LA Rams defense worth more than individual player stats

Brandon Staley has been very effective in scheming the LA Rams defense in 2020, proving that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

The first thing you realize as you start to hold up the LA Rams defense, player by player, to analytics evaluation is the basic question of how they are as successful as they are. Certainly, the team boasts the play of All-Pro Aaron Donald. And yes, the team has an incredible defensive back lining up in Jalen Ramsey.

But this team seems to fail when you dissect the units into the component parts. What do I mean? Well, at the midpoint of the season, the LA Rams allow, on average, fewer than 20 points per game.  No single running back has piled up 100 yards rushing against the Rams so far this season. The defense allows fewer than 200 yards passing against them per week. That’s because the team averages just 6.3 yards per passing attempt, best in the NFL.

More D news

And the team allows fewer than 100 yards rushing against them per week. That’s not just on few attempts, but at a rate of 3.9 yards per rushing attempt. So the Rams have been good against the pass. The Rams have been good against the run.  But what about fantasy football?

The LA Rams are ranked as the third-best defense/special teams in the NFL per FantasyPros.com. We know that the Rams have not exactly been tearing up the league in terms of interceptions. So the strength of the defense is stinginess over yards, over points allowed, and a swarming pass rush that has resulted in a lot of quarterback sacks.

In short, this LA Rams defense has played very well this season. Incredibly well. So who is responsible for this team’s success?s