Rams D accomplished something Sunday that no team. Did in '16...

Rams’ defense accomplished something Sunday that no team did in 2016

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva

You don’t need to be a football expert to know that the Los Angeles Rams’ defense was absolutely dominant on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. The Rams allowed just nine points on the day, seven of which came against the second-string defense.

As a matter of fact, the Rams’ defense actually outscored the Colts, Jets, 49ers, Texans and Seahawks, contributing 16 points on two pick-sixes and a safety. No one will tell you it wasn’t a great performance, but one statistic in particular stands out.

The Colts went 0-for-10 on third-down conversions – the first time a team hasn’t converted a single third down since 2015 when the Ravens held the Bengals to zero in the season finale.


Only two teams since 2014 have failed on 10 or more third-down conversions in a single game with the Colts being the third. Part of that has to do with the fact that Scott Tolzien and Jacoby Brissett were under center, but the Rams’ defense wouldn’t budge for most of the game.

Los Angeles will have a tougher time this week against the Redskins, but with Aaron Donald coming back, the defense will only get stronger. This could be a team to be wary of in 2017 despite low expectations heading into this season.