It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Rams defense is built around their pass rush. The overall ethos of the defense has been for the pass rush to affect the quarterback and therefore help the lack of talent outside at cornerback. To say that there have been some frustrations with the overall pressure consistency would be an understatement and it was one of the biggest questions coming into the playoffs.
For the most part, the Rams pass rush did get to the quarterback this season and do its part. They had the fifth-highest pressure rate at 38 percent, trailing only the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings. That doesn’t mention that on third down, the Rams had the second-highest pressure rate behind the Broncos.
They were also eighth in total sacks and ninth in sack rate. The Rams pass rush certainly wasn’t bad, but they disappeared at times. The Rams started the season with four consecutive games in which they had a pressure rate over 40 percent. However, in the third quarter against the Eagles in which they allowed 14 points in a comeback effort, they had a pressure rate of 23.1 percent.
In the Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, they had a pressure rate of 24 percent. From Weeks 9-11, the Rams went three consecutive games without a pressure rate over 30 percent. The overall numbers have been good, but there have been moments in which the pass rush disappeared for stretches.
Teams began to test the Rams’ cornerbacks more on the outside with success. Even when the pass rush was getting to the quarterback, the cornerbacks were struggling to hold up downfield. Teams got rid of the ball faster with a time to throw of 2.8 seconds for the 10th fastest time to throw in the NFL.
It’s no surprise, but the Rams getting to the quarterback has been critical to their success. When the Rams have a pressure rate of over 40 percent, they are 7-2. Meanwhile, three of the Rams’ losses have come when they’ve had a pressure rate under 35 percent.
Again, there were some concerns on whether or not the Rams pass rush would show up in the playoffs. For the Rams to make a Super Bowl run, it would be imperative. While the Rams defense gave up 30 or more points for the fifth time in the last seven games, the pass rush did show up against the Panthers, especially in the big moments.
In the first meeting, the Panthers were 3-for-3 with two touchdowns on fourth down. On Saturday, they were 0-for-3 on fourth down and a lot of that was because of the pressure on Young in those plays. The Panthers went for it on fourth down on their opening drive and Byron Young flushed Bryce Young from the pocket out of play action. The result was essentially a throwaway.
A very similar play happened later in the game. Braden Fiske immediately got through the Panthers offensive line to flush Young out of the pocket. Byron Young contained the edge and took away any chance for the Panthers quarterback to find an open receiver.
When the Rams pressured Bryce Young, he was 4-for-16 for 41 yards with a -0.55 EPA per dropback. With no pressure, he was 17-for-24 with a 0.22 EPA per dropback. Young’s interception in the first half came because he was knocked off of his spot and threw off-platform, causing a rushed, inaccurate throw.
Later in the game, on a 3rd-and-2, Verse bull-rushes Yosh Nijman into Young. What should be an easy dump off to the running back ends up forcing Young into an unbalanced throw. Byron Young led all pass rushers with eight pressures on Wild Card Weekend while Jared Verse was right behind him with seven via PFF. Kobie Turner had six pressures and Braden Fiske had four. That also doesn’t mention that the Rams defense had two sacks in the first quarter. Fiske’s 2.5 sacks in three career postseason games trails only Kevin Carter, Kevin Greene, and Leonard Little in Rams franchise history.
That’s not to say that positive plays didn’t happen when the Rams had pressure. Young scrambled for a touchdown climbing the pocket as the Rams defensive line lost gap control. His touchdown pass to take the lead late in the fourth quarter also came fading away from Jared Verse. However, on plays like that, sometimes you just have to tip your cap.
It’s not just that the Rams got pressure in this game, but they came in big moments. Pressure played a factor on the first two fourth down stops, on several third downs, and the interception. On the final drive, the Panthers only needed a field goal. The pass rush stepped up and got to Young on all four plays. Young went 0-for-4 and had to throw the ball away twice. The defense didn’t allow a single first down.
The pass rush will need to continue this rate over the next three games if the Rams are going to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at Levi’s Stadium. This season, Caleb Williams was the fourth-highest pressured quarterback and it will very likely be Theo Benedet at left tackle instead of Ozzy Trapilo. Benedet has the 10th-lowest pass-blocking efficiency via PFF this season.
McVay isn’t to blame for 4th down decision
Far too often, fourth down decisions are criticized in hindsight and without context. Had the Rams converted and ended up scoring a touchdown, nobody is complaining about the decision. McVay has a game management coordinator in Dan Shamash who specializes in advising those decisions. Shamash clearly advised McVay to go for it and both ESPN’s model and other analytics recommended going for it. The decision to go for it was correct.
From there, because the Rams didn’t convert, the play-call immediately gets called into question. However, Matthew Stafford has not one, but two open receivers on this play. Puka Nacua is open underneath along with Tyler Higbee. However, Kyren Williams misses his assignment in pass protection on the blitzing safety. This forces Stafford to bail to his right, away from the natural play direction. The Rams missing the fourth down has very little to do with McVay and more to do with the quarterback not pulling the trigger to his open receiver and the running back whiffing on his block in pass protection. It was the right decision and the play was there to be made with the play-call. Players have to execute and make plays.
Matthew Stafford appreciation
Despite a rough third quarter, was there ever any doubt that Matthew Stafford was going to deliver in crunch time? For Stafford’s first completion after being as cold as he was and pull out a no-look pass shows the level of confidence that he has in those situations. His touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson was actually great coverage from Nick Scott. Stafford just threw an absolute dime and the Rams noticed the Panthers crashing down on their wide receivers in that concept. It was not Stafford’s best day, but he showed up when it mattered.
