You won’t hear an NFL head coach say that the best thing that could happen to his football team is to lose a couple of its best players.
uncertain
that → hear → players
But sometimes, if it happens in October, it can be exactly what a team needs in the long run.
Not because injuries are blessings in disguise.
asserted
injuries → happen → disguise
They’re not.
asserted
They → ’re → ?
Championship teams aren’t built solely on the backs of a couple superstars.
asserted
teams → build → superstars
They’re forged in the uncomfortable moments when the next man up on the depth charts has to prove he belongs.
asserted
he → forge → charts
And that’s exactly what the Los Angeles Rams discovered last Sunday in Philadelphia.
asserted
Rams → ’ → Philadelphia
With three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year award winner Aaron Donald sidelined by back soreness and reigning DPOY Myles Garrett recovering from a knee procedure, the Rams walked into Lincoln Financial Field without two of the most feared defensive players of their generation.
asserted
Rams → sideline → generation
They walked out with a 24-20 victory and something that could prove to be considerably more valuable come December and January: a defensive front that knows it can win without either of them.
uncertain
it → walk → them
The Eagles managed just 172 total yards, including just 93 passing yards.
asserted
Eagles → manage → yards
Philadelphia averaged a miserable 3.0 yard per play and was a jaw-dropping 0-for-12 on third down.
asserted
Philadelphia → average → down
Against an offense featuring Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and one of football’s most formidable offensive lines, Los Angeles turned third down into an exercise in futility.
asserted
Angeles → feature → futility
And the most encouraging part for the Rams wasn’t who made the big defensive plays, but how many different players contributed to them.
asserted
players → make → them
Kobie Turner played 48 defensive snaps, nearly 80% of the total.
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Turner → play → total
Braden Fiske logged 44, his heaviest workload since the middle of last season, and generated seven pressures.
asserted
Fiske → log → pressures
Poona Ford and Tyler Davis combined for 48 snaps, while Larrell Murchison and Ty Hamilton contributed another 23.
asserted
Murchison → combine → 23
Even undrafted rookie Wesley Bailey got 29 snaps, with Desjuan Johnson adding seven more.
asserted
Johnson → get → seven
Those aren’t meaningless numbers buried deep in the stat book.
asserted
Those → bury → book
They’re investments in a defense that might need every one of those players when the stakes become considerably higher later in the year.
uncertain
stakes → ’re → year
“I think it’s key and critical to continue to build camaraderie and continue to understand who we are rushing with and playing beside,” Turner said.
asserted
Turner → think → who
“That’s what those games do for us.”
asserted
games → ’ → us
Defensive line chemistry isn’t something coaches can manufacture with a whiteboard and a motivational speech.
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coaches → manufacture → whiteboard
Camaraderie and cohesion is forged through hundreds of collisions, knowing when your teammate is going to twist inside, recognizing when he’s lost contain and instinctively covering the gap before an opposing quarterback exploits it.
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quarterback → forge → it
Those instincts are earned over repetition, not inherited.
asserted
instincts → earn → repetition
Without Garrett and Donald, who have 236.5 combined sacks, Byron Young provided the fireworks, recording 2.5 sacks on Hurts, three quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
asserted
Young → have → loss
His 31 career sacks now place him alongside Reggie Doss on the Rams’ all-time list.
asserted
sacks → place → list
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula leaned into his depth and trusted his players.
asserted
Shula → lean → players
The Rams stopped the Eagles on three of their four fourth-down attempts, including linebacker Nate Landman on a third quarter tush push and a fourth quarter goalline stand.
asserted
Rams → stop → push
Those two crucial stops helped swing the momentum back to the Rams who rallied with two fourth quarter touchdowns to steal the victory from the jaws of defeat.
asserted
who → help → defeat
Now the Rams will host the 3-1 Buffalo Bills at SoFi Stadium on Monday Night Football with the 2024 NFL MVP in Josh Allen.
asserted
Rams → host → Allen
That’s a considerably different challenge.
asserted
That → ’ → ?
Thankfully, the Rams will have Donald back for their matchup with the Bills.
asserted
Rams → have → Bills
To further cement how important it was for many of these young Rams to get snaps on defense last week in Philadelphia, look no further than the 2023 Kansas City Chiefs.
asserted
many → cement → Chiefs
That Super Bowl-winning team leaned heavily on a young defense that gained confidence and cohesiveness as the season progressed.
asserted
season → win → confidence
When injuries inevitably struck, players such as Chamarri Conner and Leo Chenal stepped up in their absence.
asserted
players → strike → absence
The Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl and held their opponents to just 13.7 points per game during the postseason.
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Chiefs → go → postseason
The lesson here isn’t that injuries make teams better, but rather that opportunities can create depth, camaraderie and confidence, and those things help win championships.
asserted
things → make → championships
“To know we have two former DPOYs sitting back at home, but these are still the guys.
asserted
these → know → home
No expectation of a drop-off,” Turner said.
asserted
Turner → say → off
“It felt like the boys out there.
asserted
It → feel → boys
We know what the standard is, and we’re going to continue to uphold that.”
asserted
we → know → that
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
