Dante Fowler Jr. named one of NFL's most underrated players from 1st half

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Florida_Ram

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Boy needs to work on that sack dance though. :ROFLMAO:


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BonifayRam

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Vernon
Players who could make or break Rams' season in 2nd half
Cameron DaSilva
Dante Fowler Jr.
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Fowler has 4.5 sacks in his last two games, really taking his game to another level for the Rams. He’s finally taking advantage of playing on the same defensive front as Aaron Donald, winning one-on-one matchups outside. That makes a huge difference for the Rams defense, and makes Donald’s presence that much more valuable.

Fowler is a streaky player and can go weeks without any sacks, but he seems to have turned a corner this year. His impact against the run has been felt, too, stepping up and setting the edge from his outside linebacker position.

Fowler is the Rams’ most reliable pass rusher not named Aaron Donald. That has to remain the case in the second half of the season, even with Clay Matthews back in the fold this week. Matthews’ six sacks are far more the result of Donald eating up blocks than Fowler’s 6.5 are.

Pressuring quarterbacks is arguably the most important aspect of a defense, and the Rams have done a good job of that this season. Fowler needs to make sure that remains the case in the last eight games.
 

BonifayRam

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Dante Fowler and the Rams pass rush have made big strides this season

Everyone knows how good Aaron Donald is. He’s unanimously viewed as one of the best defenders in the NFL and has already staked his claim among the top defensive tackles in league history.
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He carried the Rams pass rush last season with 20.5 sacks to lead the NFL, but he’s getting plenty of help from his friends in 2019. Through eight games, Donald has five sacks, which is third on the team. Dante Fowler Jr. leads the way with 6.5, including 4.5 in his last two games.

When the Rams aren’t getting to the quarterback for sacks, they’re at least generating pressure and disrupting the offense. According to NFL Matchup on ESPN, there isn’t a single team better than the Rams at disrupting quarterbacks.

They lead the league with a disruption rate of 36% this year – 1.3% higher than the next-closest team.
These teams have the highest defensive disruption rate so far this season. #LARams #DallasCowboys #DUUUVAL #GoPats #KeepPounding #GoNiners #Browns #Titans #RedSea #FlyEaglesFly #HereWeGo @gregcosell @MattBowen41 pic.twitter.com/Uf46voWkTf
— NFL Matchup on ESPN (@NFLMatchup) November 5, 2019

As the graphic notes, a disruption is a QB pressure, hurry or sack. Fowler and Donald both rank in the top three in the NFL with 15 QB hurries each. In total pressures, Fowler ranks seventh with 25, while Donald is tied for eighth with 24 of his own.

Those two are doing most of the damage for the Rams, but Michael Brockers has 13 pressures this season, as does Clay Matthews – who has only played five games this year.

The Rams are only 12th in the NFL in sacks (23), but the pass rush has clearly improved from last season and it’s made a world of difference.