Defensive inconsistencies were part of the reason the Los Angeles Rams were unable to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this season. Chris Shula has his work cut out for him this offseason to figure out what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening in 2026.
Let’s start with the good, and there was plenty of it. The Rams allowed just 20.4 points per game, good for 10th in the NFL, including an average of 15.9 points in their 12 regular season wins. Overall, L.A. also gave up the league’s ninth-lowest passer rating.
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Now, let’s move on to the bad, which there wasn’t much of, but it’s easy to see what the team failed to get over the hump.
First, the defense gave up 30+ points six times, and yes, that includes the playoffs where Shula’s unit gave up 62 points alone against the Panthers and Seahawks. The Rams allowed at least 26 points in their five regular season losses and in the NFC Championship, despite scoring around 23 points in each of those contests.
According to NFL.com, L.A.’s 31.0 points allowed per loss were the most among the eight teams with six or fewer losses. Defensively, the unit also gave up the 10th-highest passer rating in losses, including the following efficient performances by quarterbacks who don’t typically blow anyone away with their passing ability:
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Bryce Young (Week 13): 15-of-20 for 206 yards, three touchdown passes, zero interceptions, 147.1 passer rating
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Sam Darnold (NFC Championship): 25-of-36 for 346 yards, three touchdown passes, zero interceptions, 127.8 passer rating
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Jalen Hurts (Week 3): 21-of-32 for 226 yards, three touchdown passes, zero interceptions, 117.4 passer rating
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Mac Jones (Week 5): 33-of-49 for 342 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, 100.9 passer rating
In a handful of those losses, special teams contributed to the bad outcomes, yet the defense did no favors. Heading into the game against Philadelphia, Hurts had no touchdown passes, but he got his first three of the year in the second half. Jones and Young of all quarterbacks managed to have their best performances against the Rams last season.
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It cannot be said enough that the defense, namely the secondary, needs reinforcements this offseason. Fans watching the team could see that the unit was eventually going to be a problem against stiffer competition, and as expected, it got exposed by Seattle in the most important game of the year.
Fix the defensive inconsistencies in free agency or the draft, and perhaps the Rams will manage to get over the hump after falling just short once again.
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