A year ago, the Los Angeles Rams‘ run defense was one of the worst in the NFL. They allowed the 26th-most yards per carry at 4.6 and had last been seen giving up 285 rushing yards to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round.
Rams general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have seemingly made it their mission to address this issue, and they’ve accomplished that goal through 14 weeks of the season. They signed Poona Ford and leaned on their internal talent development to produce the best run defense in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus,
The Rams’ defensive line has been a top-five unit all season, powered by one of the league’s most dominant run defenses. Poona Ford leads the way with an 87.0 run-defense grade and 23 run stops, while edge defenders Byron Young and Jared Verse sit right behind him with 21 and 20 stops, respectively.
Interior defender Tyler Davis has also been a steady presence, tallying 18 run stops without a single missed tackle. As a group, their 57.1% positive-grade rate and 115 total run stops both lead the NFL.
This year, the Rams have allowed just 3.9 yards per carry, which is the eighth-best mark in the league. The Rams have also allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns this year (four) and have held opponents under 100 rushing yards in a game seven times.
The dominance up front also affects the secondary. Despite a lack of star power in the defensive backfield, the Rams have one of the top coverage units in the league because teams can’t establish the run. The defensive backs, then, can work better at keeping the pass-catchers occupied and key on specific targets.
This is all another reason why defensive coordinator Chris Shula is garnering a lot of head coaching looks before the 2026 offseason. He’s helped orchestrate one of the best overall defenses in the NFL in just his second season at the helm.
It’s also a testament to Snead and McVay identifying one of the biggest flaws in the Rams’ championship aspirations, fixing it, and providing an avenue to excel and work toward the top seed in the NFC.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams’ run defense is now the best in the NFL, per PFF
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