One of the big questions for the Los Angeles Rams heading into the 2025 season was how much their defense would improve from year one to year two under defensive coordinator Chris Shula. Between the growth of young players like Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and Kam Kinchens, as well as a greater overall comfort level, improvement was more likely than not. Still, much of the national media had the Rams defense ranked in the bottom half of the league or even the bottom-10 during the preseason.
Through Week 7, the Rams defense ranks second in the NFL in EPA per play behind only the Houston Texans. However, it’s worth noting that heading into Monday Night Football, the Rams actually had the number one defense in EPA per play. They are also allowing 16.7 points per game which is second behind only the Texans.
Other major analytics outlets also have the Rams ranked inside the top-5. PFF has the Rams graded as the fourth defense overall while FTN fantasy has them rated fourth in total defense DVOA. The Rams may rank 12th in yards per game and ninth in success rate, but they’ve been able to limit explosives and keep teams out of the end zone. The Rams rank second in red zone defense behind the Denver Broncos, allowing a touchdown at a rate of 40 percent.
Between the second half of the Ravens game and the first half against the Jaguars, the Rams defense had gone an entire game without allowing a single point. In three separate games, the Rams have held opponents scoreless in the second half.
We’re a little over one-third of the way into the NFL season, but this looks to be the norm for the Rams defense. It hasn’t just been one-off performances, but outside of two bad halves of football out of 14, they have consistently been a dominant group. The Indianapolis Colts have the number one offense in football and the Rams are the only team to hold them under 29 points. In 2025, the Colts have averaged 33.1 points per game and Shula’s defense held them to 20.
It seems as if McVay’s coaching staff gets poached every offseason. McVay has consistently had to replace offensive coordinators and defensive coordinators on his coaching staff because they got jobs elsewhere. In fact, Shula replaced Raheem Morris who ended up with the head coaching job for the Atlanta Falcons.
With how the Rams defense has performed this season, it would not be surprising to see Shula get a serious look in this next cycle. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini listed Shula as someone to keep an eye on when other openings arise.
It will certainly depend on how many head coach openings come up and things are always more difficult for defensive coaches as teams look to develop young quarterbacks. However, one team that could make a lot of sense for Shula is the Miami Dolphins. In the case that Mike McDaniel gets fired, Shula has the obvious connection of his grandfather being the legendary coach for that franchise. Additionally, back in 2024 before Shula was promoted to defensive coordinator, the Dolphins interviewed him for the same position. That doesn’t mention that McVay has allowed Shula to take the place as the head coach during specific games in the preseason.
The Rams have been one of the better defensive units in the NFL this season and it’s hard to say that Shula hasn’t maximized the talent in that group. Nate Landman is having a career year along with Quentin Lake. Over the past two years, he’s shown the ability to develop young talent as the Rams rank 31st in defensive spending while 17.5 percent of the cap is being spent on rookies and most of that is on the defensive side of the ball.
Shula has the Rams defense playing like one of the best defenses in the NFL and it won’t be long before the league takes notice. Given how well the Rams defense has performed, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Shula get a serious look at a head coach position this offseason.
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