The jury is still out on the 2026 Los Angeles Rams. LA came out flat in Week 1 to lose an all-important game to their NFC West rival San Francisco 49ers. They bounced back in Week 2 to keep a bad New York Giants team in the losing column.
But there is one huge positive for the Rams: Trent McDuffie and Quentin Lake are performing at superstar levels.
LA sent a haul of draft picks to the Kansas City Chiefs in order to acquire McDuffie, and then they signed the corner to one of the richest contracts at
the position. The team also committed to Lake long-term before the conclusion of last season. Both moves are paying dividends into 2026.
McDuffie and Lake are on pace for All-Pro seasons. This is expected for McDuffie. It would be a first for Lake.
All data from Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Trent McDuffie, CB
PFF coverage grade: 93.2 (1st among all corners)
The Rams are paying McDuffie to be one of the best corners in all of football. He’s currently the best corner in the NFL.
Opposing quarterbacks have thrown the ball his direction eight times through two games. He’s allowed one reception for 13 yards while also forcing an interception and three pass breakups. That’s good for a passer rating of 0.0. It quite literally does not getting any better than that.
And the even better news is that the Rams have faced potent threats at receiver. Mike Evans caught six passes in Week 1 but only totaled 49 yards and a goal line score. Malik Nabers hauled in just one of his four targets on Monday night for one yard. That’s pretty good.
McDuffie’s best work has perhaps been in the screen game, which is important consider that was the majority of the 49ers’ offense in Week 1. He has been aggressive to step up to the line of scrimmage and make a tackle. It’s impressive to watch for a player who is generally seen as undersized. McDuffie brings a needed tenacity to the defense.
Quentin Lake, DB
PFF coverage grade: 92.2 (1st among all safeties)
Before the 49ers game got away from the Rams, Lake intercepted a Brock Purdy deep ball for one of his teams few defensive stops in Australia. With Kamren Kinchens out due to injury in Week 2, Lake held his assigned receiver to just three catches on six targets for a measley 10 yards. The three incompletions were all pass breakups. Lake has five PBU’s on the season already.
While Lake cannot claim a 0.0 passer rating like McDuffie, he’s still doing just fine at 44.8. For comparison, you’d get a passer rating of 39.6 just by spiking the ball over and over. Passer ratings only go lower because of interceptions.
Opposing offenses are targeting Lake often. 16 passes have been thrown his direction already. The good news is he’s punishing them for it, as he’s allowed just 10 catches for 64 yards. 30 of those yards came after the catch point. That isn’t efficient pass game production.
