Byron Young needs to keep this defensive streak alive vs. the Eagles

The second-year OLB has been quietly having a superb sophomore season, leading the team in sacks thus far

Byron Young has been on a hot-streak with the Los Angeles Rams since Week 7, posting a sack in each of his last four games. With rookie sensations Jared Verse and Braden Fiske bursting on the scene with huge success, the second-year outside linebacker sometimes can get lost in the fold. However, Young has quietly been getting it done for LA, leading the team in sacks with six.

Young tops a group that ranks seventh in the NFL for most sacks in the league with 27 through 10 games. A third-round pick out of Tennessee in 2023, he had a very solid rookie year for the Rams with 61 tackles, eight sacks, and two forced fumbles. While those numbers were a great start to his career, Young is currently on pace to top those numbers in his sophomore season, already totaling 37 tackles, six sacks and one forced fumble.

Not enough can be said about how good the Rams very young defensive line has been this year. Young, along with Verse, Fiske, and second-year player Kobie Turner, have given Los Angeles an absolutely stacked line with all of the cornerstone players being on rookie contracts until a minimum of 2026.

General Manager Les Snead may have fallen out of favor a bit with fans for some of his recent trade returns, but it cannot be denied how impressive he has been at finding mid-late round gems in the draft. Along with the defensive line, safeties Kam Kitchens and Jaylen McCollough look like impactful starters already in the defensive backfield. On offensive, Snead also found players like WR Puka Nacua, RB Kyren Williams, C Beaux Limmer and WR Jordan Whittington who were all selected in the fifth-round or later.

The Rams have been getting it done when it comes to pressuring the quarterback, however they will need their defensive line to step up big in another facet of the game Sunday night as they will face arguably the best running back in the league Saquon Barkley. Los Angeles has been giving up an average of 127 rushing yards per game, ranking them 18th in the league, and they will need to drastically improve on that vs. Barkley who has topped 100 yards rushing in four of his last five games and currently sits in second for total rushing yards this year with 1,137.

Head coach Sean McVay acknowledged how impactful Barkley is for the Eagles, not just in the rush game but also the pass.

“He’s [Barkley] been outstanding and I think they’ve embraced him,” McVay said. “He’s a huge energy spark plug for them. He’s explosive, he’s getting tough, hard-earned yards. If you give him a vertical seam… I mean, he’s so explosive that before you know it, it’s a downhill inside zone run and he’s 60 yards out the gate. He’s been really productive in the passing game, and I think that he fits really well with what they’re trying to do. He fits in any scheme, but he’s playing great, looks great. They’re doing a great job of giving him a variety of opportunities and he is surrounded by a bunch of really good players. Similar to what was asked about their defense, they’ve hit their stride and it’s no mistake why they’ve won six games in a row. They’re finding their identity and certainly Saquon is in the middle of a lot of really good stuff that they’re doing.”

The Rams can make a pivotal move if they are able to come away with a win vs. the Eagles. It looks like only one NFC West team is probably claiming an NFC playoff spot, so if Los Angeles wants to see post-season play they will need to keep pace with the Arizona and win the division. The Cardinals currently hold a one-game lead and the tie breaker over the Rams. LA is 4-1 in their last five games, they’ll look to make it 5-1 on Sunday night.