Chris Shula’s first week as the Rams’ defensive play-caller left plenty of fans squirming, and the fix for Monday looks pretty clear: heat up the rush and stop giving away all that room underneath.
Against the 49ers, Shula leaned heavily on soft coverages and didn’t bring much pressure. His blitz rate sat at 15.6 percent, fourth-lowest in the league, and Kyle Shanahan made him pay for it. The 49ers kept the ball moving without needing a bunch of big shots, piling up 379 yards and controlling the clock while mostly living in the short and intermediate areas.
The damage was steady rather than spectacular. Outside of one 39-yard strike to former Rams receiver DeMarcus Robinson, no San Francisco play went longer than 18 yards, and that came on a Brock Purdy scramble. Shanahan still found enough space to keep the offense on schedule, which is exactly the danger when a defense keeps backing up and handing over cushions.
The Rams used man coverage on just 13.9 percent of snaps, but the bigger issue was how often they sat in Cover 3, Cover 4, or Cover 6 - more than 72 percent of the time. That kind of shell can work in spots. Against Shanahan, it turned into an invitation.
It doesn’t help that Myles Garrett is on injured reserve. With no reliable edge threat to lean on and no sacks against the 49ers, Shula can’t just sit back and hope pressure arrives by accident. The source of disruption has to come from the scheme now.
That matters again this week, because the Giants aren’t showing up as a one-dimensional offense waiting to be squeezed. They just put up 28 points on the Cowboys, and Jaxson Dart gives them a quarterback who can punish soft zone looks by pulling the ball down and running. Cam Skattebo would also benefit from lighter boxes, and Isaiah Likely - who led the team with 78 receiving yards on eight catches against Dallas - would have room to work in the middle of the field if the Rams keep conceding space.
The answer starts up front. Shula needs to send more bodies, force protection issues, and make life harder on the offensive line.
Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson held up in Week 1, so there’s reason to trust them and free up more help elsewhere. The Rams don’t need to turn into Brian Flores overnight, but they can’t afford another game of passive defense and open grass.
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Staffords involvement is the sort of off-field debate Rams fans tend to notice because it comes from the quarterbacks wife and lands squarely in a culture conversation already stretching beyond sports. Sweeney has responded by posting old ESPN magazine covers featuring nude athletes, but she has not directly addressed Staffords remarks, leaving the exchange hanging in a way that will likely keep it circulating a while longer. [Read more 🡒]