Emmanuel Forbes Jr. is becoming a NEO in the Rams secondary Matrix

He was the hoped-for contributor to the Los Angeles Rams secondary in 2024. But Emmanuel Forbes Jr. arrived too late in the season to pivot to an immediate contributor. And so, the team showed remarkable patience and trust in the young man, an unlikely former Round 1 rookie prospect shed by the Washington Commanders in just his second season.

Was it a matter of the wrong fit in his first NFL season? General manager Les Snead seemed to think so. While it's taken time for the team's trust and confidence to be reflected in Forbes' performance, he is starting to show signs of reaching his potential. In Week 11, Forbes matched up against Seattle Seahawks' formidable wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njiba 20 times. Of those matchups, JSN was targeted five times, caught three, and put 30 yards on the field.

30 yards against Forbes is seriously impressive. And how about the fact that of 20 matchups against Forbes, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold looked elsewhere 15 times? If you want to give out medals for heroism. The former first-rounder certainly earned one.

Much like Mr. Anderson in The Matrix trilogy, he needed to find his confidence to become NEO.

Why does this matter for the Rams defense going forward?

A 17-game NFL season is not easy. Injuries along the way rip and tear at successful teams. Some teams are already decimated by injuries. So far, Los Angeles has been lucky enough to avoid multiple serious injuries.

But as players accumulate the bumps and bruises that hamper their performance, younger players are gaining vital experience that elevates their performance and ability to contribute. And Emmanuel Forbes, now playing in just his third NFL season, is finally realizing his potential.

Don't look for NFL analysts to laud him. He struggled early in the season, and that is enough to wipe him off the radar of nearly all NFL analysts. But he has been improving all season long. He has already recorded two interceptions this season, a career high.

While he has allowed three touchdowns, those occurred earlier this year. He has been increasingly resilient and stingy as the season wears on.

Forbes has 26 tackles after 10 games, another career high. And his early-season struggles have not crushed his completion rate, as he has only allowed 63.2 percent of passes targeting his receiver to find their mark. Better still, he is getting better every week.

Has he made a difference? You bet he has. The Rams lost veteran Ahkello Witherspoon after winning their first two games. The team struggled through a 1-2 period, but eventually turned on the jets to win five consecutive games. Forbes has started the last three games over that period.

He won't make All-Pro this year. He won't even make the Pro Bowl. But he will help Los Angeles make the NFL playoffs. In the end, that's what the team is looking for:

Contributors.

Will it be enough? It's something LA counts on every season, even if the players change from year to year. Success needs contributions from everyone. Right now, Emmanuel Forbes is beginning to believe. Just like NEO from The Matrix movie series, sometimes heroes appear from the most unlikely of places.

As always, thanks for reading.