NFL expert points to fundamental fatal flaw that Rams fans have known all along

How have the former 9-2 Los Angeles Rams fallen to 11-5? That is a question that NFL analysts are scrambling to investigate. Some have uncovered part of the answer, as others are still searching. But let's be crystal clear. Fans have known the answer for months.

While the changes to special team have yielded positive results in one game, the true culprit lies elsewhere. LA's once-stingy defense has become complacent and generous. Fans know that since losing safety Quentin Lake, the defense struggles to stop opposing offenses from scoring. Now, NFL analyst Isaac Rochelle knows it as well:

Did Los Angeles peak too soon? Tom Brady feared that might be the case, and so far, every indication is lining up as evidence that he was correct. But is this something the coaches can resolve with one more game on the schedule? That is the million-dollar question.

Rams defense has a fundamental fatal flaw

Even now, football minds are dissecting and reverse-engineering the difference in the defense's performance. From quarterback pressures to coverage schemes, data will provide whatever answer analysts are predisposed to find. However, a fundamental flaw has recently surfaced that could prove to be the fatal difference.

Players are no longer tackling well.

The optics during the Week 17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons were horrific. Had defenders made tackles, LA would have emerged with an easy victory. Instead, it was one more horrific performance that suggests to an increasingly frustrated fanbase that nobody has recognized the problem. No identification prevents taking corrective action.

And that is where this defense is right now, locked in a pathetic holding pattern of giving up huge gains on the ground or in the air. Worst of all, it can no longer shut the door on opposing offenses as time runs out and the game hangs in the balance.

Tackling. It's as simple as making tackles. As simple as the problem is, the team has yet to show any progress in correcting the flaw. Fans have known all along. Perhaps now that the NFL network has advised its viewers, a solution will soon arrive.

As always, thanks for reading.