Denver Broncos vs. Los Angeles Rams Prediction: Disappointing Teams Meet on Christmas

Russell Wilson to return for the Broncos while Baker Mayfield is hoping for some more magic in his new home stadium.

Author:
Matt Josephs (Mid Major Matt)
Publish date:
Dec 23, 2022

It'll be Christmas in Los Angeles as the Rams host the Broncos on Sunday. This was a matchup in the preseason that held lots of intrigue, as it could have been two playoff-bound teams and now it's two squads just ready for the season to end. LA has won four straight in this series including the 2018 meeting in Denver where the Rams won 23-20. That contest was a quarterback matchup between Jared Goff and Case Keenum, but it was Todd Gurley who stole the show with 208 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Related: Expert Picks for Every Week 16 NFL Game

Denver (4-10) ended its five-game losing streak last week with a 24-15 win over Arizona. The Broncos were down 9-3 in the third quarter before scoring 21 straight points. Brett Rypien, filling in for Russell Wilson who was not cleared from concussion protocol, got the start and he was very efficient going 21-of-26 for 197 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Latavius Murray ran for 130 yards, which was the first time the team had someone go over 100 on the ground. The defense forced three turnovers and held Arizona to 240 yards of total offense. The Cardinals were already missing Kyler Murray (torn ACL) and had to finish the game with third-string quarterback Trace McSorley after backup Colt McCoy suffered a concussion early in the third quarter.

The Rams (4-10) froze their way to a 24-12 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field on "Monday Night Football." After all the fanfare over Baker Mayfield joining LA and winning his first game, he came back down to earth going 12-for-21 for 111 yards with a touchdown and an interception. It was a sad effort altogether by that side of the ball as the team managed just 156 yards of total offense with Cam Akers being the leading rusher and leading receiver.

Denver (4-10) at Los Angeles (4-10)

Kickoff: Sunday, Dec. 25 at 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Spread: Broncos -2
Tickets: As low as $54 on SITickets.com*

Three Things to Watch

1. Who wants it more?
Let's be honest... this is the game that you can go sit with your family and miss on Christmas because there's literally no intrigue to this matchup. There isn't even a benefit for the losing team when it comes to improving draft position because neither team has its first-round pick next year because of trades for their starting quarterbacks. Detroit owns Los Angeles' first-rounder for the trade that brought Matthew Stafford to the Rams in January 2021 while Denver's first-rounder (and second-rounder) next year belongs to Seattle for the blockbuster trade in March that sent Russell Wilson to the Mile High City. There's still pride to play for and those who are pending free agents are auditioning for next season. At the top of this list is Baker Mayfield, who is definitely playing for his next contract. He's had just two starts for the Rams and if he wants to do that for another team in 2023 he will need to play better than he did on Monday night in Green Bay. The problem is that Denver's defense is very solid, ranking fourth in the NFL in both total (309.0) and passing (194.5) yards allowed per game, and Mayfield's supporting cast (offensive line/skill positions) has been ravaged by injuries.

2. Does Russ cook on the holiday?
Denver head coach Nathaniel Hackett has already said that Russell Wilson will be back under center on Sunday. Wilson has been very underwhelming, to say the least, but barring something unforeseen happening, he and the Broncos are stuck with each other. It doesn't help that backup Brett Rypien led the team to a win last week (albeit against the beat-up and downtrodden Cardinals) with Wilson on the sideline. These last few games are going to be trying to establish momentum for the veteran and then scrubbing this whole season from his memory. Wilson has just 11 touchdown passes over 12 games and will be going up against a Rams defense that can be had through the air (227.1 ypg, 21st). Jerry Jeudy has been producing with Courland Sutton out so that's a positive. This also will serve as a mini-reunion of sorts with Wilson going up against longtime former Seahawk teammate, linebacker Bobby Wagner. After 10 years, the six-time, first-team All-Pro was released by Seattle in March and signed with Los Angeles. While the season has been a disappointment overall for the Rams, Wagner remains one of the best at his position, leading the team in tackles with 118, to go along with five sacks and an interception.

3. Which team gets grounded on Christmas?
The quarterback concerns for both teams place more of an emphasis on the running games. The problem is that neither Los Angeles nor Denver has excelled in that aspect either. The Rams are 30th in the league with 85.1 rushing yards per game as leading rusher Cam Akers is averaging mere 3.5 yards per carry. The Broncos aren't much better off at 107.8 yards on the ground per game as they have had to cycle through running backs following a season-ending injury to Javonte Williams in Week 4 and releasing Melvin Gordon in late November. Journeyman Latavius Murray leads the team in rushing with 510 yards but he's averaging 4.1 yards per carry and has just three runs of 20-plus yards in his nine games with Denver. He's also dealing with a foot injury that has limited his practice participation this week. On top of that, both the Rams and Broncos are ranked in the top 15 when it comes to the fewest rushing yards allowed per game. There just may not be a lot of offense in SoFi Stadium on Christmas.

Final Analysis

Watching this game will be like getting coal in your stocking as I can't imagine many people will have any fantasy players from either team and fans watching from home may be checking out "A Christmas Story" on TBS instead. If there was ever a game that deserved to finish in a tie, it would be this one. The only redeeming quality is that it's not outside and the players won't be freezing cold. Alas, if it's not a tie that means someone has to win so I'll pick Denver since the Broncos won last week.