Weaponizing Entropy: How the Rams "Broke" Sam Darnold
Breaking down the coverage diversity and post-snap disguise behind LA's 4-interception day.
The Los Angeles Rams defense is built on lies. From the front to the coverages, nothing is as it seems. Against the Seahawks, the philosophy was in full bloom as quarterback Sam Darnold struggled mightily, ending the game with his lowest QBR (ESPN) of the season and four total interceptions.
After exiting their game against the Seahawks, the Rams rank 22nd in the NFL with a Blitz Rate of 27%, which is 3 points below the league average of 30%. Yet, they carry the second-highest Simulated Pressure rate (13.2%), right behind the Vikings.
The front in LA is special, with Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and Kobie Turner leading the charge. The addition of Poona Ford has helped solidify the run defense in the interior. Though the Rams don’t blitz often, they carry the 14th-best pressure rate and are ninth in sacks after their Seattle match-up.
To complement the front, the Rams utilize zone coverage in the back end. Under defensive coordinator Chris Shula, LA runs zone coverage on 74% of its snaps, ranking it eighth in the NFL. They also rank fifth in EPA/play in zone coverage.
Though the Rams rank ninth in Cover 3 usage (30.4%), they are very diverse in their coverage selection, which leans into Shula’s deception philosophy. Above, LA ranks tenth in coverage diversity across the NFL heading into Week 12.
Coach’s Note: The “score” above was calculated using Shannon Entropy. I took the usage rates of all seven major coverages and calculated the entropy of that distribution. Then I normalized it on a 0-100 scale, where 100 represents maximum possible entropy (perfectly equal distribution across all coverages).
» Entropy: a measure of randomness or disorder
Exiting their divisional match-up with Seattle, the Rams now sit second in DVOA behind only the Seahawks. Both the coverage and front are working with synergy in 2025 as Shula has quickly ascended to one of the best coordinators in the NFL.
Against Sam Darnold, Shula put his “deceitful” philosophy on full display, and it was the secondary that illustrated the full extent of this scheme's transformation. Seattle poses several issues with their receiving corps. Jaxon Smith-Njigba (JSN) is one of the best young receivers in the NFL, and the addition of the speedy Rashid Shaheed forces the defense to cover every blade of grass. Plus, don’t forget wily veteran Cooper Kupp, who is still a viable target.
Even after the loss, Seattle’s offense is still the #1-ranked unit in DVOA. Sam Darnold, to this point in the season, had only dipped once below the 50-point mark in QBR (Houston). Shula put together a masterful plan that bracketed JSN while keeping the top on the coverage.
The complementary action of the simulated pressures, an excellent pass rush, and coverage disguise created a death spiral when Darnold attempted to throw the ball. Three of Darnold’s picks came when throwing downfield past ten yards. The zone coverage forced most of Seattle's throws to be under the ten-yard line or outside towards the sideline. But it also allowed the Rams to mask their intentions.
The Rams' disguises forced Darnold to think post-snap and work through his progressions. Most pundits will focus their assessments on Darnold’s play, which will be his issue under pressure, but that isn’t the proper framing.
According to NextGen Stats, all four of Darnold’s interceptions came with a time to throw of greater than 2.5 seconds. The Seahawks quarterback wasn’t under duress; he was hesitant.
In fact, his average time to throw for the game was a massive 3.72 seconds, a half-second higher than Caleb Williams’ average, and a full second longer than his season average of 2.77. The coverage disguises didn’t just deceive him; they froze him.
Though JSN and TE AJ Barner both had productive days, it was more quantity than quality. Both were targeted over ten times, with JSN going 9-105 on the day. His longest completion was 28 yards. Shaheed was also a non-factor, going 2-27 yards on five total targets.
Shula consistently “squeezed” the field and forced Darnold to read the secondary, which was constantly changing post-snap. The Rams’ secondary is gelling in year two under Shula, and though the front line gets a lot of the credit, against the Seahawks, the secondary came to play. Let’s dive into the tape.
*Data is derived from FTN unless noted otherwise
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