Philadelphia’s offense went a shocking 0-for-12 on third down against the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday, a stat that tells you everything about how this game truly went down. While the Rams offense finally sparked to life in the final two drives to claw back a 24-20 victory, make no mistake, it was the defense that put on a smothering effort all game, keeping L.A. in it when their offense was, frankly, playing like the “dank, damp and heavy-footed” Philly weather for 53 minutes.
The Pressure That Broke Philly’s Offense
The Rams defense didn’t just play good, they played *smart*, mixing up seven different players in the box and on the line to keep Eagles QB Jalen Hurts completely off balance. And get this: L.A. blitzed on over 60 percent of snaps and created pressure on 13 of 18 of those blitzes. When Hurts was under fire, he completed only five of 16 passes. The numbers are wild, too. Hurts finished the day with a paltry 12 of 27 passing for 93 gross yards, and in the entire second half, he managed just two completions for 10 yards. They blitzed on every single third down until Philly’s final possession, leading directly to that soul-crushing 0-for-12 third-down conversion rate for the Eagles. That’s just brutal.
Young and the Untouchable Front
Byron Young was an absolute beast out there, logging 54 snaps and stacking another fine performance. He racked up six tackles, two of them for a loss, brought down the QB for 2.5 sacks, hit the quarterback three times, and even forced a fumble. This dude is climbing the record books, too, passing Leonard Floyd (29) and James Hall (30) on the Rams’ all-time sack list, now tied with Reggie Doss at 31. He also tied London Fletcher (35) for 12th in all-time tackles for loss, flying past Ryan Pickett. Kobie Turner was a consistent force, playing 79 percent of snaps and being a handful all game, while Braden Fiske, despite being undersized, played with maximum effort, tallying seven pressures and a QB hit in his highest snap count since mid-last season. The defensive line as a whole, including Poona Ford and Tyler Davis who combined for five tackles, held a good Eagles running team to a mere 104 rushing yards on 27 attempts.
Landman’s Big Plays and Emerging Trends
Nate Landman had himself a really good game, playing 93 percent of snaps. Remember that play where he put a wrenching headlock on Hurts during a tush push attempt? Philly didn’t try another one after that! He also had a huge hustle play, navigating through traffic to make a tackle near the sideline. On the edge, Wesley Bailey’s snaps are trending up, as he’s taken over the E#3 spot. It’s clear this defense, especially in the early season, is finding its stride and making game-changing plays when it counts. They showed up when the offense couldn’t, and that’s the kind of grit that keeps a team fighting.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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