Containing Lamar Jackson on Monday night will be priority No. 1 for the Los Angeles Rams. No team has truly discovered a way to do that this season, which is why he’s likely the frontrunner to win NFL MVP at this point.
His skill set is so difficult to defend, because he’s so accurate throwing the ball but even more dangerous when he pulls it down and runs. The Chargers did the best job against Jackson of any team in the last two seasons, holding him in check en route to their playoff win over the Ravens.
The Chargers got it done by using a lot of dime packages and putting defensive backs all over the field, which helped match the speed of Jackson. The Rams will likely do the same, given how reliant they’ve been on dime packages with three safeties and three corners on the field.
Taylor Rapp is someone who has played extremely well for the Rams lately, taking over as the starting safety next to Eric Weddle after John Johnson went down with an injury. As important as Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Cory Littleton are in this game against Baltimore, Rapp could have a breakout performance.
Expect the Rams to use him as a spy on Jackson, allowing him to shadow the dynamic quarterback near the line of scrimmage. That allows Littleton to focus on the run with players such as Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards, but also keeping corners matched up on wideouts.
Against both the run and in coverage, Rapp has been excellent for the Rams. And he’s going to have a big impact on this game.
Against the run
Rapp is so good as a box safety, using his instincts and awareness to make quick reads against the offense. This is a great example of that, as he sees Mitchell Trubisky hand it off to the running back on the read-option, crashing down and making the stop after the cutback.
This is another excellent play by Rapp in the box. He’s in man coverage on the tight end, but after seeing him engage as a blocker, Rapp follows the running back to the edge and makes the tackle for a loss.
Aaron Donald ruined this play with quick penetration, but Rapp made a great read to tackle the ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage.
Lastly, here’s another play from the Steelers game. On third-and-1, Rapp sees the handoff and knifes around the edge to wrap up the running back’s legs for a stop at the line of scrimmage.
It forced a fourth-and-1, which the Steelers converted, but Rapp was the reason Pittsburgh didn’t pick up the first on third down.
In coverage
In coverage, Rapp will be equally valuable. The Ravens utilize their tight ends often in the passing game with Mark Andrews leading the team in targets, receptions and yards. Nick Boyle is third in receiving, and Hayden Hurst is fifth.
On Monday night, Jackson is going to target his tight ends often, and at times, Rapp will be in man coverage against them.
Although he had some trouble against Tyler Eifert and the Bengals, Rapp has been great against tight ends this season. In man coverage against the big pass catchers, he’s able to use his size and quickness to consistently get into good position to defend the pass.
Against the Browns, he carried the tight end into the end zone in trail technique and go his hand up at the perfect moment to break up the pass.
This looks like a fairly simple play, but it’s not an easy throw to defend without being flagged for pass interference. The tight end sits down on an inside hook with Rapp in coverage. Instead of going through the receiver to break up the pass, he goes around him and gets his hand in there to cause the incompletion.
This is a simple box-out route by the tight end, attempting to box out the defender like a power forward trying to get a rebound.
Finally, Rapp has good eyes in zone coverage. Here, he reads Andy Dalton like a book, following his eyes to the receiver. The rookie jumps the route and gets two hands on the ball, but he just couldn’t bring it in for the interception (and possible pick-six).
Still, it’s a great play by Rapp to defend the pass, reading the quarterback perfectly.
Rapp is the best tackler on the Rams defense. He’s only missed one tackle all season, which is a rate of only 1.6%. That’s the lowest missed-tackle percentage of any player in the NFL with at least 50 tackles.
It’s a fundamental aspect of football, but one Rapp has mastered in his first season. Wrapping up ball carriers will be extremely important for the Rams, and the more often Rapp can get his hands on running backs and Jackson, the better off Los Angeles’ defense will be.
This could be a breakout game for the rookie safety out of Washington.