Los Angeles Rams vs. Denver Broncos week 3 preseason: Winners & losers

Let’s not kid ourselves.

Last night wasn’t even close to the team that is going to play the Carolina Panthers in Week 1 of the regular season. For the Los Angeles Rams, this game was about building the depth of the roster.

For example, the Rams could very well just keep two quarterbacks: superstar QB Jared Goff and beloved backup QB Blake Bortles. Or they could keep either QB Brandon Allen or human highlight reel, QB John Wolford. And what about the glut of talent at the wide receiver position?

Winners

WR Michael Thomas

A lot of the receivers played well in the third preseason game, but Thomas already had some heat and kept the smoke show going with a strong performance. Thomas plays big. Three catches on three targets for 76 yards. He’s the guy who want on the roster if any of the “four-headed monster” goes down.

LB Dakota Allen

Tipping a pass that ended up as a CB Kevin Peterson interception, Allen established himself as a ballhawk and a linebacker that the LA Rams desperately need after the season-ending injury to LB Micah Kiser. Is Allen a steal as a seventh-round pick? He certainly played like it.

OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

Though his stats aren’t exactly sexy, Obo displayed an explosiveness that Rams fans have been craving. The guy is disruptive on the line, and it feels like if Okoronkwo gets more opportunities, good things will happen for the Rams’ defense. Yes, I am in the tank for this guy, and I will probably always put him in this category if he plays.

LB Travin Howard

Man, I like this guy. Howard showed again that he’s able to get to the ball. He’s a tackle machine. If games like this become the norm, Howard could become a key piece in coach Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillip’s quest to stop the run.

Losers

QB Brandon Allen

Did Allen play well enough to put up respectable numbers without turning the ball over? Sure. But was he exciting? I don’t know.

Is someone making a bowl of cereal exciting? That’s what Brandon Allen is to me: a bland cereal high in fiber.

Did Allen instill faith in the coaching staff that he could put points on the board? Allen needed more than going 12/19 and 162 yards to make the 53-man roster. He needed a touchdown pass. Something.

DT Tanzel Smart

There’s talk that Smart could be the starting nose tackle for the LA Rams. But when you track him on plays, he just comes off as... pedestrian. Rookie DT Greg Gaines is outplaying him, and it’s becoming quite obvious.

WR Jalen Greene

With the touchdown reception begin his only catch, Greene was unable to grab four passes intended for him. He came off like an inexperienced guy with enough talent to wear the uniform, but Greene made enough mistakes to end up on the outside looking in.

RB Justin Davis

It’s not that Davis had a bad game, but he didn’t breakout in such a way that the coaching staff had to rethink things. In short, Davis is destined for the practice squad. He did have a nice run for 11 yards, but it wasn’t enough.

For a game that was strictly built on guys that aren’t projected to be starters, I felt good about the way the Rams played. If anything, it make the cuts to the roster more clear and inevitable.