The Los Angeles Rams did the thing that very few expected in Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks. With their cornerback group, they held one of the best offenses in the NFL to fewer than 20 points for
the first time since Week 1 and held them to one touchdown after going 1-for-4 in the red zone. It was a masterclass from defensive coordinator Chris Shula.
While turnovers can certainly be fluky with a high level of variance and luck involved, there was nothing lucky about what happened on Sunday. Shula took aspects of what worked against quarterback Sam Darnold in the NFC Wild Card game from last season and applied them to Sunday’s game.
A majority of the nine sacks that the Rams had in that game came as a result of interior pressure. Darnold simply didn’t handle the interior pressure well and the Rams defense was able to create negative plays. That game seemed to be in Darnold’s head as he did everything he could to avoid taking a sack against the Rams on Sunday when that may have been the better decision.
It may not have seemed like it during the game, but the Rams defensive line created impact pressures, resulting in negative plays in different ways. It’s easy to look at the stat sheet and see a zero in the stats column. However, instead of sacks, the Rams were getting interceptions. As a defense, you take the turnover 10 out of 10 times.
On the first interception, Tyler Davis walks backup center Olusegun Oluwatimi into Darnold’s lap. The pressure forces Darnold to hold on to the ball for a tick longer than he should. Darnold then throws late over the middle off of his back foot and Kam Kinchens gets the interception.
A lot has been made about how the Rams defensive line has disappeared in recent weeks. Against the Seahawks, many of the impact plays were a result of the defensive line impacting the play. They got to Darnold 13 times on Sunday which was tied for the second-most in a game this season. Seven of those pressures came from Jared Verse who was tied with Myles Garrett for the most pressures in Week 11.
This isn’t to say that sacks aren’t important, but there is also a high level of variance and some luck involved. We need to look at this Rams defense in a different way. How they create pressure on the quarterback can be just as impactful as a sack. On Darnold’s fourth interception, Poona Ford loops around Kobie Turner on a stunt. This could have been a sack for Kinchens, but Darnold tries to do too much with a jump pass and the result is a turnover.
That doesn’t even mention the second interception by Cobie Durant which was very similar to his interception on Darnold last season in the playoffs. Kinchens’ second interception is a high IQ play in which the Rams safety baits Darnold by turning his hips towards the sideline as if he’s going to help over the top. Omar Speights also does well carrying Elijah Arroyo vertically and Kinchens gets his second interception.
The pressures didn’t just create turnovers. They were also aƒ major reason that the Seahawks went 1-for-4 in the red zone and had to settle for field goals. On two of the three failed third down conversions, the Rams defense generated pressure.
It’s easy to say that Darnold blew this game for the Seahawks with his four interceptions. However, that also completely dismisses the Rams defense and the part that they played in that. Darnold wasn’t throwing bad interceptions in a clean pocket. When pressured, Darnold was 5-for-12 for 34 yards and three interceptions. Back in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was 9-for-13 for 123 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Shula put on a masterclass schematically on Sunday against the Seahawks and knew exactly how to go after Darnold. It’s a testament to his ability to put together a one-off game plan when needed. He also showed good awareness and situational football. On the final play with five seconds remaining, Shula understands that the Seahawks can’t run the ball and it has to be a quick pass. Instead of rushing three and dropping eight, Shula drops all 11 players into coverage.
The defensive linemen dropping took away the immediate throws. Darnold’s first read is to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Braden Fiske took away the throwing lane. The players over the top also created a shell to limit an explosive play. The only throw available was the one that the Seahawks hit. It was a game-winning call. While Jason Myers’ kick went wide right, it was also short.
On a day in which the Rams offense didn’t perform and missed opportunities, it was Shula and the defense that stepped up. Shula’s ability to get the most out of this group and play good situational football is a reason why he’ll get head coach consideration this offseason.
Rob Havenstein…it’s time
Prior to Rob Havenstein returning to the lineup following the bye week, I wrote that the Rams needed to make the tough decision and stick with Warren McClendon. While it wasn’t a surprise, the Rams went back to Havenstein who has played the last three games. Now, it’s difficult to make a switch as the Rams offensive line has chemistry even though the better player may be on the bench.
It’s true that the Seahawks have one of the better pass rushes in the NFL this season, but it was a rough outing for Havenstein. He allowed three pressures and had a pass-blocking grade of 19.9 via PFF. The Rams’ motto this season has been to take the higher floor. However, it’s fair to question how high Havenstein’s floor is currently. Since returning, Havenstein ranks 53rd out of 55 tackles in pass protection. He’s still fine in the run game, ranking inside the top-25. But is that enough to warrant playing over McClendon? It’s hard to make a switch now, but it may be better in the long run.
Can we believe in Emmanuel Forbes yet?
Over the last month, Emmanuel Forbes has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. With that said, there was some context to that as the Rams had played Cooper Rush, Trevor Lawrence, Tyler Shough, and Mac Jones. Sunday was Forbes’ first big test since early in the season and he delivered. According to NextGen Stats, Forbes matched up against Smith-Njigba 20 times. Against Forbes, Smith-Njigba caught 3 of 5 targets for 30 yards for 1.5 yards per matchup. That was a season-low for the Seahawks wide receiver against a single player this season.
Forbes was targeted in the end zone twice in this game. On the first, he played tight against Smith-Njigba and the ball sailed out of bounds. Later in the game, Forbes lined up across from Rashid Shaheed and had the best pass breakup of the afternoon, saving a touchdown. Over the last four games, Forbes’ 35.1 passer rating allowed is the best in the NFL.
Take a bow Ethan Evans
It’s not often that we talk about special teams, let alone a single punt. With that said, it’s not often that a team wins because of a punt. The last time this may have been the case was Johnny Hekker sending a bomb of a punt for the Rams to beat the Jets, 9-6, in 2016.
However, the Rams do not win this game on Sunday without this punt from Ethan Evans. If this lands at the 15-yard line or goes into the end zone, the Rams probably lose. Pinning the Seahawks inside their own one-yard line made the task extremely difficult even with as much time as they had on the clock. Evans has six punts pinned inside the 20 this season which is tied for the fourth-most. He’s also PFF’s fourth-highest graded punter. For as much as the Rams have struggled on special teams, Evans has been a standout.
