GLENDALE, Ariz. – This Wild Card matchup against the Vikings was "more than just a game" for the Rams due to the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, said safety and defensive captain Quentin Lake earlier this week. And in the first half, Lake contributed to a strip-sack that was more than just a play – it changed the entire complexion of the game.
With the Rams up 10-3 in the second quarter, defensive coordinator Chris Shula brought a blitz on a crucial third-and-seven inside Rams territory, but it wasn't a standard blitz. They dropped both outside linebackers, Jared Verse and Byron Young, into coverage, instead bringing Lake and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon off the edges. L.A. only rushed four, but it fooled both the Vikings' offensive line and quarterback Sam Darnold.
Lake forced Darnold to his left, where Witherspoon hit him from behind for the strip-sack. Verse, who was watching Darnold as a quarterback spy, picked the ball up in-stride and ran 57 yards for his first career touchdown, leaping into the end zone to give the Rams a 17-3 lead. It was the second-fastest sack of the Wild Card round at 3.23 seconds and added 17% to their win probability, via Next Gen Stats.
"I saw that ball loose, I was like, now let me pick this up," Verse said. "Let me show them, I'm trying to get a little wide receiver rep."
Shula and his defense pulled out all the stops in a game that just meant more for L.A. Using a collection of distinct blitzes and defensive looks, the Rams tied an NFL record with nine sacks in a playoff game, adding two turnovers and holding the Vikings to 6 of 17 (35%) on third down in a 27-9 Wild Card victory played in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. due to the L.A. wildfires.
The Rams got after Sam Darnold all night long. They generated a season-high 22 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), resulting in six completions and one interception on 12 attempts. It was pure dominance from the Los Angeles front, and it left Darnold disoriented in and out of the pocket. L.A. took some inspiration from their Week 8 victory along with both of the Lions' wins over Minnesota to achieve the desired affect against Darnold.
The complicated looks and pressures they presented required everyone on the defense to be on the same page, because one missed assignment on a blitz could bring everything crashing down.
"Just having that dog mentality and just playing within the scheme, everybody on one accord," said cornerback Cobie Durant. "... As long as we communicate, we'll be good."
The Rams' defensive heroics were evident from the very first drive when Young sacked Darnold on a straight bull rush for a 10-yard loss to bring up 3rd-and-19. The Rams rushed five on that play, determined to fluster Darnold in his first career playoff start. That ended in a three-and-out, and set an aggressive tone for the defense that would only grow from there.
Shula was in his bag tonight, especially on third down. The Rams' front kept a lid on the Vikings' rushing attack, as running back Aaron Jones was held to just 3.7 yards per carry, forcing obvious passing downs. Once in that position, they confused and/or pressured Darnold into making poor decisions or sacks.
"I thought Chris (Shula) and the defensive coaches did an excellent job of creating an understanding of the intent, why we're doing it, and then being able to get it done, get to them at the right times, and then the execution to come to life, there's nothing better than that," said head coach Sean McVay.
On the drive prior to the touchdown, L.A. showed blitz on third-and-eight, but linebacker Christian Rozeboom started forward before peeling off to cover the running back in man coverage. Darnold waited in the pocket against the four-man rush, maybe a bit too long, and threw an interception to Durant on a comeback route that he played perfectly with inside leverage. The Rams had already showcased a barrage of blitzes and had sacked Darnold three times up to that point, so just the threat of an extra rusher made Darnold hesitate because of L.A.'s various looks.
The most recent sack had come from Durant himself on a blitz from the slot that left Darnold spinning out of the pocket to no avail. Durant dragged him down, untouched, in 3.58 seconds, the fourth-fastest sack of the Wild Card round, according to Next Gen Stats.
The Rams weren't just getting pressure, they were getting it decisively and in different ways, as L.A. set a new season-high with nine sacks, and four came on either third or fourth down.
"There was match ups that we liked, and I think the biggest thing for us is not really about the other team," said outside linebacker Michael Hoecht. "It's about playing within our scheme and structure, trusting each other to be in the right spots and be on time. The way this group has come from where we started the year to now, we just have a really good feeling of timing and tempo and playing together."
They certainly did play together, and in a historic fashion. The Rams' eight players with at least 0.5 sacks in a game is the most since 1982, when those stats started being tracked, and their six sacks on Darnold in the first half were the most taken by any QB in the first half of a playoff game in the last 25 years. It was the definition of a group effort from the dynamic, young front.
Defensive end Kobie Turner lived in the backfield with five pressures (according to PFF) and two sacks. Young registered 1.5 sacks and four pressures, Verse generated six and Hoecht added four and a sack of his own. Rookie defensive ends Braden Fiske (0.5 sacks) and Keir Thomas both had two pressures apiece, while veteran nose tackle Neville Gallimore had 1.5 sacks on two pressures.
Going into the week, Verse said the edge rushers focused on working past chips. That paid off, as three edge rushers had at least a half sack, but Verse wasn't one of them.
"I was like, 'it's a sack party and I am not invited," Verse said.
Shula, a first-year defensive coordinator and the grandson of all-time great NFL coach Don Shula, schemed up a completely dominant game plan in his first-ever playoff game. After future Hall of Fame defensive end Aaron Donald retired this past offseason, the defensive line was an unknown commodity entering the season. On Monday, they tied the NFL record for sacks in a postseason game with Donald looking on from the stands.
"It's simple," Verse said. "We just had to show him he left it in good hands."
That, they did.
