Injuries should have destroyed Rams defense. Instead, they’ve created monster

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The Rams have lost enough defensive players this season to fill up the foyer of an emergency room, yet somehow, the unit keeps getting better week after week.

Maybe that’s the most remarkable part of this roller-coaster season. While injuries have ripped through the roster like a tornado through a trailer park, the Rams’ defense has refused to collapse.

In fact, it might be the very thing that saves their season.

Three weeks ago, Los Angeles was 2-4, buried in last place in the NFC West and watching its Super Bowl dreams slip away. Now, riding consecutive victories over the Raiders and Chargers, the Rams (4-4) can climb above .500 for the first time this season with a victory over the Commanders on Sunday.

And they have their battered defense to thank for it.

Consider what happened against the Chargers. The Rams held Justin Herbert & Co. without a touchdown, surrendered nine points and intercepted the quarterback twice. Yes, the Chargers are winless on the season, but that’s not bad for a Rams defense that operated without reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett while losing key starters seemingly every week.

Even more impressive? Four Rams cornerbacks finished among Pro Football Focus’ 10 highest-graded players at the position against the Chargers: Trent McDuffie (second), Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (seventh), Jaylen Watson (eighth) and Josh Wallace (10th).

That depth in the secondary will be tested again on Sunday in the nation’s capital after Watson, a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the defense’s emotional leaders, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery after battling repeated dislocations.

Wallace and Forbes will now be thrust into bigger roles, but they vow not to use injuries as an excuse. In fact, they don’t seem to be interested in making any excuses. 

“I’ve been in these shoes before. Been in this position before,” Forbes said of stepping into an expanded role.

Wallace echoed that confidence.

“The more you’re out there, the more confidence you get,” he said. “The more I’ve been out there, the more I’m able to make plays and learn from my mistakes as well.”

That mentality starts with leadership.

Rams captain Quentin Lake revealed he texted Watson after learning his season was over, reminding him to trust God’s plan.

Lake also made something clear: Garrett’s return doesn’t somehow erase the pain of losing Watson.

“I still think the magnitude of him going out doesn’t diminish because we got Myles back,” Lake said. “Two completely separate identities.”

Garrett returned to practice this week for the first time since September and is set to pair with Aaron Donald and Byron Young in what could be the NFL’s most terrifying pass rush.

But this defense didn’t wait for its superstars to get healthy before figuring out how to win.

Los Angeles has held four of its last five opponents under 22 points. Its defense ranks fifth in total yards allowed, fourth against the pass and sixth in third-down efficiency.

Those aren’t the numbers of a unit hanging on for dear life. Those are the numbers of a legitimate playoff defense.

And Young believes the players still standing have an obligation to those who aren’t.

“Just seeing him go down like that, this season’s for him, Poona and the rest of the guys that can’t finish the job with us,” Young said, referencing Watson and injured defensive tackle Poona Ford. “I hate to lose a guy like that, but we’re going to keep going. We’re going to do it for him.”

That’s more than a locker-room cliché when players actually back it up on Sundays.

Against Washington, the Rams face another dangerous test in Jayden Daniels, whose mobility can turn even the most disciplined pass rush into a collection of frustrated spectators.

The Commanders are fresh off a 27-point performance against Philadelphia, and their quarterback has already rushed for 103 yards in a game this season. The Rams can’t afford another Josh Allen nightmare.

But here’s the difference between the Rams team that stumbled to 2-4 and the one heading into Washington in search of its first winning record.

This group has learned how to absorb punches without falling apart.

And if the Rams eventually climb back into the NFC playoff picture, it won’t simply be because Garrett returned or Donald rediscovered his dominance from four years ago.

It’ll be because players like Wallace, Forbes, Lake and Young refused to let the season die while waiting for reinforcements to arrive. The Rams have spent months losing pieces of their defense each week, and yet, somehow, they’ve found something even more valuable in the process: an identity.

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