LA Rams secondary retains Top-10 ranking despite FA and injury losses

Rams have faced strong passing attacks in the past

The Arizona Cardinals fielded a trio of receivers in  A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, De’Andre Hopkins, as well as tight end Zach Ertz. The San Francisco 49ers fielded a trio of receiving targets in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle.  Even the Seattle Seahawks boasted a solid trio in Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, and tight end Gerald Everett. The Rams have faced significant challenges before. So how do they do it in this one?

The Rams pass defense starts up front with the LA Rams pass rush. The Rams want to shorten up the Bengals tempo, give less time for second-year quarterback Joe Burrow to process what he’s seeing. That will not just be coming from Aaron Donald, Von Miller, and Leonard Floyd. Thanks to the Bengals offensive line make-up, the Rams have an optimal chance to send a serious pass rush right up the middle.

The LA Rams will be looking for pressure from A’Shawn Robinson, Greg Gaines, and a surprisingly back-to-health return from NT Sebastian Joseph-Day.

Rams DB must cover as well

But the pass defense is more than just sacking the quarterback. The Rams have amped up their intensity throughout the secondary. So far, that has translated into thunderous hits and tackles from the defensive backs, particularly the newer faces.  Safety Eric Weddle made a huge tackle for a loss in the NFC Championship game on a second down and one-yard to go that ultimately forced the 49ers to punt, allowing the Rams to get into position to kick the game-winning field goal. But he wasn’t alone.

Nick Scott made two bone-jarring legal tackles in the playoffs. One dislodged the football from Cardinals receiver A.J. Green, creating an incompletion. The second was the Hit Heard Around the World when he leveled 49ers, WR Deebo Samuel, also knocking the ball out.  After that hit, Samuel was virtually ineffective for the rest of the game.