The Rams have possibly fixed their recent tackling problem
Buried in the Los Angeles Rams’ playoff win over the Carolina Panthers is one of the more positive developments for Sean McVay’s team: they possibly solved their recent tackling issue.
At risk of sounding like a broken record, I have spent the last month documenting the Rams’ challenges in bringing ball carriers down:
Dec 30: Rams-Falcons PFF Grades: Missed tackles galore (again)
Dec 22: A problem the Rams cannot seem to fix
Dec 15: Blip or Trend? Rams have a tackling issue.
The trend came to a screeching halt last week in Carolina. It’s a stark difference from their recent games:
- WC at Panthers: 5 missed tackles
- Week 18 vs Cardinals: 9
- Week 17 at Falcons: 19
- Week 16 at Seahawks: 11
- Week 15 vs Lions: 13
- Week 14 vs Cardinals: 14
- Week 13 at Panthers: 6
Between Weeks 14 and 18 they missed over 13 tackles per game on average. This was one of the best tackling teams in all the NFL for the first half of the season. While it’s encouraging that they’ve flipped the script in the postseason, what in the world changed?
1 – Regression from Nate Landman
Landman missed only two tackle attempts in his first seven games as a Ram. Since Week 9 against the New Orleans Saints—an 11 game stretch—he’s missed 17 tackles and more than one per game.
The veteran linebacker isn’t responsible for the turnaround against the Panthers. He missed two tackles (40% of LA’s misses) and has eight in his last four games.
The Rams still need Landman to be more sure-handed and the sooner this starts the better.
2 – Quentin Lake’s return is huge
We know Quentin Lake is an important player on the defense, especially given his role as a captain. The Rams understand this too and recently rewarded the slot/safety with a contract extension, preventing him from hitting the open free agent market.
Lake was absent from Weeks 11 through 18. Although the team’s tackling problem didn’t really hit full force until Week 14, it’s probably not a coincidence that the results improved as soon as Lake returned to the lineup.
3 – Playoffs are best on best
Nothing can force turnarounds like the threat of being sent home from the postseason. Winning requires teams to bring their best performances, and it could be a matter of the Rams simply tightening their chin straps.
The bottom line is that this is an encouraging sign for the Rams defense moving forward. They must continue to right the trend or they could find themselves on the losing side of a playoff battle.
Category: General Sports
