The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams make up the Sunday Night Football Game in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL Season, and while we still have literal months to go before the Super Bowl next February, it's not difficult to see why this game could be a teaser for the big one.
Denver and Los Angeles are two of the most talented teams in the sport right now, and you could easily argue that they are the most talented in the NFL.
And with this game being at Mile High, the Broncos could pull off the win, as they don't have quite as much sheer talent as the Rams, so the home-field advantage makes this game a legitimate coin flip. When you dive into each team and how close they got in 2025, it's not a stretch to think that we'll see these two teams in the Super Bowl.
Week 3's SNF showdown could be an obvious preview of Super Bowl LXI
Denver and Los Angeles combined to go 26-8 in the regular season last year. Both teams advanced to the conference title game as well. The Broncos experience was downright brutal, though. After a massive victory over the Buffalo Bills, news broke from head coach Sean Payton that quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle.
Had Nix not broken his ankle, the Broncos absolutely would have beaten the New England Patriots the following week, as, despite Jarrett Stidham starting, the Broncos only lost by three points. The Patriots offense simply had no answers for the Broncos defensive front, but the same could be said for the Brocnos offense against what the Pats were doing on defense.
The unexpected snowstorm that hit in the second half also complicated things. One huge element the Broncos were missing last year was a playmaker like Jaylen Waddle - someone who can consistently separate and slot in as the de-facto WR1 of the team.
Denver brought most of their other key free agents back in what was a clear 'run it back' mentality, and you can't blame them for that. Los Angeles got more aggressive. Already sporting the league's top scoring offense from 2025, the team made several high-profile defensive additions in Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson.
Had the Rams only added McDuffie and Watson, that still would have represented enough change in the secondary to have the unit in a good spot, as the Rams secondary got picked on as 2025 progresses. The Rams sincerely didn't have much of a need at all along the defensive line, so the additions of Garrett and Donald honestly felty like icing on the cake.
While Super Bowl windows in the NFL can close as fast as they open, both Denver and LA check all the boxes, and that's true even when you look at the coaching staffs and front offices.
The loser of this game should still be viewed as a contender, though, and when you piece together what each team has going for them and what happened last year, it's clear that this is a Super Bowl LXI preview.
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