“We need continuity. We need drives to sustain so that we can show them different runs for the play actions. We can show them this pass that complements this other pass, you know, in the screen game. So the more downs you can get, the better off you are, and the more dangerous you can be on the offense.”
By the end of the regular season, the league average across the NFL was 5.3 yards per play. In that Week 13 matchup, the Rams averaged 7.4 per play, and the Panthers clicked along at 6.0 per play, both well above the league average (which was also around that 5.5 number at the time). It came as a result of the offense being aggressive, but the defense doing so as well.
The group went after Stafford and the ball all day, resulting in three turnovers, including a pick-six from Mike Jackson. Stafford was sacked twice, and there were four passes defensed.
“It certainly was a lot of good football that made those things happen,” defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said. “Stafford’s a great player, and he’s just not going to turn the ball—or you’re going to have to force his hand, and we were able to in a couple of opportunities.
“That being said, you know, we still feel like there’s a lot that we left out there. We certainly feel like we can play better and perform better than we did on that day, and we’re going to need to because this is a very good football team.”
