Rocked in the Rockies: Rams Blanked by Broncos in Preseason Finale

Stetson Bennett turnovers defined a sleepy preseason finale for the Los Angeles Rams, who dropped a 41-0 decision to the Denver Broncos' reserves.

The Los Angeles Rams were the victims of a preseason-closing stampede from the Denver Broncos, who treated their most dedicated fans to a 41-0 shutout victory over the visiting Southern Californians. 

Revenge for last December's Christmas crushing was perhaps far from the Broncos' mind, as each team's lineup, as expected, was primarily packed by reserves. Austin Trammell, a practice squad mainstay from last season, was among the standouts, catching five passes for 55 yards. 

On defense, Quindell Johnson and Marquise Copeland each put up a sack. Punter Ethan Evans, one of the busiest men with a horned helmet, averaged over 52 yards on five boots, landing three inside Denver's 20. 

But the hosting reserves scored on each of their first three possessions in the first quarter, as Denver (1-2) sandwiched a Brett Maher field goal with a Jaleel McLaughlin punch-in from one yard out and Albert Okwuegbunam's eight-yard scoring grab from Jarrett Stidham. Okwuegbunam was Saturday's summer star, catching seven passes for 109 yards.

One more first-half score awaited Denver at the onset of the second period, when another single-yard tally, this one from Tony Jones Jr., made it 24-0 before 20 minutes had been played. 

Denver's latter two scores were set up by Stetson Bennett's interceptions, as the national champion rookie amassed only 14 yards on nine pass attempts. Saturday understudy Brett Rypien likewise struggled to pick up any offensive traction (7-for-13, 67 yards) but was able to get the Rams (0-3) to their closest scoring opportunity of the day in the third quarter but Tanner Brown missed a 39-yard field goal to close it out. 

That nine-play, 51-yard drive featured the Rams' biggest play from scrimmage, a 27-yard pass from Rypien to Trammell.

In addition to another Maher field goal to create a 27-point halftime advantage, the Broncos also added one more minimal distance scoring run at the cusp of the goal line from Tyler Badie in the final frame. Denver kept piling on toward the end, as their final possession saw Josh Hammond score on a three-yard pass from Ben DiNucci.

The Rams' 2023 season premiere will be staged in the Pacific Northwest on Sept. 10 as Los Angeles opens its divisional slate against the Seattle Seahawks (1:25 p.m. PT, Fox).

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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