Marvin Mims

OL Kage Casey

TE Dallen Bently

DL Sai’vion Jones

DT Tyler Onyedim

Did the Rams’ humiliating season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Australia make you reevaluate your preseason choices?

Did it make you doubt the veracity of the Rams’ championship claim?

Were you among the dummies who, as Davante Adams put it, were “freaking out”?

“You’re a fool if you think that that’s what it’s going to look like every single week,” a confident Adams said before putting on a cape and a show in the Rams’ 28-6 victory over the New York Giants on Monday at SoFi Stadium.

Aaron Donald made his triumphant return to NFL relevance on Monday night, and notably so did the Rams.

The team that looked lost in its Down Under debut returned to form against the New York Giants, even with star receiver Puka Nacua watching in street clothes because of hip pain.

Matthew Stafford was surgical with his passing, throwing four touchdown passes in a 28-6 victory. Receiver Davante Adams made several acrobatic catches befitting of the retina-burning yellow “Classic Sol” jerseys that turned the Rams into human highlighter pens.

Rams coaches and personnel executives call it “the moment of truth,” the split second when a defensive back, usually on the run in full stride next to a receiver, must decide how he is going to play a pass that is already in the air.

Top NFL cornerbacks remain calm. They do not panic.

“It’s those guys that just kind of — their blood pressure never rises,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said.

Trent McDuffie is one of those guys.

It was a redemptive moment for Terrance Ferguson.

In Monday’s victory over the New York Giants, the Rams’ second-year tight end dropped passes on consecutive plays in the third quarter. But on the next drive, quarterback Matthew Stafford targeted Ferguson again — and then finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to Ferguson for the final points of a 28-6 victory.

“My biggest thing is you have to make the most of your opportunities,” Ferguson said. “So when you drop the ball, you’re kind of pissed off. And when they come back to you, it just means a lot for my confidence.”