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

It's not how you start, it's how you finish.

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: Minnesota Vikings v Los Angeles Rams, Kobie Turner
NFC Wild Card Playoffs: Minnesota Vikings v Los Angeles Rams, Kobie Turner | Brooke Sutton/GettyImages
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Rams risky draft maneuver pays off in playoff jackpot

I won't pretend to assert that the LA Rams wanted to focus on the defensive line in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. We knew before the draft that the Rams were extremely interested in Georgia TE Brock Bowers, and attempted to trade up to be in a position to select him. Even after Bowers was off the board, the team attempted to trade up, with many post-draft articles suggesting that the team targeted Texas rookie DT Byron Murphy II.

Neither scenario played out. The Rams ultimately stayed at 19, and in Round 1 selected outstanding Florida State outside linebacker Jared Verse. Verse was viewed by many draft analysts as the complete package, a plug-and-play rookie who possessed the passion, power, and persona of an NFL veteran edge rusher right out of the gates. In fact, in many mock drafts, he was off the board within the first 10 selections.

So yes, the team landed an elite prospect far later in the draft than expected.

But the front office was not done yet. After an incredible haul on Day 1, the Rams recognized that Verse's brother-in-arms, Seminoles DT Braden Fiske, remained on the draft board. So when Day 2 opened, the Rams scrambled to trade up in Round 2. The cost seemed quite prohibitive when the Rams negotiated a deal with the Caroline Panthers. The Rams would get the 39th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Panthers got the 52nd overall pick and a Round 5 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, plus a Round 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Rams front office effectively duplicated their success in the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting two outstanding defenders from the same college team in the 2024 NFL Draft. And while it confused some draft analysts, it was the worst-kept secret in the NFL.

The Rams defense did not burst onto the scene this season. In the first five games of the season, the Rams defense could only record 9.0 quarterback sacks.

But this was a young defense. Inexperienced pass rushers need time to develop. It didn't help that the early games included a rather ineffective Rams secondary. So quarterbacks did not hesitate to get rid of the football.

Fast forward to the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, and the same team that needed five games to reach nine quarterback sacks is getting to the quarterback nine times in one game. That is good enough to tie an NFL Playoffs record:

In one game, the Rams' pass rush elevated its game from chasing opposing quarterbacks to sacking opposing quarterbacks. And after the Wild Card Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs, the Rams lead all NFL teams in that statistic. When I say lead, I mean more than twice the number of quarterback sacks of the second-place pass rush. The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans share second place, each with four quarterback sacks respectively.

This was not an anomaly. Like a volcano with pressure building that suddenly erupts, the Rams pass rush has been getting better and better:

The Rams pass rush remains young and light on experience. So the team could just as quickly struggle to get quarterback sacks in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Draft. But with each game, with each new challenge, this defense is gaining experience and learning how to succeed.

The Rams lost to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season by a score of 41-10. The team won the rematch by a score of 13-9. The Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12 by a score of 37-20. Will the Eagles find the going as easy in Round 2?

I suspect that this young and restless Rams defensive front has something to say about that.

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