When you think of the Los Angeles Rams under head coach Sean McVay, offense immediately comes to mind. However, what tends to get forgotten is how good the Rams defense has been in certain years. While they’ve generally had an above average defense to do enough, there have been seasons in which the defense had to carry the load.
For example, under first-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley in 2020, the Rams had the number one defense in the NFL. Staley’s defense ranked number one in several categories, including EPA per play, total yards allowed, and scoring. However, despite having the number one defense, the Rams barely made the playoffs at 10-6 and lost in the divisional round. That season is more known for the fallout of Jared Goff and McVay than it is for the stellar defensive group that carried the load.
Goff didn’t play well down the stretch and despite starting 7-3, the Rams finished 10-6 and needed a win in the final game of the season to make the playoffs. In Weeks 8-17, the Rams offense ranked 30th in EPA per play. Leading the NFL in turnovers, Goff ranked 28th in EPA per pass during that same timeframe, ahead of only Sam Darnold on the New York Jets and a declining Carson Wentz.
With Goff leading the charge, the Rams lost to the Miami Dolphins on the road thanks to four turnovers from the quarterback. Goff had poor performances in division losses against the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, but the icing on the cake may have been losing to the 0-13 Jets.
If the Rams win three of those four games, they are a top-two seed in the NFC. Had they won two of those four games, it’s the difference between the six seed and potentially winning the division or at least getting the path to the Super Bowl that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got.
That 2020 defense was the best group that McVay has ever had statistically but the quarterback tanked the offense, wasting a special unit.
Through four weeks of the 2025 season, this current Rams defense is out-performing the 2020 group. During the first four weeks of the 2020 season, the Rams defense allowed an EPA per play of -0.03. The current Rams defense is nearly three times better, allowing an EPA per play of -0.09. A lot of that is attributable to them having 14 sacks which is tied for the second-most in the NFL. They are also tied for the fourth-most takeaways with seven.
This isn’t to say that the 2025 Rams defense is perfect. It’s a group that certainly has its issues. At the same time, outside of one bad half of football, they’ve been excellent. Take away the one bad half against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Rams defense is allowing -0.19 EPA per play. That would be the number one defense in the NFL by a wide margin.
For all of the talk during the offseason about the Rams defense being the overall weak point of the roster, it’s a group that has mostly stepped up. Again, in year two under defensive coordinator Chris Shula, the Rams are a top-5 unit via defense EPA and rank seventh in success rate allowed. The Rams are ninth in total defense and have given up more than 20 points once. Their 20.3 points per game allowed ranks 10th.
That last part is very important. In games in which the Rams defense has allowed 20 points or less, Stafford is 29-2 since joining the team in 2021. Meanwhile, from 2017-2020, Goff was 28-6. Additionally, in weeks in which the Rams defense has had a top-10 outing in EPA per play, Stafford is 19-0. Under Goff, the Rams were 24-7 in such games.
The big difference between the 2020 team and the current version of the Rams is who is taking snaps under center. In 2020, the Rams were managing a developing Jared Goff who wasn’t quite ready to take that next step. This Rams defense is arguably the best one statistically that Matthew Stafford has had in his entire career. When Stafford has a good defense behind him, he produces.
Stafford hasn’t necessarily stood out in 2025 in the national media, but he’s been incredibly efficient which is what this team needs. He ranks seventh in passer rating and ninth in completion percentage over expectation. His 8.2 yards per attempt ranks fifth and he ranks 10th in EPA per dropback with a 0.12. Stafford has a turnover-worthy play rate of 3.2 percent which is his second-lowest number on the Rams. Conversely, his big time throw rate of 8.3 percent is the best of his career and leads the NFL.
With the level that the Rams defense is currently performing at, the 2025 team is very similar to the one in 2020. However, it can be argued that the 2020 team underachieved. At Stafford’s current level , that shouldn’t be the case this season. Instead of a quarterback holding the roster back, they have one capable of maximizing it. If the defense continues at its current pace, Stafford gives the Rams the stability on offense that they lacked with Goff five years ago.
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