Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula was in his bag against the Seattle Seahawks for the Week 11. His squad forced four Sam Darnold interceptions and four field goals and just won touchdown in the win.
While the defense itself is impressive, the defensive adjustments by Shula helped create chaos for the Seattle offense. According to The Athletic’s Mike Sando, the Rams were one of two Seahawks opponents to play five defensive backs more times than they played two when Seattle was in 21 personnel (two tight ends and one running back). This meant Shula had more defensive backs prepared to cover Darnold passes while the defensive front penetrated and pressured the Seahawks’ defensive line.
The result: Some of the most impactful plays in the entire game.
Per Sando, two Rams’ plays where they played nick defense versus the Seahawks’ 12 personnel generated the biggest expected points added (EPA) swings in the game. The first was safety Kam Kinchen’s interception in the first quarter, which generated a plus-7.2 EPA for L.A. The second was Kinchen’s third-quarter interception, which generated a plus-5.5 EPA for L.A.
To top it all off, both plays were more important to the outcome of the game than one of the contest’s biggest moments: A 25-yard run by Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker in the second quarter, which resulted in a plus-1.6 EPA for Seattle.
What does this all mean? The Rams’ defense decided the game for L.A.
While the offense didn’t look awful, the defense consistently set up the Rams with scoring opportunities. Kinchen’s first pick set up the offense at the Seattle three-yard line, which set up the Rams’ first touchdown four plays later. Similarly, the third-quarter interception by Kinchens led to another touchdown four plays later. Both drives started in Seahawks territory because of the turnovers.
This is where the age-old adage of “defense wins championships” comes into play. In a game where the offense was struggling against an equally good opposing defense, the Rams’ own defense put them into better positions to score and win the game. And a lot of that success came thanks to Shula’s defense adjustments in the secondary.