The Rams' disruptive front fueled their defensive success in both the run and pass game. Defensive end Kobie Turner was the lynchpin of the pass rush, while offseason additions turned what was an ineffective run defense last year into one of the league's best.
Here are five interesting stats from the Rams' 2025 defense.
With Kobie Turner on the field this season, the Rams generated a 43.2% pressure rate, which would have ranked first in the NFL, per Next Gen Stats
With Turner off the field, the Rams' pressure rate dropped to 27.2%, which would have ranked third-lowest. The 15.9% on-off differential ranked second-largest among interior defensive linemen with at least 200 snaps, trailing only Chris Jones of the Chiefs (18.9%). The Rams' overall pressure rate of 38% ranked fifth in the NFL.
Turner's eats up double teams and gets after the quarterback with a ferocity that is second-to-none. He doesn't take plays off when he's between those white lines, and it made a difference for the Rams' defense this season.
The Rams were the second-best team at defending the run on first down, allowing just a 31.8% success rate, per Next Gen Stats, after finishing second-to-last in that same stat last season
The offseason additions of inside linebacker Nate Landman and nose tackle Poona Ford turned the Rams' early-down run defense from a debilitating weakness in 2024 to a strength in 2025. The Rams were the second-worst run defense on first down in terms of success rate last year (41.6%), and they flipped the script completely this season.
Success rate is defined as the percentage of carries resulting in plays that "keep the offense on schedule" to score on a given drive. For defenses, the lower that number is, the better.
The Rams' opponents averaged the second-most yards to go on third downs (7.5), according to Next Gen Stats
Their success defending the run on first down often led to third-and-longs (seven-plus yards). And on those third-and-longs, the Rams allowed the third-lowest conversion rate (17.7%). Shula often brought simulated pressures, stunts and disguised coverages in those scenarios to confuse opposing quarterbacks and give the rushers opportunities to truly get after the passer.
The Rams' 32.4% dime personnel rate (six defensive backs) is the highest by any defense since the 2023 Cowboys, per Next Gen Stats
When asked why the Rams took this approach, defensive coordinator Chris Shula said they want to get their best players on the field based on the situation. Safety Jaylen "Tank" McCollough adds value in the box, back deep or in the slot with his range and physicality on late downs or two-minute drills, which is when the Rams used dime personnel most often.
"You don't want to be in it so limited that you're playing the same thing every single time with the coverage variation and things like that, so we want to be able to play a lot of stuff out of dime, and Tank allows us to do that," Shula said.
The Rams were the only team with two edge rushers in the top 10 for stops, per PFF: Byron Young (47, first) and Jared Verse (35, sixth)
A stop is defined as a tackle that constitutes an unsuccessful play for the offense and keeps them off-schedule to score on a given drive. People have lauded the Rams' edge duo for their ability to impact the quarterback, and rightly so, seeing as they finished sixth among edge rusher duos in combined pressures, according to Next Gen Stats. But this duo separated themselves from the others with their impact in the run and screen game, where they were consistently disruptive.
