Broncos' Hufanga Makes History in Win, Says 'No One Gives Stafford Enough Credit for How Fast He Is'

Matthew Stafford is never going to be on the list of the NFL's fastest quarterbacks, but Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga—who made history Sunday against the veteran—believes the Los Angeles Rams signal-caller deserves more credit for his speed.

"Man, no one gives Stafford enough credit for how fast he is," Hufanga said when discussing his 66-yard return on a pick-six that required a cut back in Sunday's 30-26 victory over the Rams, per Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. 

"That dude, and this is not bragging at all, I've actually been in the same scenario against him in 2022. I saw him, and I ran and said, 'I can keep going (and outrun him),' but somehow as he gets older, he gets faster. I caught the ball and I'm like, 'I don't think I can outrun him (to the sideline),' and that's why I cut back."

That pick-six gave Denver a 23-19 lead in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't the end of his heroics

Hufanga also intercepted Stafford's pass to the end zone on the final play of the game to preserve the win.

Denver's second-half adjustments were on full display during the interceptions, as the Rams were up 16-0 at halftime but managed just one touchdown the rest of the game. Hufanga explained the secondary recognized it needed to "get sticky" in its coverage to allow the pass-rush to get home, and the Broncos tallied three sacks in the second half.

"Sometimes you get in this habit of, early in a game, you're trying to figure out this offense," Hufanga said. "They do a lot of movements. They're a team that predominantly went into 13 personnel. They're really big and they can still spread the field with the way they do it. Our coach made a great adjustment to just get our eyes in the right spot."

▶️ Full Rams-Broncos Recap

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Those adjustments cleared the way for Denver's offense to come back as well.

The Broncos scored 30 points after halftime with Bo Nix throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. The touchdown run in the final minute proved to be the game-winner and propelled the team to a 2-1 record through three games.

And if there are more second-half adjustments in the future like the ones on Sunday, the Broncos figure to once again be AFC contenders after reaching the conference championship game last season.