Breaking Down What Makes the Rams’ Defense So Effective

This is how the Los Angeles Rams defense is so impactful.

Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay on the sidelines in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams handed the Indianapolis Colts their first loss of the season, and one of the biggest takeaways from that game was how impressive their defense looked. Heading into the game, the Colts hadn't turned the ball over in 2025 and had only punted once.

The Rams' defense forced two ill-advised throws from Daniel Jones, which resulted in two interceptions for Kam Curl. As well, they also forced them to punt the ball four times, not to mention they took Jonathan Taylor out of the game completely.

Plays of the Week

Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) leaves the field after the game against the Indianapolis Colts at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Gordon McGuinness is a sports writer for Pro Football Focus, and he broke down which individual plays received the highest grades according to PFF. For the Rams, they made the list based on Jared Verse's dominant bull rush against the Colts' starting center, Tanor Bortolini.

"One of the wildest visuals of the weekend came from Rams edge defender Jared Verse. Lined up over Colts center Tannor Bortolini, Verse timed his rush perfectly and drove the rookie lineman onto his back, earning a +1.5 PFF grade for the dominant rep", said McGuinness.

Jared Verse running dudes over 💪

INDvsLAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/FvelVVOhYw

— NFL (@NFL) September 28, 2025

As shown in the clip above, Bortolini stood no chance of preventing Verse from getting pressure on Jones and ruining the play for the Colts offense. In a game where the Colts were predicted to pull off the upset, seeing those types of plays from your defensive star must've been a sigh of relief for the Rams coaching staff on the sideline.

Verse's performance against the Colts was the best he's had this season, and may be up there for some of his best performances in his young career. He had six quarterback pressures, which included a sack and even a tackle for loss.

Sep 28, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) forces a fumble by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) in the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Rams' defense is top ten in all of the major categories, including being tied for second for most sacks in the league. A lot of that is due to Verse's pressure, even if he can't always convert them into sacks.

His individual numbers aren't anything to write home about, but it's thanks to his impact on the defensive line and the attention he takes up that his teammate, Bryon Young, is able to have the most sacks of any player in the NFL at the moment. He's one of the biggest reasons why the Rams' defense is as great as it is, and if he stays healthy, he should be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

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