Five Spot: Are Rams an elite defense? Keep taking the ball away

Rams tied for seventh in the NFL with 15 takeaways

Some news and notes as the Los Angeles Rams host the San Francisco 49ers, looking for their eighth victory of the season:

1. The Rams have one of the stingiest defenses in the NFL this season, but until recently Brandon Staley’s group had struggled to force turnovers.

However, that’s recently changed. The last four games, the Rams have forced nine turnovers, including six interceptions. L.A.’s offense has turned those miscues into 21 points in sudden change opportunities.

The Rams also have stopped opponents three times in fourth down during that time frame, essentially serving as turnovers by getting the ball back to their offense.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said his defense refocused on taking the ball away after the bye week, and it remains a high priority.

“It has been an emphasis,” McVay said. “Our defensive coaches have done a great job. We always talk about attacking the ball and creating those takeaways. Other than points, there’s no better indicator of wins and losses than winning that turnover battle. That’s why I think all 32 teams are probably emphasizing it, but it’s something that we try to be pretty intentional about.”

For the season, the Rams have forced 15 turnovers, tied for the seventh-most in the league. Not bad, but that number could be higher.

Currently, the Pittsburgh Steelers are tops in the NFL with 21 forced turnovers. The Steelers also are the only undefeated team in the NFL at 10-0.

If the Rams want to be considered an elite defense, they need to continue to take the ball away. That’s been the calling card for great defenses over the years.

The 2000 Baltimore Ravens forced a league-leading 49 turnovers on the way to a Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom created an NFL-leading 39 turnovers during that team’s Super Bowl season in 2013.

2. Teams continue to deal with uncertainty of COVID-19 as numbers of people around the country contacting the virus increase at an alarming rate. The Rams have had their share of players and staff test positive, but they have been one of the fortunate teams not been adversely affected in terms of scheduling.

However, the uniqueness of this season has provided an opportunity for McVay and the Rams to take a holistic approach to how they do things daily, including meetings, practice time and recovery.

Reggie Scott, senior director of sports medicine and sports performance, created an outdoor facility where coaches can hold meetings in a safe environment that allows players to socially distance. That’s something the Rams will likely continue to use beyond 2020.

And McVay said the Rams also have dialed back practice time during the week at times to allow for more recovery, especially as they get into the latter stages of the season.

“The benefit for us is being in an environment where the weather is so nice that we can utilize that tent,” McVay said. “That was part of something going way back early on that we had kind of envisioned this possible scenario to be able to still meet, but be able to follow all the precautionary measures and preventative maintenance, if you will.

“We’ve had a little bit of zoom meetings, but our ability to meet in person, outdoors has really been an advantage for us.”

3. Just want to give a shout out to Jalen Ramsey for handing out $20,000 in gift cards for families in need during the holidays.

It’s just one of the countless examples of athletes giving back to their communities, which is even more important during this year.

Thanks to ⁦@jalenramsey⁩ for purchasing $20k in @Vons grocery gift cards to bless our neighbors in Inglewood & South Los Angeles. Was a great day in partnership with ⁦@2dCall⁩. pic.twitter.com/mwiQKosDJL

— Molly Higgins (@CalMolls) November 24, 2020

“It means a lot,” Ramsey said. “I’m blessed tremendously, so I try to be a blessing when I can, or when I see fit, whatever touches my heart or comes to my heart.

“It’s something each year that my family and I have done. Me, my dad and my brother do it every year back home, Ramsey’s reach, and they hold it down. It’s just something I’ve done every year I’ve been in the league. I worked with the Boys and Girls Club in Jacksonville. And this year I kind of just did it on a little bit bigger of a scale.”

4. They said it: “I definitely watched him and respected his game. He made a lot of plays. Talked his talk on the field too, so you know I love that. It was exciting watching him.” -- Ramsey on watching San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman as a young defensive back before he got into the NFL.

5. Did you know: The Rams are 14-6 against NFC West foes during the Sean McVay era, outscoring division opponents 591-392. This season, the Rams are 1-1 against the NFC West.