Tag: Rams defense

Rams would be unwise to switch to 4-3 defense under new coordinator

Transitioning to a 4-3 defense would cause a lot of growing pains for the Rams in 2020.

The Los Angeles Rams made a big change to their coaching staff this week, parting ways with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. He’s the only defensive coordinator Sean McVay’s had since joining the Rams in 2017, but the Rams opted not to renew his contract and keep him aboard.

The search for a replacement is well underway, though there’s been no indication as to who the Rams will hire. They could promote someone already on the staff such as Aubrey Pleasant or Joe Barry, which would make the transition from Phillips much easier. They’ll also likely interview and consider outside candidates, with Kris Richard being a coach who would make a lot of sense.

Whoever the Rams hire, though, one thing should remain the same: the 3-4 front. When the Rams let go of Phillips, there was rampant speculation and curiosity about them switching back to a 4-3 scheme, which they previously ran.

Different coaches prefer different defensive fronts, be it a 3-4 or a 4-3. With how frequently teams use nickel packages, keeping only two inside linebackers on the field, 3-4 versus 4-3 isn’t as significant a difference as it once was. However, for the Rams, switching to a 4-3 defense would be a major change.

It would also be an unwise one.

They simply don’t have the players to fit the scheme, especially with three key defenders set to hit free agency. The biggest issue comes at one of the most important positions on that side of the ball: defensive end.

Los Angeles doesn’t have any great options to fit that role. Dante Fowler Jr. played there with the Jaguars and would make the transition from outside linebacker easily, but he’s also a free agent who will command a hefty price tag. Clay Matthews wouldn’t play defensive end, and both Samson Ebukam and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo have only played outside linebacker.

Here’s what a hypothetical depth chart would look like in a 4-3 defense with the players the Rams have under contract.

  • DE: Morgan Fox
  • DT: Aaron Donald
  • NT: Sebastian Joseph-Day/Greg Gaines
  • DE: Samson Ebukam
  • OLB: Travin Howard
  • MLB: Micah Kiser/Troy Reeder
  • OLB: Kenny Young

Not exactly an enticing group of players, huh? Of course, having Cory Littleton at one of the outside linebacker spots would help that group immensely, as would Fowler at defensive end. Michael Brockers would be replaced by Joseph-Day or Gaines, making him unlikely to return as a free agent.

And there’s always free agency and the draft to add reinforcements, during which the Rams will focus heavily on defense. That doesn’t mean they’ll be able to find an immediate starter at any of those spots, however.

The transition to a 4-3 defense would come with a lot of growing pains, and it would be a slow switch. In fact, the Rams might have to wait a year to do it – if they hire a coordinator who wants to make that change. It would require them to draft players who better fit a 4-3 scheme this year, who in turn may not fit well in a 3-4 front temporarily.

The defense would endure a real setback in 2020 if the switch is made, which may not be something the Rams can afford with all of their pending free agents. They’d be better off to develop the young talent they drafted for a 3-4 scheme and hope the next coordinator can get the most out of them.

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Rams defense deserves more attention after shutting down Seahawks

The Rams have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but no one seems to be talking about them.

The Rams have scored 62 points in their last two games, bouncing back nicely from an embarrassing 45-6 loss to the Ravens in Week 12. More impressively, though, they’ve held their last two opponents – the Cardinals and Seahawks, led by Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson – to just 19 total points.

Of those 19 points, six were the fault of Jared Goff and the offense as he threw a pick-six to Quandre Diggs on Sunday night against Seattle.

So in the last two weeks, the Seahawks and Cardinals scored one offensive touchdown and had 13 points on that side of the ball. Again, the offense got most of the credit for those wins by scoring 34 and 28 points, but Los Angeles’ defense is truly among the best in the league.

Entering this week, the Rams ranked 13th in the NFL in scoring, allowing just 20.8 points per game. That average will drop further to 20.1 points per game with Seattle only scoring 12 points, pushing the Rams into a tie for 10th in the NFL.

Their schedule hasn’t exactly been daunting since Week 7, outside of facing the Seahawks and Ravens, but they’ve shut down most of the offenses they’ve gone up against in that span. The Rams have only allowed more than 17 points once since acquiring Jalen Ramsey, a stretch of seven games. In those seven weeks, they’ve given up just 108 points – 45 of which were scored by Baltimore alone.

Los Angeles doesn’t force many turnovers – it ranks 14th in takeaways – but Wade Phillips’ “bend, don’t break” defense is working to perfection. Teams aren’t creating big plays against the Rams, and as a result, they’re scoring very few points.

That’s been the case all season, even before the secondary was completely revamped. In 13 games, the Rams have allowed 262 points. Of that total, 110 came against the Buccaneers and Ravens alone. If you exclude those two games, the Rams have allowed just 13.8 points per game this season, which would rank second behind only the Patriots.

Stats don’t work that way, of course, but it just goes to show how those two games were outliers more than they were indications of the quality of Los Angeles’ defense.

It’s time to start paying attention to the Rams has one of the best defenses in the league, and truly the strength of this team. The pass rush is among the top units in football, Cory Littleton is playing like an All-Pro at linebacker and the secondary is headlined by Ramsey, Eric Weddle and a budding star in Taylor Rapp.

