St. Louis Rams: Increased Pressure To Win

The St. Louis Rams offense has struggled to maintain any momentum throughout the opening five weeks of their season. With offensive line, quarterback and receiver questions, the Rams will once again have to rely on their defensive line to get them back to .500.

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The Rams will host the Cleveland Browns this Sunday, providing them with ample opportunity to get their pass rush back into rhythm following their Bye Week. The Rams vaunted defensive line was held in relative check the last time they were on the field – registering just two sacks against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

As a team, the Packers have allowed 11 sacks – placing them right in the middle of the league in sacks allowed. This week they are facing a Browns team that has allowed 22 sacks, the 3rd most in the NFL. This fits directly into the Rams strength, as they have recorded the 3rd most sacks in the NFL with 19.

To get back on track, the Rams defensive line and linebackers need to create more consistent pressure in the face of Browns quarterback Josh McCown. The Rams created consistent pressure in their Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals, allowing them to hold Carson Palmer to just 29-of-46 passing and only one touchdown through the air. The Rams were especially successful when Gregg Williams brought pressure up the middle with James Laurinaitis. While he did not register a sack, he collapsed the pocket multiple times, not allowing Palmer to comfortably set his feet and drive through his passes.

They were unable to do this in in their Week 5 loss to the Packers, allowing moments of little to no pressure. They held Aaron Rodgers in relative check, but the times they allowed a clean pocket allowed Rodgers to step up and deliver both of his touchdowns.

Middle pressure proved to be a major problem for the Browns in their Week 6, overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. Of their four sacks allowed, three came from middle pressure. That includes the 2nd sack of the game, when Brandon Marshall came on a middle linebacker blitz. He collapsed the pocket, and brought down McCown for the 6-yard loss.

With pass rushers such as Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn up front along with James Laurinaitis improving as a blitzer and the option of Mark Barron, the Rams aggressive front has to, and will create enough pressure to get them back to .500 this week with a win over the Browns. To achieve this, the key will be Donald and fellow interior lineman Michael Brockers.

Donald burst onto the scene in the first three weeks of 2015, collecting 3.5 sacks over the opening three weeks. During this time, the Rams were allowing Donald to use his quickness and athleticism to shoot gaps and attack the pocket. During this time, Brockers was used primarily to hold-up blockers and allow the Rams talented linebackers to attack the line of scrimmage.

Oct 4, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; St. Louis Rams outside linebacker Alec Ogletree (52) is taken off the field with an injury during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The big difference in the past two weeks has been the absence of Alex Ogletree with an ankle injury. Ogletree was on pace for a career yeas, collecting 42 tackles through just over 14 quarters before injuring his ankle and needing surgery.

Since his departure, the Rams have needed to use Donald to hold his ground to help in the run game more. This has led to zero sacks and very limited pressure from the 2nd-year star. With Jo-Lonn Dunbar back in the fold, and a full Bye Week to prepare how to better stuff the run the Rams should be able to free Donald to rush the passer again this week.

With Donald able to get back into pressure schemes, the Rams ability to pressure McCown and get him to the ground greatly increase. With that comes more wins, and a better chance at the top of the NFC West, which has been wide-open through the first six weeks of the NFL season.

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