Rams Film Review: Is Chris Shula’s defense actually good?

Is the Rams defense actually one of the best in the NFL?

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell went on the Mina Kimes Show and said, “I think the Rams defense is bad. Like I don’t think it’s even good.” It’s a similar narrative and message shared as last week before the Los Angeles Rams shut down the Minnesota Vikings. Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports and the Football 301 podcast said, “As a whole, this defense is just not good.”

The national media underrated the Rams defense throughout the week and they held the Vikings to their lowest EPA output of the season. A secondary without talent held Justin Jefferson to just 58 yards on five receptions. Jefferson’s 1.3 yards per route run was one of his worst performances of 2024.

We are at the point where it’s almost as if the media is trying to will the Rams defense to be bad. What it really stems from is how the Rams built their Super Bowl team and how quickly they recovered from the “F them picks” model. They have seemingly found an identity on defense without Aaron Donald. After the NFL allowed Donald to fall to the Rams at 13, a decade later Jared Verse similarly fell to them at 19.

It’s no secret that Chris Shula’s defense struggled to start the year, but they have grown so much since then. In Weeks 1-5, the Rams defense ranked 32nd in EPA per play and 30th in success rate. At that point it looked as if Shula may not survive past his first season. However, the Rams defense has not been at that level since.

When the Rams returned from their bye week, this became a completely different group. Since Week 7 and not including the Week 18 game, the Rams rank 10th in defense EPA per play and 11th in success rate. Just looking at the last four weeks in which all of the starters played, they are second in EPA per play and 10th in success rate.

Taking away the first five games of the season in which it was expected that the Rams defense would be bad, they have been a top-10 unit. This is a group that has gotten better and grown as the year has progressed.

The Rams defense will face a big challenge on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, they have learned from past experiences all season. Back in Week 12, Rams rookie Jared Verse had his worst game against the run. Since then, he leads the NFL in run stops.

Schematic Tendency Breakers

The Rams have not been a heavy blitzing team this season. During the regular season, Rams cornerbacks had a total of 12 pass rush snaps. It’s simply not something that the Rams did a lot of under Shula. The Rams have run a lot of simulated pressures, but most of the time, it’s been with a linebacker blitzing or in their joker package and Michael Hoecht coming on a blitz. Against the Vikings, the Rams brought three cornerback blitzes which was 25 percent of their season total. On the play below, Durant perfectly disguises the blitz, moving with Jefferson in motion. When Darnold turns around away from the condensed formation on play action, he has no idea Durant is coming.

Throughout the regular season, the Rams have primarily been a zone team. A lot of teams run zone coverage, but the Rams also don’t necessarily have the cornerbacks to hang with wide receivers in man. However, they began to introduce more man coverage late in the year. That was especially the case against the San Francisco 49ers. On Monday Night against the Vikings, the Rams ran man coverage at a rate of nearly 30 percent which was almost twice as high as their season average.

Coming into the game, Durant was the Rams best man coverage defensive back which is a big reason why he thrived against the Vikings. The Rams were in man coverage on Durant’s interception.

Jared Verse is a dude

It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point, but the Rams have a very good player in Jared Verse. Even when he’s not getting a sack, he’s making a play to create opportunities for other players. For years, Rams defensive linemen benefitted from the Aaron Donald effect. It won’t be long before we are talking about a Jared Verse effect. Whether it’s shoving a tackle into the quarterback to flush them out of the pocket or taking more attention from the offense, Verse is creating for others around him. His pure power remains among the best in the NFL and he’s only a rookie. He knocked Brian O’Neil on his back in the fourth quarter and that’s not the first time Verse has surprised an offensive tackle with his power.

Verse didn’t end up with a sack against the Vikings, but he stood out on tape and took over the game. While he wasn’t involved on the initial sack-fumble, he was there to scoop up the ball and take it the rest of the way for a touchdown. When the Rams lost Aaron Donald in the offseason, they needed another star on their defense. It should be no secret that the Rams’ defensive turnaround coincides with Verse’s level of play. In Weeks 1-5, Verse was the 17th graded edge rusher via PFF. From Week 7-17, he’s been the 10th highest graded edge rusher. Over the last four games, he’s been the sixth-best edge rusher.

Defense playing together as one unit and playing fast

Early in the season it seemed as if the Rams defense was always a step behind and they were thinking too much during the play. Following the bye week, that seemed to improve and over the last four games, this is a unit that is playing fast and they are playing together. Plays are happening as designed and all 11 players are playing connected. It’s no longer just one player at the ball. When one player is there to make a tackle, three or four more are there to help. The result has been a top-10 defensive unit in the NFL.

There has also been a huge improvement in the secondary in recent weeks. Since Week 7, the Rams defense has allowed a passer rating of 84.5. That’s the fourth best in the NFL. Their 12 interceptions over that period is also the third-most. They’ve allowed 5.28 adjusted net yards per attempt which ranks fourth and their 6.95 yards per attempt is 11th. The Rams secondary has played extremely well for a group that had duct tape put over it and has been tinkered with all year to find the right combination.

Honorable Mention

The play below is a special request from earlier this week. However, it’s also a testament to Chris Shula’s coaching job. Former Rams running back Cam Akers broke off a big play to the outside on a toss play. Defensive lineman Neville Gallimore is way behind the play, but displays great hustle to chase down Akers and help force the Vikings running back out of bounds. Shula is getting the most out of this defense and his players. It won’t be long before he’s a head coach.

This has been a defense heavy film review, but there is one offensive point that is worth mentioning. Since Tyler Higbee’s return to the offense, the tight end position has no longer been absent. While the Rams spent on Colby Parkinson in the offense, he never seemed to have a huge impact in the passing game. Higbee has five receptions in each of the last two games. Parkinson had one such game all season. It’s because of this that a player like Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland make a lot of sense in the draft.