Turf Show Times
It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Rams defense is built around their pass rush. The overall ethos of the defense has been for the pass rush to affect the quarterback and therefore help the lack of talent outside at cornerback. To say that there have been some frustrations with the overall pressure consistency would be an understatement and it was one of the biggest questions coming into the playoffs.
For the most part, the Rams pass rush did get to the quarterback this season and do its part. They had the fifth-highest pressure rate at 38 percent, trailing only the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, and Minnesota Vikings. That doesn’t mention that on third down, the Rams had the second-highest pressure rate behind the Broncos.
They were also eighth in total sacks and ninth in sack rate. The Rams pass rush certainly wasn’t bad, but they disappeared at times. The Rams started the season with four consecutive games in which they had a pressure rate over 40 percent. However, in the third quarter against the Eagles in which they allowed 14 points in a comeback effort, they had a pressure rate of 23.1 percent.
In the Week 5 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, they had a pressure rate of 24 percent. From Weeks 9-11, the Rams went three consecutive games without a pressure rate over 30 percent. The overall numbers have been good, but there have been moments in which the pass rush disappeared for stretches.
Teams began to test the Rams’ cornerbacks more on the outside with success. Even when the pass rush was getting to the quarterback, the cornerbacks were struggling to hold up downfield. Teams got rid of the ball faster with a time to throw of 2.8 seconds for the 10th fastest time to throw in the NFL.
It’s no surprise, but the Rams getting to the quarterback has been critical to their success. When the Rams have a pressure rate of over 40 percent, they are 7-2. Meanwhile, three of the Rams’ losses have come when they’ve had a pressure rate under 35 percent.
Again, there were some concerns on whether or not the Rams pass rush would show up in the playoffs. For the Rams to make a Super Bowl run, it would be imperative. While the Rams defense gave up 30 or more points for the fifth time in the last seven games, the pass rush did show up against the Panthers, especially in the big moments.
In the first meeting, the Panthers were 3-for-3 with two touchdowns on fourth down. On Saturday, they were 0-for-3 on fourth down and a lot of that was because of the pressure on Young in those plays. The Panthers went for it on fourth down on their opening drive and Byron Young flushed Bryce Young from the pocket out of play action. The result was essentially a throwaway.
A very similar play happened later in the game. Braden Fiske immediately got through...
