The Los Angeles Rams defense has been under much criticism throughout the season. Whether it’s the utilization of Jalen Ramsey or the performance of Troy Reeder, there are a few constant complaints from fans when it comes to the defense of the Rams.
One player that shouldn’t have many complaints from fans is Greg Gaines. Gaines has been simply fantastic for the Rams this season, proving to be a tough task for offensive linemen to block.
According to Seth Walder of ESPN, Gaines had the best run-stop win rate of any interior defender in Week 12.
Week 12 run stop win rate extremes!
Interior
Best: Greg Gaines
Worst: Levi OnwuzurikeEdge
Best: Cameron Jordan, Dorance Armstrong
Worst: Jason Pierre-Paul, K'Lavon Chaisson, Quincy Roche(ESPN / NFL Next Gen Stats)
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) November 29, 2021
While watching the game on Sunday, it didn’t appear that the Rams did a great job at slowing down the rushing attack of the Green Bay Packers. However, they did limit the Packers to only 92 rushing yards on 32 attempts (2.9 yards per attempt).
Gaines had himself quite the performance with a season-high seven combined tackles and a sack versus the Packers. Through the first 12 weeks of the season, the third-year interior defender is having a career year with 35 total tackles and 2.5 sacks.
With Sebastian Joseph-Day potentially out for the season, Gaines has been asked to take on a larger role on defense. It’s safe to say he hasn’t disappointed yet as he’s become a key cog in the trenches in recent weeks.
Given the fact that the Rams have built their team around multiple star players, they need contributions from some of the role players. Even though some of the role players have taken a step backward as the season has progressed, Gaines continues to evolve into a mainstay in Los Angeles.
