The Los Angeles Rams completely changed how they defended third down against the Philadelphia Eagles in the team's 24-20 comeback win in Week 4. The results were striking, as the Eagles failed to convert on all 12 of their third-down attempts in the game.
But what was most interesting was how they thwarted Philadelphia. Los Angeles usually blitzes on about a third of their opponents' third downs. Against the Eagles, the Rams sent extra pressure on eight of Jalen Hurts' nine third-down dropbacks, an 89% blitz rate, according to The Score's Ben Wolby. It's one of the 10 biggest jumps in third-down blitz rate by any defense in the last decade, per Wolby's data, which covers every game since 2016.
Everyone's talking about the Eagles going 0-for-12
on 3rd down. Here's the part nobody's mentioning: The Rams usually blitz about 1/3 of 3rd downs. Today, they blitzed Hurts on 8 of his 9 3rd-down dropbacks. One of the 10 biggest jumps by any defense in the last decade. pic.twitter.com/P4xB0YSVq7
— Ben Wolby (@BenWolby) October 4, 2026
The Rams held Philadelphia to just 172 total yards and 3.0 yards per play. They sacked Hurts four times and limited him to 12-of-27 passing.
The Eagles couldn't answer the pressure on third down, and they couldn't sustain drives because of it. That kept Los Angeles in the game until Kyren Williams' seven-yard touchdown run with 1:10 left delivered a 24-20 comeback win.
Credit to defensive coordinator Chris Shula, whose pivot worked to perfection. It was a clear change from the Rams' usual approach, and a defense that normally leaves its pass rush alone on third down turned the blitz into the difference against one of the league's top offenses.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' third-down blitz pivot worked to perfection vs. Eagles
