Five Key Matchups: Broncos-Rams

Robert Quinn, who finished last season No. 2 in the league with 19 sacks, started the season off with five consecutive games without a sack. But he is back in old form and will certainly challenge Ryan Clady and the shuffled Broncos' offensive line. Quinn and the rest of the D-Line, including rookie standout Aaron Donald, are all talented and will keep pressure on Peyton Manning, who has been sacked nine times this season. Rams Head Coach Jeff Fisher said because of the line's reputation, early in the season they faced more rushing attempts and QBs were getting the ball out quicker. Based on their performances the past four weeks with upset wins over the Seahawks and 49ers, this line has proven it is one of the best in the NFL. It doesn't get much easier behind the line with top-notch linebacker James Laurinaitis. "They are very athletic, great pass rushers up front, very disruptive in the run game," Offensive Coordinator Adam Gase said. "I think they are second in the league as far as negative runs that they force. They've kept a lot of teams in second-and-8-plus, and as far as their pass rush goes, everybody knew last year that was a special unit, and they just didn't get going early for whatever reason... It seems like they are hitting on all cylinders now and that linebacking corps is getting better and in the back end they've shuffled a couple guys around, but for the most part it's a good defense and they pose a lot of challenges for us."

Rookie Tre Mason, who the Rams have been leaning on this season, faces a daunting task on Sunday: the Broncos' No. 1 run defense. The Rams will likely rely on Mason even more during this matchup as Shaun Hill will replace Austin Davis under center. After being inactive for the first four games of the season, Mason has led the team in rushing each game since but has yet to surpass 100 rushing yards in a game and only has one touchdown. The Broncos' run defense, spearheaded by leading-tackler Brandon Marshall, has been dominant all season. The Broncos held the Raiders to just 30 yards on the ground and continue to gobble up running backs. "We're at the halfway point but we know we've got a good group and they are working on the fundamentals that it takes to be good: stuffing blocks and shedding blocks and swarming the ball and tackling," Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said. "All the things that fundamentally you have to do well to have a chance and playing fast and playing together. That's been good for the first half of the year and we'll have to build on that as we go."Mason will have his hands full on Sunday.

Last week, for the first time all season, the Broncos were left sackless. Despite being unable to get to Derek Carr, the Broncos put up an excellent defensive performance. Shaun Hill, who hasn't started since Week 1, will need to keep the Broncos' pass rushers in check.The Rams went with the veteran QB against the Broncos after they silenced Raiders rookie Carr last week. While there isn't much tape on Hill from this season, the Broncos are confident he will run an offense similar to Austin Davis."They are all different but he operates pretty similarly to what we've seen," Head Coach John Fox said. "He's a more veteran guy; he's been around the league and seen more things. I think he's a little further along in the decision making having been out there so much. Like every week, that is how we execute."Von Miller, currently riding a two-game sackless streak, will be hungry to get to the quarterback.

Neither Lamarcus Joyner nor Marcus Roberson have participated in practice this week and both are questionable heading into Sunday's game. Newly acquired Mark Barron was implemented into the defense against the Cardinals and had a successful outing in his first defensive snaps with the Rams. He finishing that game with five tackles, two for loss, a sack and two QB hits.While Barron had a solid game, the Broncos are coming in with one of the top passing offenses in the NFL and Peyton Manning has a variety of weapons at his disposal. The Rams' secondary, with these injuries and its personnel moving around, will have to adjust fast to cover the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and the rest of the Broncos. "Their front—all of them are fast off the ball," Demaryius Thomas said. "It kind of resembles the Seahawks from the past times we've played them. Their back end—they throw a lot of different things at you. We've got to go out there and try to pick up all the stuff they throw at the offensive line and try to get open for [QB] Peyton [Manning]."

Jared Cook has been leading the way for the Rams receiving-wise with 427 total yards. While he only had two catches last week, one was a 59-yard score on a deep pass down the middle. "Yeah he's big and fast like a lot of the guys out there," Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio said. "He's their leading receiver, so it'll definitely be a challenge for us. He's got some ability and we want to make sure that we don't let him get rolling."The Rams' offense has struggled to string together solid performances, but Cook is a big body that will be a consistent target for Hill.