Just when all hope appeared to be lost, the Los Angeles Rams stayed alive just long enough to rally for a 27-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Considering only one NFL team has started their season 0-3 and reached the playoffs since 2000 (2018 Texans), moving to 1-2 was a big step for Sean McVay’s team in Week 3.
Getting the win against the San Francisco 49ers was crucial for the Rams’ playoff hopes. While Matthew Stafford’s game-winning drive helped put the nail in the coffin, this win was a total team effort on both sides of the ball. That includes the Rams’ rookie defensive duo.
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Los Angeles Rams Rookies Jared Verse And Braden Fiske Causing Problems
With Aaron Donald retiring, Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead prioritized strengthening the rest of the defense, knowing first-year coordinator Chris Shula would need all the help he could get. In doing so, Snead selected Jared Verse with his first selection, 19th overall, and Braden Fiske with his second, with the 39th overall pick.
So far, both rookies are off to a good start, and their best efforts came in Sunday’s win. As you can see below, Verse and Fiske lived in San Francisco’s backfield, combining for 11 pressures. That’s more than any other defensive rookie tandem in Week 3.
Neither Verse nor Fiske got a sack in Sunday’s win, but their impact was clearly felt by Brock Purdy, who lost a fumble recovered by Fiske before the first half expired.
So far, Verse and Fiske lead all other rookies in pressures. Verse has recorded 13, and Fiske has 11. If this effort continues, Verse could win Defensive Rookie of the Year, an honor Donald won back in 2014.
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