The LA Rams Top 10 winners in Week 8 win over the Minnesota Vikings

(10) - DC Chris Shula

With a young defense, a host of unfamiliar players, a new defensive coordinator, fielding the overall cheapest defensive unit in the entire NFL, and the retirement of All-Pro DT Aaron Donald, I fear that fans have set the bar far too high for Rams DC Chris Shula. After all, the team did not exactly give him a blank check to restock the shelves in the offseason. Much like Special Teams Coordinator Chase Blackburn, the front office did just enough to give Shula a few pieces to play with, with the belief that more defined needs would surface for 2024

But Rams fans clearly want results, now.

You can blame the early struggles of this defense on injuries. Or you can blame the early defensive struggles on unfamiliarity among players, coaches, and strategy. Unfortunately, many have opted to voice their frustrations by discrediting DC Chris Shula, and calling for the team to fire him outright. And yes, that happened frequently in the first quarter of Week 8.

Thankfully, the Rams football team ignored those passionate pleas.

The Rams defense is beginning to congeal. That's right, the worst defense in the NFL, and the least expensive defensive unit in all of professional football, is improving rapidly. In terms of passing defense, this team has risen to the 16th-ranked defense in the NFL. In terms of rushing defense, this group has risen to the 24th-ranked defense. In terms of allowing points, the Rams are now the 22nd-ranked defense. In terms of yards allowed, this defense is now the 21st-ranked defense. And in terms of creating turnovers, the defense is now the 20th-ranked defense.

While not yet great, the improvement has been significant, and consistent. Here's a fun fact: The LA Rams defense has not allowed a touchdown in eight of the last nine quarters of regulation play. That's pretty signficant for a defense that struggled early in the season.

Closer examination reveals that the team, while being cautiously slow and deliberate, has been making gentle and gradual improvements to the rotations all season. The team has swapped out struggling veteran DB Tre'Davious White for seasoned DB Ahkello Witherspoon. The team has flipped to a rapid rotation of defensive linemen to keep players fresh.

And the recent injury to starting ILB Troy Reeder has forced the team to deploy both Jake Hummel and Omar Speights at the inside linebacker position. The results have been noticeable, as the defense continues to improve with each week.