Brandon Staley’s LA Rams defense 3 pronged attack

The Rams defense makes excellent in-game adjustments

The most difficult assignment of trying to focus upon everything that was occurring with the LA Rams defense is that so many things were occurring with the LA Rams defense.  There were plenty of over shifts, stunts, and other “what are they doing?” on the defensive front. Aaron Donald was a beast, despite showing up lightly in the stats department. He played all over the defensive line.

He was a wrecking ball wherever he was, as the Rams placed him everywhere and then used rushes to align him to the position he needed to be. One highlight that I really enjoyed is a play where Donald got past the primary blocker, rushed to his left, and knocked down two other Cowboys offensive linemen.

Why adjustments are so powerful

The LA Rams defense showed something beyond just how effectively they could play well in a football game. They adjusted in the middle of the game. At halftime, the LA Rams were behind by a point and the second half opened with the Rams kicking off to the Cowboys.  While the Rams seemed to struggle with tackling and proper angles, the defense stiffened when needed.

With those adjustments, the Rams proved that they will be in games for the full four quarters. Of all the things we did learn about the Rams, the ability to improve the defense with mid-game adjustments is perhaps the most important aspect of all. The defensive players can now buy in fully after just one game. Staley is the real deal. As a result? The Rams defense is too.