Can Rams get their defense right against Bears?

Though Chris Shula is under fire for a 32nd ranked defense, the Rams don’t have much to work with

The Los Angeles Rams got their record back on track in Week 3, beating the San Francisco 49ers 27-24, and the offense did its job by the fourth quarter. But can defensive coordinator Chris Shula fix the defense that has given up the most yards in the NFL through three games before it’s too late?

If you can’t stop the Chicago Bears on the ground, who can you stop?

Pending Monday Night Football games, the Rams rank 32nd in yards allowed, 31st in points allowed, 31st in passing yards allowed, 30th in rushing yards allowed, 32nd in net yards per pass attempt allowed, 29th in yards per carry allowed, and 31st in third down defense.

The Rams allowed 425 total yards to the 49ers in Week 3, as well as a season-high 25 first downs and 288 passing yards. Allowing 137 rushing yards was the lowest rushing yards total given up in three games.

Last season, the Rams gave up more than 24 first downs only once (23-14 loss to the Eagles) and over 400 yards only twice, including an overtime game against Baltimore. L.A. has already given up 400 yards twice this season.

When a defense gets this bad, conventional wisdom fingers usually point at a first-time defensive coordinator. After all, the Rams had a cheap and inexperienced defense in 2023 with the key difference being the presence of Aaron Donald, yet L.A. managed a totally average defense last year.

However, Chris Shula was nonetheless given the cheapest defense in the NFL and highest-paid player by far continues to be Aaron Donald.

By all measures of talent, the Rams invested the least amount into their defense of any team in the NFL. The spend less on defensive line, edge rushers, and linebackers than any other team in the league. They are also in the bottom five for money spent on the secondary.

The Rams put under $10 million into their edge rushers, which is about one-third the average spent and one-sixth the amount that the Chargers spend.

Could facing one of the NFL’s worst defenses in the early part of the season help Chris Shula get his first personal victory this season?

Bears running back D’Andre Swift has carried the ball 37 times in three games, but only gained 68 yards on those plays, averaging 1.8 yards per carry. Maybe the only thing that’s stunning is that somehow Chicago isn’t 32nd in yards per carry or rushing yards or offense this season.

The Bears are 30th in total yards, 30th in net yards per pass attempt, 30th in rushing yards, and 31st in yards per carry.

If this isn’t the best time to face Caleb Williams, when will it be?

The first overall pick has completed 59% of his passes in the first three games, throwing two touchdowns and four interceptions with 5.3 yards per pass attempt.

Offseason acquisition Keenan Allen has only gained 29 yards on 11 targets in one game, while rookie Rome Odunze has caught nine of 20 targets for 156 yards. D.J. Moore leads the way with 19 catches and 167 yards, but is only averaging 8.8 yards per catch. Moore has averaged 14.1 yards per catch in his career.

So while Chris Shula’s going through it as a first time defensive coordinator, Caleb is going through it as a first time NFL quarterback, D’Andre Swift is going through it as a first-time Bears running back, and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron won’t make it through his first season in Chicago at this rate.

The Rams are finally in the win column. Now can they finally stop somebody?