Byron Young may be at his most dangerous as team aims for a Week 13 win

At one point in the season, Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Byron Young was keeping stride with the NFL's most elite pass rushers. But Young, who was averaging better than a sack per game, has suffered a bit of a drought lately.

Young has not recorded a quarterback sack since facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Wembley Stadium. That means that after putting up nine sacks in seven games, he has been shut down over the past four games. Curiously, the team has won all four games over that time frame, so it has not impacted the team's success. But now, Young is fighting through injury.

The latest injury report is not exactly promising, either. Despite the confidence from head coach Sean McVay in his star pass rusher playing in Week 13, the former Dollar General manager is still limited in practice. And his speed off the corner is one of the NFL's worst-kept secrets.

But can he blaze off the edge with a bum knee?

Byren Young is more than a sack master

Focusing on Byron Young's quarterback sack totals as his total contribution is a bit near-sighted. After all, this defense is one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL, and that is not simply due to 9.0 quarterback sacks.

Young has 53 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, 18 quarterback hits, and has missed just one tackle all season. He is the full package at outside linebacker, capable of setting the edge, sacking the quarterback, defending the pass, shedding blockers, and stuffing the run. He has even forced a fumble this season.

How good is he? He is one of the key contributors to the top NFL defense, a stalwart competitor who does every asked of him and everything necessary to ensure a victory. So even as the sack totals have gotten a bit stuck at 9.0, he continues to power the defense to new heights.

Of course, if he explodes for multiple quarterback sacks in Week 13, nobody will complain. It's simply that he offers much more to this defense than bringing opposing quarterbacks to the ground. On Thanksgiving Day, it seems appropriate to be grateful for everything Byron Young brings to the football field and to this defense.

As always, thanks for reading.