–Broncos quarterback Case Keenum spent two seasons with the Rams, passing for more than 3,000 yards over the course of the 2015-16 seasons in St. Louis and Los Angeles before giving way to the team’s current starter, Jared Goff.
–Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has a long and decorated history with the Broncos as well. He was Denver’s head coach from 1993-94, and also had two stints as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator in 1989-92 and 2015-16.
–Denver wide receiver Demaryius Thomas enters the game 74 yards shy of 9,000 for his career.
–Denver’s offensive struggles have centered around the passing game. The Broncos’ rushing attack, featuring rookie running backs Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, ranks third in the league, averaging 137 yards per game. The team’s per-carry average of 5.6 yards is tops in the league.
–Rookie linebacker Bradley Chubb, the fifth overall draft pick, has 1.5 sacks in his first five games and is tied with Indianapolis’ Kemoko Turay for the lead among rookies in quarterback hurries with 12.
–Trying to sort out defensive problems that were exposed in the loss to the Jets last week, the defensive unit held a players-only meeting Monday in hopes of rebuilding confidence as the squad gears up to face the high-powered Rams. Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said the players were there to encourage each other.
“We’ve had plenty of success in this league for a long number of years and we’ve just got to bring it all together,” Harris said. “We don’t want to live in the past with this last game and we want to get back to playing our type of defense.”
BY THE NUMBERS: During Denver’s three-game losing streak, its defense has regressed allowing 342 yards in a loss at Baltimore, 446 yards in a loss to the Chiefs, and 512 yards in last week’s loss at the New York Jets. Particularly glaring in the loss at New York was the rushing total of 323 yards, including a Jets franchise record of 219 yards by Isaiah Crowell. The Broncos can’t afford another lackluster performance with the Rams’ Todd Gurley II coming to town. He ranks second in the league with 645 yards from scrimmage this season.
