Rams' defense showed little statistical improvement in 2015

[RamBill]

Rams' defense showed little statistical improvement in 2015
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-ra...showed-little-statistical-improvement-in-2015

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The 2015 NFL season is over and for the Los Angeles Rams, it has been for awhile.

Once again, the Rams leaned on their defense to carry the day and get them over the hump into the postseason. Though that unit took some steps forward, it was also hit hard by the injury bug and a lagging offense, which prevented a lot of major changes in where it stood in the final rankings.

Let's take a look at what the numbers say about the Rams' defense and compare it to the previous season. (NFL rank in parentheses)

Rams' Defense

2015 2014
Yards allowed per game 367.8 (23rd) 351.6 (17th)
Points allowed per game 20.6 (13th) 22.1 (T-16th)
Rushing yards allowed per game 113.75 (20th) 110.31 (14th)
Yards per carry allowed 4.02 (13th) 4.15 (15th)
Passing yards allowed per game 254.06 (23rd) 241.31 (19th)
Yards allowed per passing attempt 6.81 (15th) 7.15 (21st)
Takeaways 26 (T-10th) 25 (T-14th)
First downs allowed per game 20 (18th) 18.8 (T-2nd)
Third-down conversions allowed 34.7% (6th) 38.5% (T-14th)
Sacks per pass attempt 6.9% (11th) 7.4% (10th)
Red-zone defense 41.7% (2nd) 46.2% (4th)


A few thoughts on what you see above:

First and foremost, it should be noted that the Rams were without some key defenders for much of the season. They lost linebacker Alec Ogletree in Week 4 and defensive end Robert Quinn soon after. Plus, cornerback E.J. Gaines didn't play in a game after suffering a season-ending foot injury in training camp and safety T.J. McDonald suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season in December. That doesn't include bumps and bruises for others along the way like cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins and end Chris Long. Injuries hit every team, but the Rams were hit worse on defense in 2015 than the previous season. Quinn and Ogletree, in particular, were big losses.

One thing that continues to stand out about the Rams' defense is its ability to bend but not break. Finishing 23rd in yards allowed per game would many times correlate to a lot of points going on the board. But in the Rams' case, they were able to finish 10 spots higher in points allowed than yards allowed. The reason? All you need to see is the second-place finish in red-zone defense. The Rams consistently found ways to limit opponents to field goals instead of touchdowns. It was the primary factor in their Week 4 win against Arizona and kept them in a lot of games. They were good in that area in 2014, too, but there was a noticeable uptick in 2015. That's also why you see a drop in points allowed (that and the fact the offense and special teams didn't give up as many return touchdowns as the previous season).

The Rams set out to limit the amount of big plays they were giving up this season after they were consistently burned by chunk plays in 2014. That's why you see the drop in yards per attempt allowed through the air. More often than not, the Rams were OK with giving up a short completion and then coming up to make the tackle. It came back to bite them with poor tackling every once in awhile (see the Chicago game) but it ultimately helped them cut down on the long touchdowns that hurt them regularly in 2014.

So why did the overall numbers drop when it seemed the defense performed better and more consistently than in 2014? For starters, this group still had enough off moments that kept it from leaping into the top part of the league. But the bigger issue was the offense rarely offered enough help for a defense that spent a lot of time on the field. The defense could have been better at limiting drives and getting off the field, but the offense's inability to keep the chains moving yielded few opportunities for the defense to get a breather. In 2014, the defense played a total of 1,005 snaps, which was the 10th fewest in the league. They played 1,091 snaps in 2015, which was the fourth most in the NFL. They were also on the field for an average of 33 minutes, 12 seconds, which was 30th in the NFL. Again, some of that falls on the defense for not getting off the field quicker, but even when they did get quick stops, they usually found themselves back on the field in short order.

