If it’s one area that the Los Angeles Rams defense must improve at in 2024, it’s getting to the quarterback. However, it’s not just getting to the quarterback, but turning those pressures into sacks. Last season, the Rams ranked 24th in sacks despite having a 28.8 percent blitz rate which ranked 14th. They also ranked 14th in pass-rush win-rate.
Despite also ranking in the middle on the league in pressure rate, they ranked in the bottom-10 in pressure-to-sack conversion rate. While pressures matter and tell more of the full story of how often a team gets to the quarterbacks, a sack is still more effective and gives more potential to end an offensive drive.
How well defenses converted pressures into sacks in 2023: pic.twitter.com/s1peDlejvn
— Sam Hoppen (@SamHoppen) July 10, 2024
Again, it’s that pressure-to-sack conversion ratio where the Rams struggled. Using simulated pressures, the Rams did a decent job of creating pressure on the quarterback, but it the Rams simply failed to convert on those opportunities. Looking at edge rushers, defensive linemen, and linebackers, that rate was around 14.8 percent. Comparatively, a team like the Miami Dolphins were at 16 percent.
It won’t get much easier for the Rams this season as they lose Aaron Donald to retirement who also led the defense in pressures in 2023. The chart below breaks down the Rams pressure rate by position. While they ranked second on the interior defensive line in pressure rate, they ranked 31st at edge rusher. Donald still had 34 more pressures than any player on the Rams defense last season. The sacks weren’t necessarily there like they had been in years past. Donald’s 11.9 percent pressure-to-sack rate was his lowest since 2016.
NFL defense ranks in pressure rate by position group.
Example: Rams had the 16th-best overall defense in pressure rate last season, but their interior defensive linemen (Aaron Donald) had far more to do with that. pic.twitter.com/c636MlprkL
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) February 19, 2024
As seen in the chart, there was a huge disparity in where the Rams pressure was coming from. While Donald was never ‘easy’ to prepare for, anticipating where that pressure was coming from could make it easier to avoid the sack. Without the secondary pressure from somewhere else, a quarterback can make a play outside the pocket or simply throw the ball away.
This season, the Rams will hope to close that gap and get pressure to come from different areas. It was no real surprise that the Rams struggled to generate pressure off of the edge in 2023. There’s only so much that can be expected from a third-round rookie and defensive lineman converted edge rusher. Young was a pleasant surprise and Hoecht got better as the year went on, but it still wasn’t good enough. With the team’s first pick of the draft, they selected Jared Verse who was one of the best edge rushers available.
In the second round, the Rams paired Verse with his teammate Braden Fiske. Verse and Fiske had a unique chemistry when rushing the passer at Florida State. The Rams will hope that transfers to the next level.
Along with the hopeful development of Byron Young and Kobie Turner, the Rams should be able to create pressure points coming from different areas rather than all from one player. The addition of Verse especially should help the lack of pressure that the defense had last season on the edge.
For a young defense with a first-time coordinator, it’s going to be important to create negative plays. One of the best ways to do that is with sacks which will require them to rush collectively as a unit. The hope there is that they are able to capitalize more on their pressure opportunities.
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