Rams DL got them to the SB. Now, it’ll need to win it for them...

Rams D-line got them to the Super Bowl. Now, it'll need to win it for them.

Andrew Ortenberg

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

For the most part, everyone on the team stepped up their game to help advance the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl. But one unit rose far above the rest in the way they transformed their game, and it was the defensive line. The D-linemen were the keys to victory in both of the Rams’ playoff games this season, and they’ll need to replicate the performances against the Patriots to bring home the Lombardi trophy.

Aaron Donald had been a one-man wrecking crew all season long, so his continued dominance in the playoffs hasn’t been at all surprising. But Dante Fowler Jr. and Ndamukong Suh, both relative disappointments in the regular season, have been revelations the past couple of weeks. Both did a great job in the run game against the Cowboys, and Fowler had the team’s only sack of Dak Prescott in addition to a monster run stuff of Ezekiel Elliott.

Fowler continued his strong play against the Saints, making the play of the game in overtime to force Drew Brees into an interception, and pressuring Brees numerous other times. In eight regular-season games with the Rams, Fowler had two sacks, four tackles for loss, and five QB hits. In just two playoff games, he has 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and three QB hits.

Suh has also been great, as he was a very large part of limiting Elliott to just 47 yards on 20 carries in the Dallas game. He was a menace to the Saints’ interior line, sacking Brees 1.5 times and landing two other hits on him. For the first time in a while, Donald isn’t by himself and the thought of Donald, Suh, and Fowler all playing up to their potential together is a nightmare for opposing offensive coordinators.

They’ve made it this far, and Suh and Fowler have one last game where they need to demonstrate this level of consistency. The Cowboys and Saints both had great offensive lines, but New England’s has been playing at an absurd level. The Patriots have hung 78 points through two playoff games largely due to the play of their offensive line, which has been nearly flawless.

Tom Brady has only been hit three times through the first two rounds, and wasn’t sacked in either game. The Chiefs landed just one QB hit and didn’t have a single tackle for loss the entire game, and they had a ton of talent on their defensive front with Chris Jones, Justin Houston, and Dee Ford.

In addition to keeping Brady upright, the Patriots’ O-line has done a great job in the ground game, helping New England run for at least 150 yards in each playoff game. Suh, Fowler, Donald, and Michael Brockers will need to bring their A-games, and this will be their toughest test yet.

The bottom line:

If Fowler and Suh go back to playing at their regular-season level, it will be a long day for the Rams’ defense. But if they can continue their strong play and provide the first real pressure Brady will have faced all postseason, they should disrupt the Patriots’ offense enough to get a win.