Rams’’ Aqib Talib having ankle surgery puts pressure on defensive line
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By Rich Hammond
The simple arithmetic isn’t adding up for the Rams. Skilled players, plus a consistent pass rush, has not equaled the robust number of sacks that had been predicted for this unit. The Rams have totaled three quarterback sacks in three games, plus a “sack” of a receiver on a trick-play attempt. That’s far off the pace from last season, when the Rams finished fourth in the NFL with 48 sacks, even though the addition of tackle Ndamukong Suh figured to give the Rams an unblockable front.
“Any time you lose playmakers and big-time players that are a part of your defense, that’s going to hurt you,” lineman Aaron Donald said after Tuesday’s practice at Cal Lutheran. “But we’ve got guys that are going to step up and fill those shoes.”
Regardless, it’s time for the defensive line to shine. It’s unfair and incorrect to say the front of Suh, Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers has struggled. The Rams are 3-0 and have allowed the fewest points in the NFL, which are the only metrics that matter. Also, even though quarterback pressures aren’t kept as official stats, the Rams have been disruptive.
Still, the lack of sacks has been curious. Suh and Brockers each has one (as does linebacker Samson Ebukam and, technically, backup lineman Ethan Westbrooks, who took down Keenan Allen on Sunday). With four, the Rams have the second-fewest sacks in the NFL, ahead of only Oakland, with three.
“We need to get to the quarterback a lot more and get him down,” Donald said. “We’ve been getting there, but they’ve been getting the ball out. It’s frustrating but it’s going to come. We just have to keep working.”Sign up for Home Turf and get exclusive stories every SoCal sports fan must read, sent daily. Subscribe here.
The Rams had 10 sacks through the first three games last season, even though Donald didn’t play in the season opener and the Rams lost another starter, Dominique Easley, to a training-camp knee injury.What’s the problem? In part, timing. The Rams, to start the season, have faced three quarterbacks with a combined total of 347 NFL regular-season games: Oakland’s Derek Carr, Arizona’s Sam Bradford and the Chargers’ Philip Rivers, and none of them were ignorant to the fierceness of the Rams’ line.
Each of those three savvy quarterbacks seemed to have an accurate internal clock in his head, and didn’t hold the ball too long. Carr had the quickest trigger, but eventually lost his poise and made mistakes. Rivers, the most experienced of the bunch, held the ball the longest and overall, had the most success.
Quarterbacks are getting rid of the ball faster against the Rams, but they’ve completed 66.0 percent of their passes, compared to 61.1 percent through three games last season. Of course, in 2017, two of the first three quarterbacks the Rams faced were Scott Tolzien and Brian Hoyer.Opponent strategy probably isn’t going to change. If the Rams are without Talib and Peters, or if Peters plays but clearly is not at 100 percent, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins — another experienced quarterback — no doubt will put early and frequent pressure on fill-ins Sam Shields, Troy Hill and Nickell Robey-Coleman.
If the cornerbacks press at the line of scrimmage, Vikings receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs have the skill to go deep. If the Rams give them some space, Cousins likely will attempt quick throws.Shields will take on a big role, even if Peters is able to play, and it will be notable. Shields’ last start came in the 2016 season opener with Green Bay, when he suffered at least the fourth concussion of his career. Shields signed with the Rams as a free agent in March.
Donald could be the key. Through three games, he has recorded zero sacks and seven tackles. Here’s the bad news for opponents: Donald sometimes starts slowly. Last year, after he missed the opener, he had one sack in his first three games, then had 10 sacks in his next 11 games. In 2016, Donald went sack-less in his first three games, then had 1.5 sacks in week 4 and finished the season with eight.
