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Rams43
Here’s PARAM…
Yards don't win games. Points win games.
Scoring defenses, ranked by "offensive points allowed" (offensive TDs and FGs......no PR, KR, FR, Blk P, Blk FG....ie, no Special Team TDs and no points against the offense such as pick 6's and safeties)
The Rams were #15 (35 TD, 36 FG)
Here's the top 16
SF..............15.6
Buffalo....17.5
NYJ............17.8
Balt...........18.2
Saints.......18.4
Cincy.........18.5
N.Eng........18.6
Philly.........19.1
Dallas........19.2
Wash..........19.4
Den.............20.1 (20.06)
Tenn............20.1 (20.06)
Pitt..............20.1 (20.11)
Jax...............20.6
RAMS..........20.8
Tampa........21.1
FWIW, the Rams finished #1 in RZ defense (44.4%). Buffalo was #2 followed by Baltimore, the Jets and the Giants. The Rams allowed the 5th fewest RZ TDs despite finishing #20 in RZ possessions allowed. It might have been that "make them go the long way approach" that Morris (and McVay) favored vs the opponents, who had the 4th best starting field position in the NFL.
FWIW, the 2021 Rams D finished #5 in "offensive PPG" allowed 335 (19.7 ppg)
They actually had a better percentage this year though
2022: 24 TDs / 54 RZ poss (44.4%; #1)
2021: 29 TDs / 56 RZ poss (51.8%; #6)
Red zone was better. In percentage and number of possessions faced.
The big difference this year was sacks. Last year we had 50, this year 38.
Takeaways were pretty close. Last year 25, this year 22.
But the PROBLEM this year wasn't defense. It was offense. 51 offensive TDs/ 32 FGs in 2021. 31 TDs/ 28 FGs in 2022. That's a difference of 152 pts, 8.9 PPG. The defense would have had to have been exponentially better. To an impossible degree.
Had not seen the end of the season numbers yet so I appreciate you posting this. Surprised that the number of TO's generated by the defense this year was as close as it was to 2021.
Question: Absent Von Miller (but with the addition of Wagner), what were your expectations for the defense coming into the season PPG Allowed-wise?
Another question: Upon reflection of the offensive performance this year, would you revise your expectations for the defense? If so, what's the difference (if any) pre and post-season?
