New York Giants Week 17: Examining the Los Angeles Rams Defense
Going into the season, the Los Angeles Rams looked like they would be one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones were the only returning starters, but they’ve been surprisingly effective.
Personnel
Aaron Donald has been one of the best players in the NFL for almost a decade now. He’s dealt with injuries, but in 2023, he’s stayed healthy and has gotten into his dominant pass-rushing ways. Sacks haven’t been at the forefront of his production, but he’s a pressure cooker again, on pace for almost 100 pressures on the season.
The role players around Donald have taken major strides compared to what was expected this preseason. Byron Young is about as productive as any other rookie pass-rusher in the NFL, registering 43 pressures so far, third-most for rookie edge rushers in 2023 behind only Will Anderson and Tuli Tuipulotu.
Michael Hoecht, on the opposite edge, has been asked to play a role that few could play in the NFL. His role will be further explained in the next section, as he’s allowing this defense to operate at the level they do.
On the interior, next to Aaron Donald, is the combination of Kobie Turner and Jonah Williams. Turner has been Donald's primary running mate as he’s more of a pure nose tackle that allows Donald to operate in space a little more.
The second level features the returning Ernest Jones, Christian Rozeboom and Troy Reeder, although the latter have struggled and have performed at an underwhelming level. Jones is frequently used as a blitzer, a role that allows him to generate pressure if he gets clean rushes and keeps him out of coverage, an area he’s still improving on.
Jordan Fuller only played in three games in 2022 as injuries took over his year but he’s been an iron man for the Rams secondary in 2023, playing all but 28 snaps all season for this defense. Russ Years has an elite name but was recently replaced in the starting lineup by John Johnson III. I expect all three will play significant snaps this weekend.
The cornerback room has Ahkello Witherspoon, Derion Kendrick, and Cobie Durant playing most of the snaps, with Durant taking over the nickel role. Kendrick and Durant are young and athletic, with Witherspoon being the veteran presence on the outside. Witherspoon’s been more aggressive in the secondary this season than we’ve seen from him throughout his career.
Kendrick has had a rough go of things over the last month but had a strong performance against the Saints. Clearly, the Commanders and Ravens wanted to target him frequently, and they found success, Kendrick gave up 12 catches, 218 yards, and two touchdowns on 15 targets in those two games.
Scheme
I mentioned in the last section that Hoecht is a key to this defense running the way they do. He lines up as an edge rusher on almost every defensive snap he’s on the field, but he drops into coverage on almost 40% of his pass-defense snaps. Despite his lack of pass-rushing snaps, he’s fourth on the team in pressures created.
Hoecht’s ability to do whatever is asked of him, granted he leaves a bit to be desired in coverage, allows the Rams defense to function at their level and open the playbook. Hoecht’s role works hand in hand with Ernest Jones, and the two are complementary roles.
Jones is used as an off-ball linebacker that blitzes frequently, even picking up the fifth-most pressures on the team, just three behind Hoecht. Hoecht, being an edge rusher who frequently drops back, and Jones, an off-ball player who blitzes, opens up the door for sim pressures, a staple of this defense.
Sim pressures, formally simulated pressures, are when a defense brings extra defenders up to crowd the line of scrimmage to show that they will blitz the offense but then drop back into coverage, sending no more than four defenders into the backfield. That’s where Jones and Hoecht are essentially weaponized.
Many defenses are versatile in how they disguise their pressure up front or disguise their coverage on the back end. The Rams are one of the few teams that do both and do both well.
The Rams will almost always line up with a two-high look, meaning they’ll have two deep safeties pre-snap. Out of that look, the Rams play three main coverages: Cover 3, Quarters, and Cover 6. This allows the Rams to know they have three likely coverages they’re playing, but opposing offenses have to not only read where pressure is coming from but also what coverage the defense is in.
The Rams defense is simple for their own players, doing fewer things but being good at those things, while tying the offense up in knots.
What This Means for the Giants
This week especially, the Giants need to attack quickly underneath, allowing for catch-and-run opportunities that can move the sticks. If I were Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka, I’d be looking at RPOs with the option to have a QB keeper, hand it off to Saquon Barkley, or throw either a slant or tight end under route.
With how often the Rams drop edge defenders into coverage and blitz the interior, running an RPO wide has relatively simple reads, make the read man either the backside edge or the middle linebacker.
If either of those players are the read man: when he rushes in, QB keeps the ball or throws the slant or under. When he drops back, hand the ball off.
For all of the flaws that Josh McDaniels had as a coach, in 2022, he showed a way for offenses to attack Hoecht on the edge with wide receiver runs. When the Rams would put Hoecht on the outside to the field side, the Raiders would run end-around and reverse with Mack Hollins right at Hoecht because of his inability to chase down a receiver in space.
Final Thoughts
The Giants can find ways to move the ball against the Rams front. It’s about timing up shots appropriately but moving the ball somewhat consistently by attacking the weaker spots of this defense.
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