The defense of the Los Angeles Rams was a primary focus during the offseason due to Raheem Morris replacing Brandon Staley as the defensive coordinator. Through the first seven weeks, it’s safe to say that Sean McVay is liking what he’s seeing from the defense thus far.
“Each game’s a little bit different narrative. I thought they did a good job yesterday. I thought there was a couple of loose yards that they got in the run game, but I do think you got to give credit to (D’Andre) Swift and (Jamaal) Williams are two really tough physical backs,” McVay said Monday. “I thought they leveled some runs off and they caught us in the one third down on a blitz. It’s an excellent call right there. That’s one of those deals where you say, ‘Hats off to them,’ on the first long touchdown. But I thought we made our plays when we had to and I think through seven games, I think they’re really opportunistic. I think we’ve got some special players that elevate everybody around them. When you talk about Aaron (Donald) and Jalen (Ramsey), I think Leonard Floyd’s played like that as well.”
It was a slow start for the Rams in Week 7 versus the Detroit Lions, falling to a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter. Following a 63-yard screen pass to D’Andre Swift that went for a touchdown on the first drive, Los Angeles held the Lions to four field goals for the rest of the contest.
McVay name-dropped Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd as guys who are playing at elite levels right now. Along with those guys, McVay has been impressed with the growth of other players like Sebastian Joseph-Day, A’Shawn Robinson, and Terrell Lewis.
“I think you’re seeing guys really continue to get better. I think you look at Sebastian Joseph-Day taking steps in the right direction. I’ve been pleased with A’Shawn. It’s been good to see Terrell Lewis healthy. A lot of guys on the back end that are making big-time contributions, but I think they’ve done a really nice job. There’s always things that we can improve on, but overall I’m pleased with them,” McVay said.
You would think the Rams have one of the worst defensive units in the NFL if you were to check Twitter. But in the first seven weeks, Los Angeles boasts the No. 4 ranked defense in Football Outsiders’ DVOA. As the Rams prepare to go up against the Houston Texans in Week 8, McVay is happy to see where his defense is currently at.
