Rams relentless pass rush has found its stride at the perfect time

The LA Rams pass rush ended the 2024 NFL regular season with 38 quarterback sacks. That number was only good enough to place the Rams pass rushers in as the 21st-ranked defense in terms of quarterback sacks in the entire NFL. Well, hold that thought. The same Rams defense lit up Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Sam Darnold for nine quarterback sacks. That ties an NFL record for most sacks recorded in a single NFL playoff game:

So which is it? Are the Rams for real as a pass rush that can get after the quarterback? Or is this a matter of a broken clock being correct twice in a 24 hour period? To understand the Rams pass rush, we have to understand how the Rams front office constructed the defensive front for new LA Rams Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula.

Then, you decide.

When the LA Rams ended their 2023 NFL Season with a Wild Card loss in the 2024 NFL Playoffs to the Detroit Lions in Detroit, the team was instantly confronted with several changes to the Rams roster and coaching staff that would change the trajectory of the team. In that game, the team lost by the oh-so-close score of 24-23. The team managed three quarterback sacks against Lions QB Jared Goff: 2.0 QB sacks from ILB Ernest Jones, 0.5 QB sacks from OLB Byron Young, and 0.5 QB sacks from NT Kobie Turner.

And then, everything changed. All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald, an impact player on the team's defensive front, announced his retirement. Simultaneously, DC Raheem Morris signed on as the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, The Rams opted not to extend defensive end Jonah Williams. And for the piece de resistance, the team traded defensive standout LB Ernest Jones for next to nothing.

And on top of everything else, the team hired new Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula. Good luck with managing and addressing all of those holes in your newly formed defense, Chris.