If the defense plays the way it has lately, the Rams can beat anyone at any point.

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Key to slowing Lamar Jackson down is something Rams are best at

The Rams pressure QBs without blitzing at a higher rate than any other team in the NFL.

Slowing down Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense is as difficult a task as any in the NFL right now. They’ve scored a league-high 157 points in their last four games, winning by an average of more than 25 points per game.

In that span, Jackson has thrown for 751 yards and eight touchdown passes with zero interceptions, and also rushed for 321 yards and four touchdowns on 47 carries. He’s very clearly emerged as one of the favorites to win NFL MVP this season, proving to be one of the most dynamic players in the league.

The Rams defense has played extremely well in the last four games, allowing a league-low 44 points and ranking first in rushing yards allowed. Granted, their competition in that span has been unimpressive, but the defense is hitting its stride at the right time with the Ravens coming to town.

Neutralizing Jackson and slowing Baltimore’s offense is nearly impossible, but the team that’s come closest to doing that is Pittsburgh. In Week 5, the Steelers held Jackson to 161 yards passing and 70 yards rushing with one total touchdown and three interceptions.

They have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL and against the Ravens, they didn’t blitz as much as they normally do. Why? Because blitzing Jackson is a recipe for disaster.

This season, Jackson has been unbelievably good when facing five or more rushers. Against the blitz, he’s completed 54 of 90 passes (60%) for 757 yards with 15 touchdowns and only one interception. He’s been sacked eight times on such plays, but he’s averaging 8.4 yards per attempt against the blitz (7.9 against a normal rush). Additionally, he’s rushed for 112 yards on only six carries, an average of 18.7 yards per rush.

For comparison, he’s thrown just four touchdown passes and four interceptions against a normal rush this year, with a passer rating of 91.2 (122.1 vs. blitz).

This is good news for the Rams, who are better at getting pressure on the quarterback without blitzing than any other team in the league.

This season, the Rams have only blitzed 104 times, or at a rate of 25%. That’s the 11th-lowest rate in the NFL, but they’ve also hurried quarterbacks on 68 of their dropbacks – the most in football.

If the Rams can pressure Jackson with only four rushers, the second-year quarterback is going to have far more trouble than he would against the blitz. Take a look at this play where the Steelers are able to pressure Jackson with only four defenders, getting quick penetration up the middle while T.J. Watt gets wide outside.

The only thing that went wrong on this play was Stephon Tuitt failing to wrap up Jackson, which is understandable.

The Steelers got pressure on Jackson here, as well, by only rushing four. Watt gets deep upfield and forces Jackson to step up in the pocket, which lands him in the arms of Javon Hargrave.

It was good discipline by the Steelers’ defenders to maintain their gaps and keep their eyes on the quarterback. That’s something the Rams will need to do, specifically Aaron Donald and Sebastian Joseph-Day in the middle.

Another aspect of this game that favors the Rams defense is limiting explosive plays. No team in the NFL has allowed fewer explosive plays (15-yard rush, 20-yard pass) than the Rams this season.

It’s a staple of their scheme, which employs a bend-don’t-break mentality. They force teams to inch their way down the field, taking away deep passes and long runs. Offenses have to earn their yardage against the Rams.

It’s why they only rank 17th in plays per drive by their opponents, but they’re sixth in yards and fifth in points per possession. The Ravens, on the other hand, have the third-highest explosive play rate in the league, consistently creating big plays on offense.

This isn’t to say the Rams will have an easy time against the Ravens. No defense does. But the Rams are the best team in the league at generating pressure with only four rushers and limiting explosive plays.

Los Angeles will still need to contain Jackson as a runner and avoid making colossal mistakes when the Ravens utilize zone reads and RPOs. A defensive end or outside linebacker crashing down when he should key on the quarterback can be the difference in a tackle for loss or a 30-yard run.

This will be a monumental test for the Rams, who have faced a very low level of competition in the last four games.

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POLL: Who wins Week 11 contest between Bears and Rams?

The Bears and Rams will meet in a rematch of last year’s defensive battle on Sunday Night Football. Will the Bears emerge victorious again?

The Chicago Bears (4-5) will hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Rams (5-4) on the primetime stage.

The Bears are coming off a 20-13 win over the Detroit Lions, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had his best game of the season against Detroit, and he and the Bears offense will be looking to build on that success.

The Rams are coming off a 17-12 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Los Angeles’ offense struggled mightily and their defense wasn’t able to come up with a critical stop on fourth-and-1. But the Rams defense certainly impressed, and they’ll be looking to do the same against Chicago.

Chicago and Los Angeles met last year on Sunday Night Football in what was a defensive battle. The Bears emerged victorious with a 15-6 victory over the Rams, after making quarterback Jared Goff’s night a long one.

Will the Bears repeat their defensive dominance against the Rams on Sunday? Will Chicago extend their winning streak to two games? Or will the Bears fall victim to the issues that affected them during their four-game losing streak?

Who wins on Sunday?

VOTE!

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