New 'fearsome foursome' can complete LA Rams playoff push

They're not quite Deaon Jones, Merlin Olsen, Rosey Grier and Lamar Lundy. They may never be, but today's LA Rams have the makings of a new "fearsome foursome" good enough for 2024 and beyond.

It's a group led by two rookies, edge Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske, along with a pair of second-year pros, outside linebacker Byron Young and nose tackle Kobie Turner. This quartet is beginning to feast on opponents on a weekly basis and is strong and productive enough to power the Rams over the last hurdle to reach the playoffs.

These four D-linemen have accounted for 23.5 of the team's 31 sacks, per Pro Football Reference. The numbers sum up the reliance the Rams have on their playmakers up front, as well as their growing ability to take over games.

That's what Turner and Co. did during Week 15's 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The victory owed more to a defense increasingly capable of bossing teams than it did to the explosive offense Rams have gotten used to during head coach Sean McVay's tenure.

Beating up on the 49ers was also a tribute to the draft success that's yielded a powerful front four.

Rams have built fearsome defensive line through smart drafting

There's not other way to put it, general manager Les Snead has hit it big on the four draft picks that form this defensive front. Snead used premium draft capital to fortify a line in need of a major boost after all-world D-tackle Aaron Donald called time on his career.

It's a testament to the Rams' wise future planning that Snead began rebuilding the trenches even while 10-time Pro Bowler Donald was still playing. The rebuild started with Snead using a third-round pick to take Tennessee edge Young in 2023.

His numbers are down from last season, but the ex-Volunteers stud has still logged six sacks, generated 20 pressures and seven quarterback knockdowns. The 26-year-old is on pace to at least match his rookie production.

Young's case will be helped by the attention paid to fellow '23 draft third-rounder Turner. As the 82nd-overall pick, Turner has the lowest draft status of any member of the group, so his awesome performances showcase the best value from Snead's impressive draft haul.

Turner's output includes recording "more pressures against double teams" than any player in the league, according to Next Gen Stats. He added "4 pressures and 2 sacks on 20 pass rushes, with all four pressures and both sacks coming against double teams," against the Niners.

Young and Turner got the ball rolling, but a post-Donald realignment accelerated last offseason when Snead used the 19th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft to select Verse.

The latter has become an unlikely replacement for Donald, in the sense Verse is the latest Rams defensive lineman opponents need special plans to stop. One reason why the former Florida State standout could emulate Donald by winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Verse is not alone in his efforts. He's received ample support from interior mauler Fiske, the 39th player taken off the board earlier this year.

Fiske might look like nothing more than any other road-grader. A barrel-chested run-stuffer destined to do the dirty, oft-unseen work in the pits, but little else.

Instead, Fiske has added some oomph to the post-Donald interior pass rush by recording six sacks. That's tied with Young and just one QB takedown shy of Turner's tally.

The way the numbers are spread between the four pillars of this year's defense shows their dominance is a collective effort. It also reveals the problem opponents are having, a problem that can push the Rams into the playoffs.

Rams line forcing teams to play guessing games and hope for the best

Suppose for a moment you're an offensive line coach preparing for this Rams defensive front. Where do you focus protection? Who do you double?

If a team slides protection towards Verse, Young will win one-on-one matchups. If you double both edges, Fiske and Turner will destroy single blocking. Double Turner and two of the remaining trio have mismatches to exploit.

Solving the problems posed by the Rams isn't easy. Not when "three players rank inside the top-16 in hurries through Week 15," per Los Angeles Rams PR.

At the moment, nobody has the answers for stopping this group. Keeping opponents baffled at the business end of the season is a timely fillip for the Rams postseason hopes.

Games against the New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, give the Rams new fearsome foursome the chance to finish the job. If they can, few playoff teams will relish trying to block this quartet when it's sudden-death football.

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