Rams will trust Trent McDuffie and Quentin Lake to keep secondary going strong

It may not feel as though they've been playing well, but the Los Angeles Rams' secondary is one of the best in the NFL. The group is already without Kam Kinchens and Jaylen Watson due to injury, but they've held opposing offenses to just 171.3 passing yards per game. And while they've allowed five touchdowns, they've picked off three passes as well.

Lost in the details of LA's 1-2 record is the fact that no opposing receiver has put up more than 50 yards in a game. That's quite an accomplishment, as the team had yielded 50+ receiving yards to three different players in its first three games of 2025.

Fans can thank the synergy between cornerback Trent McDuffie and safety Quentin Lake.

McDuffie's elite talents have been on full display. So far, he's exceeded expectations in both coverage skills and run defense. It's only a matter of time until that ability translates to the win column.

Meanwhile, Lake has allowed only 12 of 21 targets to find their intended receiver. Meanwhile, he's tied McDuffie with seven pass breakups. He has even registered 23 tackles, though Lake is not as sure-handed as McDuffie and has let three ball carriers slip from his grasp.

Trent McDuffie and Quentin Lake will continue to lead Rams secondary

At some point, the secondary's dynamic duo will welcome back injured teammates. In the meantime, the unit will hope to get as much mileage as possible out of depth players with McDuffie and Lake in the lead, along with seasoned veteran Kam Curl.

So far, cornerbacks Josh Wallace and Emmanuel Forbes, with safety Jaylen McCollough showing up as well, have taken up the slack in Kinchens' and Watson's vacated roles. While Forbes struggled in Denver, Wallace found his stride and finished with not one but two interceptions (even if officials robbed him of the second).

Of course, mid-game adjustments due to injuries are challenging to coordinate. As soon as the injury epidemic subsides, LA's defense should be able to find a foothold. Until then, it will be up to coordinator Chris Shula to place his players in positions to succeed.

That may not be so difficult. The defense is playing well as a whole. Except for the second half last week, the secondary has been for the most part outstanding. All that remains is to fix several very fixable problems. The Rams can certainly do that.

As always, thanks for reading.

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