It’s not hard to make the case that the Los Angeles Rams’ defense has been the best in the NFL since Week 15. Since allowing 42 points to the Buffalo Bills in a narrow two-point win in Week 14, the Rams have been dominant defensively.
In their last five games, they’ve allowed fewer than 10 points four times, and the only exception was in Week 18 when most of their starters either sat out the entire game or played sparingly and they gave up 30 points to the Seahawks.
Since Week 15, the Rams have allowed just 54 total points, which is the second-fewest of any team in the league; the Ravens have allowed 43. In that same span, the Rams rank 10th in defensive EPA/play.
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula is in his first year in that role and after a somewhat shaky start to the year, he’s hit his stride – so much so that if he and the Rams defense keep it up, he might not be in Los Angeles very long.
Back in mid-December, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that Shula is a “sneaky name” to watch in this year’s head coach hiring cycle. Shula hasn’t gotten any interviews since then but it’s hard to imagine at least one of the six teams won’t want to talk to him if the Rams keep rolling on that side of the ball.
His creativity and willingness to adapt has made the defense as impressive as it is right now. The Rams have made several changes across the board this season, from inserting Ahkello Witherspoon into the starting lineup to trusting rookies Kamren Kinchens and Jaylen McCollough at safety to rolling with another undrafted rookie, Omar Speights, at inside linebacker despite Troy Reeder being healthy enough to return.
Shula isn’t afraid to take chances, either. The Rams shook things up in the wild-card game against the Vikings. After being a predominantly zone defense, they ran man coverage about 30% of the time against Minnesota, a recipe they likely got from the Lions in Week 18. That was more than a 10% increase from their season average, according to Cody Alexander.
The result? Nine sacks, only 58 yards allowed to Justin Jefferson and a 27-9 win where the Vikings managed just one touchdown.
The Rams ran man coverage on 29.7% of their snaps against the Vikings.
That was over a 10% jump from their regular season number of 18.7%.
LA utilized some of the same tools the Lions used against the Vikings in Week 18:
1-Double on Jefferson with a high ‘rat’ to cut crossers. pic.twitter.com/MfH5fsK5xe
— Cody Alexander (@The_Coach_A) January 14, 2025
Shula should at least get an interview with a team looking for a head coach, even if he is in just his first season as a defensive coordinator. Those requests haven’t come yet but with the Rams defense playing as well as it has been, no one should be surprised if Shula gets a look.
