NFL expert gives brutal assessment of Rams current woes, and she's not wrong

The 11-4 Los Angeles Rams are heading to the NFL playoffs. However, this is a team that is not showing improvement. In many ways, the team that vows to improve each day is actually regressing. Worse still is the fact that injuries are starting to pile up. The point is that this is a team that has lost four games all season, but two of those losses have occurred over the past four games.

Players will heal. Coaches will learn and adapt. The team will turn the corner. But when?

ESPN's NFL analyst Mina Kimes weighed in on what this team is sorely lacking, and her points are both correct and concerning. Los Angeles is mired in bad special teams play, and the latest firing of special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn was the immediate reaction. But she has another valid observation.

This team's pass defense sorely depends upon the pass rush. Despite generating 41 quarterback sacks, as soon as the team fails to chase down the quarterback, bad things happen. And LA's defense has been tiring of late. In the past four games, the Rams have been outscored in the fourth quarter by a score of 40 to 28.

Good teams know how to close out games.

What's changed for Rams defense over the last four games?

The biggest difference for the LA secondary has been the absence of defensive back Quentin Lake. Since landing on injured reserve, the team is only 3-2, and the defense is allowing opponents to average 25.4 points per game in his five-game absence. But there are more forces at work as well.

Veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who has returned from IR, has played in just two of the past five games. He did not play a single snap on defense in Weeks 15 and 16. The player getting the biggest spike in playing time is undrafted defensive back Josh Wallace.

Nose tackle Poona Ford is taking on a much larger share of the defensive front rotation, undoubtedly contributing to weariness in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Rookie outside linebacker Josaiah Stewart's workload has diminished significantly, also contributing to a less-than-refreshed pass rush as the game winds down.

And the team did not have outside linebacker Nick Hampton active in the past two games, forcing Byron Young and Jared Verse to pick up his snaps.

The results are not surprising. As the game's importance has increased, the defensive rotations have tightened, forcing fewer players to take more snaps. The results have been a much less effective defense.

The team has time to figure it all out. And the fact that the team faces the 5-9 Atlanta Falcons and the 3-11 Arizona Cardinals will certainly help. But the playoffs are nearly here. If Los Angeles doesn't find the answers quickly, it won't last long in postseason competition.

As always, thanks for reading.