WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. — There's a little friendly competition brewing in the Rams secondary.

"I think a little bit," cornerback Trent McDuffie said when asked if there's a friendly competition between him and safety Quentin Lake. "He got one (interception), I had to get one."

To this point in the season, McDuffie and Lake have been essentially neck and neck when it comes passes defended and interceptions, as both sit near the top of the NFL in both categories. McDuffie has eight passes defended (tied for sixth-most in the NFL) and two interceptions (tied for 11th) while Lake has 11 passes defended (second) and three interceptions (tied for second).

For the first time since Week 5, the two captains in the secondary finally shared the field again. And last Sunday afternoon against the Chargers became a busy day for the McDuffie and Lake duo.

McDuffie returned in Week 8 after missing the previous two weeks with a groin injury. He set the tone early, recording a tackle on the Chargers' first drive that ended in a three-and-out. The very next drive he added a tackle for loss on a screen pass. By the end of the afternoon, McDuffie led the team with nine total tackles and was one of six Rams defenders to have at least one tackle for loss.

"It felt great being back out there," McDuffie said. "I feel like anybody who plays football can kind of understand, you gotta get that first hit in. So, shout out to (defensive coordinator Chris) Shula for calling all those nickel pressures, corner pressures. I know I was loving it. ... I was able to just fortunately enough be in the right place at the right time and make sure I got the guy on the ground."

A two-minute touchdown drive at the end of the first half and a touchdown on the first drive of the second half flipped the game on its head as the Rams offense started to gain a rhythm. However, the offense stalled out momentarily with a punt on the next drive before McDuffie gave the offense the ball in plus territory.

McDuffie, sitting in the middle of the defense, had a ball essentially throw right his way as he hauled in the interception and returned it 26 yards to the Chargers' 22-yard line.

"I kind of like hid behind the d-lineman, so I don't know if (Chargers quarterback Justin) Herbert didn't see me or anything, but shoot, threw it right to me," McDuffie said. "Caught it. I wanted to touch that box. I wanted that touchdown, my first pick-six, but didn't happen. So hopefully, it will happen next time. Definitely just felt good, just having an impact again on the game, especially my first game back. I know that was big for me, and just another confidence booster going into next week."

Although a smaller corner, McDuffie prides himself on bringing "that energy and that ferociousness" whether lined up outside or at nickel, a spot he became comfortable with in Kansas City and now in Los Angeles. No matter where he lines up, though, his teammates can feel the impact he makes in every facet of the game.

"I'm sure you guys saw his impact all night, whether it was in the run game, whether it was in the pass game — he's on track to have, I think, his best year," Lake said postgame of McDuffie. "An incredible player, incredible person too. We call him 'the blueprint' because he does everything right. Whether it's his technique, whether it's his preparation, everything he does is just awesome."

Even before McDuffie's welcome-back interception, though, Lake undercut an out route by the tight end and had an interception of his own. The interception came during a half where the offense had five consecutive drives of no first downs and the defense continued to hold strong.

"We were playing man, and I knew, 'hey, if I get this, just go undercut it.' That was it," Lake said. "I felt like I was in good position enough where I could put myself in a spot where, I can undercut the route, make a play, and that's always."

"It was definitely a momentum thing, each time you go out there and get some three-and-out stops, they ran like three screens on one drive and all didn't really have a positive thing, and then boom, you get a pick again," McDuffie said of the impact of Lake's interception. "Wish we would have got a touchdown, but that's coming, y'all. That's coming. But it's huge, just momentum."

Sunday's interception on Herbert is simply building upon a strong resume for Lake. He's second on the Rams in total tackles (50) behind only inside linebacker Nate Landman, and is the only player to play every single defensive snap so far this season. Lake is also leading the team in interceptions and leading the secondary in tackles, in addition his status as second in the NFL in passes defended (11) and tied for second in interceptions (three).

"Three picks, like it's amazing to see how he get his hands on the ball, it's just amazing," inside linebacker Omar Speights said. "I think last year, he had one pick, his first pick in his career. So to be able to see him come this year and already through eight games have three picks, that's amazing. It's motivation for me to try to see if I can get my hands on the ball."

Lake already set a new single-season career high in interceptions, and he set a single-season career-high 11 passes defended with two against the Chargers after having 10 last season. But beyond the stats, Lake has contributed in many other ways for the entire defense, wearing the green dot the past two weeks and continuing to grow as a leader.

The Rams secondary will be without cornerback Jaylen Watson for the remained of the season with a shoulder injury, meaning McDuffie and Lake are both going to be expected to maintain their high performance to this point — a challenge Shula thinks the pair can do.

"They're two guys that love football, and they allow you to get your best best 11 on the field," Shula said. "They set the example for exactly how we want to play and how we want the Rams defense to play, and we expect them to continue to do that."

Whether that friendly competition can pick up where it left off in Week 9 is still to be determined, given McDuffie being monitored throughout the week due to a back injury he sustained against the Chargers. For now, Lake might have a two-game advantage on McDuffie due to the injury he sustained before Week 8, but the competition between the two is only continuing to mount.