The Los Angeles Rams have been feeling themselves lately, cranking up the blitz and stifling opposing QBs. But as they gear up to host Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills for Monday Night Football in Week 5, they might just be walking into a trap, because Allen absolutely FEASTS when extra rushers come his way.
Rams’ D Is Getting Greedy, And It’s Been Paying Off
Look, the Rams aren’t typically a blitz-heavy squad. They send extra rushers on just 30.7% of their plays, which puts them at 21st in the whole NFL. But with Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald out, their defense has been forced to get more aggressive, and it’s been working!
Check out this ramp-up:
* Week 1 vs San Francisco 49ers: 11.1% blitz rate
* Week 2 vs New York Giants: 35.3%
* Week 3 at Denver Broncos: 31.4%
* Week 4 at Philadelphia Eagles: 46.9%
They absolutely stifled Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in Week 4, and pretty much bottled up the Broncos and Bo Nix until the very end of Week 3. With their revamped back-end coverage, the Rams are learning they *can* rattle opposing quarterbacks by sending the blitz, and they’ve been better for it. But all that success could lead them right into a disastrous situation this Monday night.
Josh Allen: The Blitz’s Worst Nightmare
This is where it gets real. Josh Allen is not just good against the blitz, he’s *deadly*. Most defenses know this and play it safe, blitzing him at a rate less than 30%, which would put them in the bottom third of the league. Why? Because when you bring extra heat against Allen, he punishes you.
Just look at the numbers this season:
* **Allen when not blitzed:** 54/84 (64.3%) for 722 yards, 5 TD’s, 3 INT’s, 96.43 passer rating. He ranks 18th in passer rating and 20th in completion percentage when teams *don’t* blitz him.
* **Allen when blitzed:** 25/35 (71.4%) for 317 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT’s, 108.87 passer rating. His rankings jump to seventh in passer rating and ninth in completion percentage against the blitz!
That’s a HUGE jump. The guy just picks apart defenses when they try to get cute and send extra guys. He’s one of the most unique and complicated quarterbacks out there, beating you with his legs and completing passes other QBs can only dream of.
The Double-Edged Sword for the Rams D
So, what’s a defense to do? You can’t just sit back and let him pick you apart, but you can’t blitz him either, right? The key might be patience. While Allen is a monster, he does put the ball in harm’s way at the sixth-highest rate among all signal callers. If the Rams can sit back, remain patient, and force him into those ill-advised passes, they’ll create opportunities for takeaways. Those passes can’t just fall harmlessly to the turf though, they’ve gotta grab ’em.
Beating Josh Allen is no small task. The Rams have found success being aggressive lately, but they’ll need a different strategy, a more patient one, on Monday night at SoFi Stadium. They can’t walk into this trap with their eyes wide open.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Turf Show Times.
Leave a Reply