Turf Show Times
After knocking off arch-nemesis, San Francisco 49ers, the now 7-2 Los Angeles Rams are rewarded with another NFC West face off. This coming Sunday, it’s the 7-2 Seattle Seahawks coming to SoFi Stadium for a battle culminating in league supremacy.
Two weeks ago, during the bye week, I wrote about the Rams offense through the snap chart lens. Now it’s time to shed that same light on the defensive side.
At the beginning of the season, Rams defensive coordinator thought he had four starting-grade interior players and has used them as such. Although his stats are down, Kobie Turner (407, 67.6%) remains the cornerstone of the defensive line. Braden Fiske (310, 51.5%) has also shown a considerable drop in individual stats. Even though he’s getting less reps than in his previous years, Poona Ford (273, 45.3%) is on target for another solid season. Tyler Davis (243, 40.4%) has blossomed as a sophomore, at basically the half-way point of the slate, he’s matched all of his rookie year production. Ty Hamilton (69, 11.5%) was inactive in Week 1, but has had a handful of snaps in all the other eight. He’s played the way you would expect a Round 5 rookie to play. Like Hamilton, Larrell Murchison (61, 10.1%) has consistently provided work in the rotation and recorded a pair of sacks.
Much of thinking around Jared Verse (482, 80%) being quieter than last year is just how much he exploded onto the scene as a rookie. Although hurries and pressure percentage are down a little, all of his other 2025 numbers are on target to top last year, with missed tackles way down. Byron Young (477, 79.2) has provided the Rams with solid ROI for two and a half years and has another year on the books before he gets his payday. Plenty of discussion about who the Rams should extend, but a three-year deal/extension for Young should be at the top of the list. As the primary backup edge, rookie Josaiah Stewart (198, 32.9%) gets on the job training and enough reps to show off what he can do. The Rams are rewarding him by moving around the formation, his role mirroring that of the two bookend stars. Not many scraps left for Nick Hampton (64, 10.6%) and Desjuan Johnson (11, 1.8%).
It’s always interesting when a player with good production falls out of grace with a team. The Atlanta Falcons are not only on the verge of giving the Rams a Top 10 draft pick, but let a solid middle linebacker slip away to them. Nate Landman (557, 92.5) is that LB of the future. Just as important as production is his leadership. Omar Speights (330, 54.8%) is quietly building on his rookie year, although just getting back to full swing after an ankle sprain in the early October 49ers game, he’s on a path towards 100 tackles in 60% of snaps— strong production. Veteran Troy Reeder (46, 7.62%) and...
