5 ways the LA Rams now playing like a champion should

2. Rams defense is elite

It’s already starting. Stories have been written excusing the New England Patriots’ disappointing offensive output with excuses about no Brady, missing players, and just being outmatched. But the same authors forgiving the Patriots’ loss to bad breaks crucified the LA Rams offense two years ago. This is the Patriots team that just scored 45 points against the Los Angeles Chargers, and 20 points for a win just two weeks prior against the Arizona Cardinals.

While the Patriots may not have been Tom Brady’s best of their franchise history, the fact is that the Patriots rode a wave of a two-game winning streak into SoFi Stadium. In fact, the Patriots had won four of their last five games by a margin of nine points per game.  All of that washes to the wayside after the Rams shut them down to just three points. The previous week, the Patriots claimed a victory by the score of 45-0 over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Chameleon

The Rams defense does not appear to look the same on any given football game. Of course, that’s by design. It’s the defense’s strategy to custom build a defensive strategy based on the current week’s opponent. While that means significantly more work for the defensive coaching staff, it creates even more work for their offensive counterparts on the opposing team.

The Rams are getting their money’s worth out of their defensive stars this season. Perhaps even more than that, the Rams are engineering and constructing stars in this defense. Defensive backs Darious Williams, Jordan Fuller, and outside linebacker Justin Hollins have all been very pleasant surprises in this defense. They are playing far better than expected, and that’s helped make the Rams defense elite this season.