Rams and Broncos joint practices: Day 1 belongs to LA

The first of two joint practices between the Los Angeles Rams and Denver Broncos is complete ahead of their preseason finale on Saturday. It would appear that LA got the better of their AFC counterpart by “winning” the day overall.

The Rams will gladly take a highly productive day against a team that many are expecting to rebound and compete for a playoff spot in Sean Payton’s first year at the helm. LA must have caught Denver on a bad day as they were plagued with sloppy play that couldn’t have pleased Payton.

Either way, this should be a huge confidence boost for the Rams heading into Day 2. While the Broncos’ offense struggled to find a rhythm, LA had zero problems finding theirs as Matthew Stafford was sharp for much of the day. Denver simply had no answers for the Rams’ up-tempo practice which Payton believed attributed to his team’s fatigue issues. Stafford even had a touchdown pass the final two minutes to end practice on a high note.

The Rams also received a major boost with Cooper Kupp returning to practice for the first time since injuring his hamstring on August 1st. Kupp had a tough assignment from the jump by going up against All-Pro Patrick Surtain. According to attendees, any worries about Kupp’s health can be put to rest for the time being as he performed well against one of the best corners in the league.

I doubt the Broncos and Payton will put up with any offensive ineptitude for too long as they expect to rebound in Day 2 against LA. No matter what happens, the Rams appear ready for the challenge.