During the Sean McVay era, it's been the offense carrying the Los Angeles Rams for the most part. Only once since 2017 have the Rams finished a season better than 10th in points allowed. That was in 2020, when the Rams ranked first in points and yards allowed on defense – a dominant defense wasted by an underwhelming offense.
They've had star players come and go but it's hard to say the Rams have had a better collective defense than the one they've assembled in 2026. With Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and others, the Rams have the potential to be the NFL's No. 1 defense.
That's the ultimate goal of the unit, but it'd also be nice to end a surprisingly long streak without a shutout. Warren Sharp listed
how many seasons each team has gone since its last defensive shutout, and only nine teams have gone longer than the Rams.
Los Angeles last had a shutout in 2018, a 34-0 win over the Cardinals.
seasons without a defensive shutout
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 27, 2026
0 - KC, BAL, SEA, HOU, PHI, MIN, CAR
1 - DEN, GB
2 - CLE, MIA, TB, DAL, JAX, LAC, NO
3 - SF, NE
4 - BUF, TEN, IND
5
6
7 - LAR, DET
8 - ARI
9
10
11 - CIN
12
13 - ATL, LV
14 - PIT
15 - CHI
16 - NYJ, NYG
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30…
The Rams' schedule this season is difficult, but there are a few opportunities for them to shut out their opponent. Both games against the Cardinals immediately come to mind, as do contests against the Giants and Raiders. Even those teams will be hard to shut out, though.
If all of the key players stay healthy, the Rams defense could finish the season No. 1 overall, but that'll require them to slow down high-powered offenses from the 49ers, Seahawks, Bills, Packers, Cowboys, Eagles and Packers.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Can Rams defense end LA's shockingly long shutout drought?
