Small changes have big impact for Rams defense in Week 3 to seal the win

One of the things that I am already starting to respect and appreciate about the LA Rams new defensive coordinator, Chris Shula, is is willingness to experiment and tinker with his players to place them into better position to make plays. Of course, getting gashed by opposing offenses who run all day against the defense will make almost everyone desperate enough to try something new.

Let's be clear on the matter. This young Rams defense is nowhere near where the team hoped it might be. It's the last place defense. That means they are the 32nd ranked defense out of 32 NFL teams, allowing 425.7 yards per game. That is over 27+ more yards than the next NFl defense.

In terms of points allowed, this defense has not fared much better. The 30.3 points per game allowed by the Rams defense is only better than one other team, the Carolina Panthers, who allow 31.7 points per game.

An area of significant concern is the team's run defense, as it has been as porous as a cheesecloth in the early contests. The Rams allowed 163 rushing yards to the Detroit Lions, and 231 rushing yards to the Arizona Cardinals. It was fair to assume the San Francisco 49ers, a team that runs first, would grind out at least 200 yards on the ground against the Rams. While the defense was not great, they did hold the 49ers to 137 rushing yards on 34 runs, their best effort of the young season. Now, how did they do it?

Subtle changes making bigger differences

The LA Rams have a solid platoon of defensive linemen to mix and match throughout the game. At nose tackle, the Rams list Bobby Brown III (6-foot-4, 328 pounds) and newcomer Neville Gallimore (6-foot-2, 307 pounds). But per Lineups.com, Brown played fewer snaps while Gallimore saw his snaps nearly double in Week 3.

In addition, the team made ample use of rookie DT Tyler Davis (6-foot-2, 300 pounds) while shrinking the snaps of DE Desjuan Johnson (6-foot-3, 280 pounds). And those subtle differences seemed to make measurable differences.

While only recording two tackles, Tyler Davis had a huge tackle for a loss in the game. With fewer snaps, Brown had his best game of the season, putting up four tackles. And Gallimore, with more snaps, also put up his best game of the 2024 NFL season with three tackles.

Their presence allowed the Rams defense to mix and match Kobie Turner, much like the team had done with former DT Aaron Donald. Sometimes Turner would play as a defensive tackle. Sometimes he lined up over the center like a nose tackle. And sometimes The Conductor would line up like a defensive end. The results were unmistakably positive. Remove the 41 rushing yards put up by a scrambling QB Brock Purdy, and the Rams held the 49ers running backs to 106 yards on 24 carries.

While not great, it's an improvement. And it's trending in the right direction.

The Rams changed things up to face the 49ers. Whether those changes are now part of the defense's DNA, or simply a seldom-used deception to be tossed back into the bag of tricks for future use is not clear right now. But this team did take steps to get bigger up front, place players into roles they are better suited at, and work hard not to be too predictable.

And it paid off. Even ILB Troy Reeder had his first tackle for a loss in the season.

The Rams defense is not good yet. But they did stiffen up in the second half against the 49ers to allow a comeback win. And with any young group of NFL players, the more experience gained, the better the next week's performance.

Thanks for reading.