Summing up 5 instant reactions to Rams Saturday Night Football victory

(2) - This Rams defense is truly something

I'm not sure how many fans truly believe in this Rams defense or not, but I'm confident that the number is not enough. The LA Rams have won the last three games and allowed just 24 points to be scored against them. That is an unbelievable average of just 8.0 points per game. How much better must the defense play?

Led by new Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula, the Rams defense has certainly played the part needed by the team to keep winning. The Rams have won 10 of 16 games this season, and nine of eleven after the Week 6 BYE. The difference for the most part has been the play of the defense. When the Rams dropped four of their first five games, the offense scored 20, 10, 27, 18, and 19 points respectively.

Over the past five consecutive victories, the offense has scored 21, 44, 12, 19, and 13 points respectively. No, the winning streak is not due to a rejuvenated offense. It's been a remarkably improved defense that has led this team to the winner's circle. So how is the team doing that?

I think you have to start with giving credit to the inside linebacker tandem of rooke Omar Speights and Christian Rozeboom. The Rams run defense has certainly upped it's game in the latter two-thirds of the season, and that is not simply due to Speights. Rozeboom has been much better since teaming up with Speights, and the defense has improved as a result.

But I don't think that we can overlook the developing chemistry between veteran CBs Ahkello Witherspoon and Darious Williams. Even as the Rams allowed QB Kyler Murray to put up 321 passing yards and a touchdown, the Rams secondary picked off two of his passes in critical moments of the game. Surrendering a lot of yards means very little if those yards do not result in points.

The Rams defense held the Arizona Cardinals to just one of four conversions in the Red Zone. The Rams allowed the Cardinals to convert just six of 13 third-down conversions. And the Rams stopped the Cardinals on both of their fourth-down attempts. The Rams defense is playing at an entirely different level right now.