St. Louis Rams secondary needs big game against Browns

This Sunday the St. Louis Rams return to action off the bye week against the Cleveland Browns. Currently sitting 3^rd in the AFC North with a 2-4 record, the Browns are the NFL’s perennial also-rans. They are one of only four franchises to have never reached a Super Bowl, and have failed to make the playoffs since the 2002 season, tied with Oakland for the league’s second longest active streak.

More from Rams News

• Look for 49ers players to follow DeMeco Ryans to Texans
• Broncos mimic LA Rams, go All-In pairing Payton with Russell
• Championship Sunday shows me Rams need secondary help
• Can the LA Rams count on 17 games from QB Matthew Stafford?
• NFL salary cap skyrockets, but will it help LA Rams this offseason?

That said, the Rams should not take this game lightly. While much has been made elsewhere of the potential impact of rookie running back Todd Gurley against the league’s worst run defense, the Cleveland roster is not devoid of talent. It is particularly noteworthy that the Browns are dangerous in the passing game.

Cleveland currently ranks 9^th in the league in passing, averaging over 272 yards per game. Quarterback Josh McCown has over 1,400 passing yards and a healthy 64 percent completion rate. 11 of the team’s 14 touchdowns this season have come through the air. With Cleveland ranking only 22^nd in the league in rushing, it is clear their hopes on offense lie in their passing game. 

Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13)Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

The matchup between Cleveland’s aerial attack versus the Rams’ pass defense is an intriguing one. St. Louis currently sits 5^th in the league in pass defense surrendering only 1,177 receiving yards, and sit joint atop the NFL with Denver and Carolina having given up just five touchdowns through the air. When you consider the Rams are without last year’s standout rookie E.J. Gaines, and have so far had to contend with Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer, this is even more impressive.

St. Louis fans will hope that cornerback Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, who each have two picks so far this year, will have big games on Sunday. One thing to note, Jenkins has had limited practice this week due to a concussion suffered against Green Bay and would be a big miss if he is unable to take to the field.

That said, Lamarcus Joyner is also having a pretty good year and – unlike his rookie season – is beginning to show his true ability after being selected 41st overall in the 2014 draft. Overall the look of the Rams secondary is much better than it was two or even three seasons ago when the likes of Cortland Finnegan and Craig Dahl were top of the defensive back depth chart. While the secondary arguably lacks depth and is clearly not as dominant a unit as the front four, there is still reason to feel good about a much improved area of the roster.

The battle between the St. Louis defensive backs and the deep threat posed by the Browns passing game could be one of the key deciding factors in the game on Sunday. There is every reason to expect Gurley can have another huge game and that St. Louis will pick up points as a result.

If the Browns aerial game can be stopped with a strong showing from the Rams, this will severely limit Cleveland’s potential to match the Rams scoring. All signs point to a home win and St. Louis improving to 3-3 going into the divisional game in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers.