Fans fervor to fire Rams DC Raheem Morris is misplaced

The Rams’ defense getting a bad rap

But that defense? Well that’s another matter, isn’t it? After all, fans witness opposing teams score points. Fans must endue the bend-not-break defensive philosophy that thanks to the offense’s ineptness, breaks long before it bends very much. But how much of that is truly a bad defense versus how much is simply amplified because the offense is simply that bad?  Let’s look at some objective facts and statistics.

The Rams’ defense, entering Week 11, has allowed just 310.8 yards per game (6th), just 96.1 rushing yards per game (4th), and just 214.7 passing yards per game (17th). So let’s look at some scoring statistics.

This Rams defense is putting up playoff worthy numbers

The Rams’ defense has allowed just six rushing touchdowns (6th), and just 11 passing touchdowns (9th). But there is more, so much more, about this defense that makes it a cut above what folks are discussing in the chat rooms and social media:

For those who may have forgotten, the LA Rams’ top-ranked defense in 2020 allowed an average of 26.0 points in the playoffs.  The Rams allowed 381.0 yards per game (7th of 14) and 26.0 points per game (9th of 14).  Why did it underperform so dramatically? When Brandon Staley was the defensive coordinator of the LA Rams that season, he stressed pass coverage over run defense, and NFL offenses figured out that the best way to beat the Rams was to attack the middle of the defense repeatedly.