Rams' Defensive Keys Super Bowl 2022: Will Aaron Donald Run Wild Without Blitzing?

We have officially arrived at the Super Bowl this season. We know about the narratives, but let's get into the nuts and bolts of this matchup and the key battle between Joe Burrow and the Rams elite pass rush.

Los Angeles is playing in their home venue, SoFi Stadium, and are 4-point favorites at WynnBET Sportsbook with a total of 48.5. Let's break down some keys for the Rams to win with their defense on Super Bowl Sunday.

Win with Aaron Donald, Von Miller, Not Blitz

The Rams typically play zone defense and are outside the top 10 in the NFL in blitz rate, and I expect we see their typical scheme on Super Bowl Sunday.

Burrow has decimated opponents that blitz this season, first in Pro Football Focus' passer grade, and the Rams will have the edge in the trenches to avoid blitzing. LA has star pass rushers such as Aaron Donald and Von Miller that bolster the best pass rush win rate in the league this season. Meanwhile, the Bengals are 30th in pass rush win rate on the offensive line.

I believe the key for this one lies with the Rams winning with a four man front and getting pressure that way by not sending extra men in the box. They simply don't need to. The Bengals offense functions the best by letting their star receivers like Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd win on the outside.

However, by dropping more defenders in coverage, the Rams can win by committee and move star cornerback Jalen Ramsey around to either shadow Chase or shut down the team's No. 2 option Tee Higgins.

Shut Down Chase, Deep Passes from Burrow

Speaking of Ramsey, Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris can opt to stick their shutdown corner on Chase and have him look to win that matchup one-on-one, allowing the rest of the defense to shutdown the other pass catchers.

I don't envision the Bengals offense finding much success against the Rams defensive front that is top 5 in defensive rush DVOA this season and this game is going to fall on Burrow's arm. However, the Rams defense is well suited to limit the Cincy passing attack given their ability to drop extra men in coverage and limit the big play. The Bengals pass catchers have made explosive catches all season, ranking top five in that metric this season, per SharpFootballStats.

However, the Rams are top 10 at limiting chunk passes and with a lockdown corner in Ramsey as well as a devastating pass rush. I'm not sure how much time Burrow, who was sacked nine times in the AFC Divisional Round against the Titans, will have to throw the ball downfield. The Rams defense is not going to let the Bengals wideouts win on one-on-one balls, they are more disciplined than that, and the numbers show that they have shut down that offense this season.

Raheem Morris Needs to Find Success on Third Down

Morris has done a fantastic job taking the reigns from former DC Brandon Staley and keeping the Rams defense humming this season, and I expect he's going to do just fine against this Bengals offense.

If head coach Zac Taylor opts to pound the rock in early downs with Joe Mixon, like he tried at times against the Chiefs to little success, Donald and the Rams front seven will be their to swarm. The 49ers couldn't get a push with their elite run game in the NFC Championship game, averaging less than three yards per carry, and I don't expect better from a poor Bengals offensive line.

Meanwhile, if the Rams pass rush can win -- which they should -- they can force passes underneath to Bengals receivers and keep them short of the sticks.

Games are won and loss on third down. The Rams need to finish drives and get off the field to get the ball back to Matthew Stafford and the offense. The Bengals are fifth this postseason in third down conversion percentage, albeit on a much higher volume, but we saw in the second half of the Chiefs victory, Burrow used his legs to evade tackles and pick up first downs to keep drives alive.

Cincinnati is 29th in neutral game pace, they are going to look to slow this game down and march down the field. It will be on Morris to scheme up unique play designs and the defenders to finish plays and limit the Bengals offense.