Every football fan knows that tackling is the foundation of a great defense. For the Los Angeles Rams, that foundation has shown some troubling cracks. What initially looked like a late-season slump has evolved into a pattern that demands attention. The question is: are the Rams' tackling issues a temporary bug or a permanent feature?
The numbers tell a fascinating story. Through the first three months of the 2025 season, the Rams were among the NFL's elite when it came to bringing down ball carriers. From September through November, they were a tackling machine. But something shifted in late November, and the defense hasn't been the same since.
This isn't just a random cold streak. The most worrying part? The struggles are coming from the players the Rams are building around. Nate Landman, Jared Verse, Kobie Turner, and Braden Fiske—the core of LA's defensive future—have all seen their tackling numbers take a significant hit.
Let's start with Landman, who signed a mid-season contract extension that raised eyebrows across the league. Through Week 12, he had missed just seven tackles in 11 games. That's elite production. But from Week 13 through the NFC Championship game, a span of nine contests, he missed 18 tackles. If Landman can't return to his early-season form in 2026, that extension could become a major liability.
The situation is even more concerning when you look at Verse, Turner, and Fiske. These are the players who were supposed to make Rams fans forget about Aaron Donald's retirement. They spearheaded LA's defensive turnaround, but their tackling consistency has been inconsistent at best. For a defense with Super Bowl aspirations, that's a problem that needs fixing.
The good news? The issue appears concentrated along the defensive line, which means it's fixable with the right coaching and technique adjustments. The bad news? These are foundational players who need to be reliable tacklers every single snap.
As the Rams gear up for 2026, the spotlight will be on this core group. Can they return to their early-season form? Or will the missed tackles continue to pile up? For a team with championship expectations, the answer will define their season.