The Rams hosted Cleveland this past Sunday and were victorious, winning 24-6 over the Browns.  Todd Gurley had another big day, running for 128 yards and his first two NFL touchdowns on just nineteen carries.  Apart from Gurley, however, the Rams relied solely on their defense.  The defense held the Browns to just two field goals, forced and recovered four fumbles, and returned one fumble for a touchdown.  All this was done without two key starters, defensive end Chris Long and linebacker Alec Ogletree.

Strong safety Mark Barron, whom the Rams acquired through a trade with Tampa Bay last season, moved into the box and replaced Ogletree.  The Alabama product shined in his new role.  He had a game high sixteen total tackles, including ten solo and two tackles for loss.  Although he is slightly undersized as a linebacker, Barron makes up for it with his strength, closing speed, and remarkable playmaking ability.  Barron will play a huge role going forward as Ogletree has been placed on the injured reserve list and will miss an extended period of time.

Defensive end William Hayes got the start for the injured Long and didn’t miss a beat.  Hayes recorded three tackles, two of which were sacks.  On one of his sacks, he also forced Browns’ quarterback Josh McCown to fumble and it was recovered by St. Louis.  Second-year pass rusher Ethan Westbrooks also saw significant playing time due to Long’s injury.  Westbrooks recorded a sack and provided a big spark to the already dominate Rams’ defensive line.

Going forward, the Rams’ top five ranked defense will continue to shine and win games as long as players keep stepping up as they did this weekend.  There are too many good players for an opposing offense to key in on and having Todd Gurley eat up the clock and yards on offense helps a ton.