The Rams have a lot of questions to answer in free agency when it comes to the defense. There are key free agents to bring back while also working to improve the offense. But for as much as the Rams would like to believe their defense is on the edge of carrying them deep into the postseason, the numbers say they are still a ways off from being the type of dominant unit that can do that. Coordinator Gregg Williams is still one of the game's brightest defensive minds, and many of his young players are starting to come around. Perhaps a little injury luck and some savvy maneuvering can help this group move closer to elite. As the numbers can attest, it's just not there yet.

 

[-X-]

First and foremost, it should be noted that the Rams were without some key defenders for much of the season. They lost linebacker Alec Ogletree in Week 4 and defensive end Robert Quinn soon after. Plus, cornerback E.J. Gaines didn't play in a game after suffering a season-ending foot injury in training camp and safety T.J. McDonald suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season in December. That doesn't include bumps and bruises for others along the way like cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins and end Chris Long. Injuries hit every team, but the Rams were hit worse on defense in 2015 than the previous season. Quinn and Ogletree, in particular, were big losses.

And that's all you need to know.

 

[Pancake]

Yep, losing one of the top 2 or 3 DE's in the league tends to slow a teams D down a bit.

 

[Merlin]

Pretty dumb article tbh. Not many defenses could handle the loss of both starting DEs, their best OLB, and a starting CB. I didn't even bother looking at the stats after the season.

Oh and re: all the talk about Von Miller and how he's the best player in the league blah blah blah we have that level of player at RDE when healthy in Quinn. Losing him was enormous, and if he's healthy getting him back at a similar level will be just as important.

 

[Fatbot]

C'mon Wagoner, we just confirmed gravity waves, get with the times, man! Listing raw season totals and trying to draw conclusions is just so last century, there's plenty of "advanced"-type stat places now to get better context for these numbers. For example footballoutsiders.com paints a different story, that the Rams defense ranked in the top 10 both against the pass and run, and was more consistent this season versus 2014's roller coaster ride between shutouts and giving up 30+... The big factor was strength of the opposing offenses -- the Rams ranked as the most difficult schedule for a defense, yet still improved despite the injuries and bad offense and not a lot of crazy turnover luck. Joking aside, the so-called advanced sites have their flaws too, but I think the defense showed more improvement than Wagoner is letting on -- especially the pass defense, even if the raw numbers lie. It didn't reach the elite status many were hoping for, but I think it's on the verge of being a dominant unit.

 

[~lyser]

Rob Quinn is making me nervous - been dinged the last two seasons. It happens I guess. Last season was the best D the Rams have fielded since the first year under Lovie Smith IMO. The first few weeks they were hitting like freight trains. Then soldiers started going down - my fear is that is gonna happen when you are soooo physical like GW preaches, but it is beautiful to watch when its firing on all cylinders.

They are mega talented at all levels IMO, provided they resign some key guys and continue to draft well. MLB is the weak link and that Ohio State homeboy ain't exactly chopped liver - IMO of course.

 

[fearsomefour]

The fact they did as well as they did with the injuries and weeks of zero help from the offense is remarkable.
A consistent offense that can put some pressure on the other team and give the other team fewer possessions per game (there are these neat things called first downs and drives....they allow your D to rest and limits the other team opportunities) and this is a top D.
Resign the key FA, draft some new depth, improve the O performance 30% and I will see you in the playoffs.

 

[thirteen28]

And that's all you need to know.

I would also add this:

The defense could have been better at limiting drives and getting off the field, but the offense's inability to keep the chains moving yielded few opportunities for the defense to get a breather. In 2014, the defense played a total of 1,005 snaps, which was the 10th fewest in the league. They played 1,091 snaps in 2015, which was the fourth most in the NFL. They were also on the field for an average of 33 minutes, 12 seconds, which was 30th in the NFL. Again, some of that falls on the defense for not getting off the field quicker, but even when they did get quick stops, they usually found themselves back on the field in short order.

The fact that the Rams were not worse in a statistically significant way with all those injuries and the horrible offense actually speaks pretty good to their depth. Get healthy and get a competent offense and this D is easily a top 5 unit.