The Los Angeles Rams may not beat the Chicago Bears in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs without the key contributions of second-year linebacker Omar Speights.
Speights’ standout play last weekend
was an important fourth down stop at the goal line to slow Chicago’s comeback attempt. He stepped in front of a Caleb Williams pass and could have come away with a pick six if it wasn’t for a big collision with fellow linebacker Nate Landman.
The former LSU Tiger was also in solid position to breakup Williams’ first touchdown on the night, but the young quarterback made a stellar throw to put the ball just inches out of Speights’ reach and beat good coverage. There’s not much you can do against a throw of that caliber.
All-in-all, Speights finished with nine total tackles (five solo) with only a single miss. He notched two pass breakups and only allowed two catches on four targets for 15 yards and a passer rating of 59.4 as the nearest defender in coverage.
This effort earned Speights a spot on Turf Show Times’ post-game “winners” list. The game grades from Pro Football Focus (PFF) serve as objective confirmation of the standout performance as he earned the third-highest mark on defense. Speights’ defensive grade of 90.1 is easily the highest of his season. This was his second career grade over 90.0+. The last came during the 2024 season in Week 13 against the New Orleans Saints.
But the Omar Speights that we saw this past Sunday isn’t always the one that shows up week in and week out. The second-year linebacker is one of the most inconsistent and volatile player on the Rams’ roster; however, the team will need him at his best in order to takedown the Super Bowl favorite Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.
Is Speights the most volatile Ram?
Sticking with PFF grades—in the three weeks preceding his breakout game in Chicago—Speights earned the following marks:
- Week 17 at Falcons: 48.2 (45.4 coverage, 53.7 run)
- Week 18 vs Cardinals: 54.9 (49.4 coverage, 67.9 run)
- Wildcard at Panthers: 41.9 (39.3 coverage, 61.6 run)
Bijan Robinson ran rampant on the Rams defense in a Week 17 loss. It was one of LA’s worst tackling performances on the season as they missed 19 tackle attempts. Speights played a role in elevating this total with two misses on his own. He attempted nine tackles in this game.
In week 18 against the Cardinals, Speights allowed receptions on all three of his targets for 28 yards. He only recorded a single run stop.
Analyzing Speights’ performance in the wildcard round is tougher. He was on the field for 52 plays with 33 coming in pass defense. He blitzed on four plays and recorded a single pressure (relatively low productivity). While his coverage grade was his lowest mark on the season, as the nearest defender in coverage he allowed just two catches on five targets for 14 yards. It’s possible the pass catchers he was covering dropped passes or Bryce Young missed them, as PFF grades independently of whether the pass is caught. They are mostly tracking separation.
Further complicating the discuss around Speights is the fact that his running mate at linebacker, Nate Landman, is also not playing well. Landman received a midseason contract extension from the Rams and his productivity has fallen off a cliff since he put pen to paper. The veteran hasn’t posted a PFF defense grade over 65.0 since Week 14.
One of the most encouraging signs of the Rams’ win over the Bears was how unheralded defenders stepped up to earn their team a trip to the NFC Championship: Speights, Kam Curl, Cobie Durant, and Kamren Kinchens.
It may not be sustainable to expect these players to string together strong performances on a weekly basis; however, the value the Rams get in unexpected places could be the difference between playing in the Super Bowl and watching from their couch.
It’s clear the Rams are better when Omar Speights plays well. He’s one of the most inconsistent players on the roster and needs to continue his strong play into this weekend’s NFC Championship.
