Back in 2022, with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter against the Bengals, Matthew Stafford sent a 1-yard pass to wide receiver Cooper Kupp, and led the Los Angeles Rams to their second Super Bowl title. The win was monumental in sealing Stafford’s place in the team’s offensive line, as it came in the same year when the 2025 NFL MVP was traded to the Rams. Now, with him committing to the team one more time, the question is no longer about the offense, but whether the defense is ready to carry its weight. For linebacker Jared Verse, the answer starts with accountability.

“Kobie Turner just texted our group chat; it’s me, him, Byron Young,” Jared Verse explained on The Rush with Maxx Crosby. “He said, ‘but we got to be better.’ He’s like, ‘Stafford’s coming back, he’s putting faith in us, on defense, to hold it down for him. We got to be better.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, you 100% right.’”

Matthew Stafford’s 2025 campaign gave the defense every reason to rise to that challenge. He led the league with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, a new single-season record, while posting a 109.2 passer rating that tied Kurt Warner’s iconic 1999 franchise mark. He won the AP NFL MVP Award and powered Los Angeles to the No. 1 scoring offense in the league at 30.5 points per game.

But that offensive brilliance only goes so far when the defense ranks 10th in points allowed per game at 20.4. 

In terms of total defense, the Rams finished only 17th in the league, a sign that opponents were still able to move the ball consistently even when drives didn’t always end in touchdowns.

By the time the NFC Championship game concluded, the Rams had already let up 30+ points in four of their last nine games for the 2025 season. Their defensive struggles were fully exposed in that title game loss to the Seattle Seahawks, when Los Angeles allowed 31 points while Seattle controlled the game late in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 346 yards, Kenneth Walker totaled 111 yards from scrimmage, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished with 153 receiving yards on 10 catches.

Their rushing defense, ranked 12th in the league, allowed 110.8 yards per game, giving up eight touchdowns in the regular season. Even in the playoffs, the Rams’ secondary allowed chunk plays through the air, with opponents consistently finding success downfield.

From Weeks 1-10, the L.A. ranked third in points per drive allowed. Then, safety Quentin Lake went down in Week 11 with a dislocated left elbow, taking the team down to the 18th spot, while they never truly recovered.

Week 12 again was a meltdown. Against the Carolina Panthers, Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, costly lapses in what had otherwise been a historic 28-touchdown, zero-interception streak since Week 3. When the defense couldn’t hold its ground on the other side of the ball, Stafford’s pressure increased, and mistakes followed.

Still, Jared Verse didn’t hide his admiration for the man they’re playing for. On The Rush, he put Stafford in a category of one:

“Every time it’s a deep pass, you see the ball high up in the air, I start standing up cause I’m assuming it’s a touchdown,” Verse said. “Like that [expletive], he got magic in his hands or something like that.”

But Verse didn’t just stop there. Instead, he went on to heap the ultimate praise for his quarterback.

“He can thread the needle,” Verse said. “He can make all these passes that nobody else in the world can make. Like a legit first ballot Hall of Famer, best player I’ve ever been around.”

Verse logged 58 tackles, 7.5 sacks, forced three fumbles, and even blocked two kicks. Kobie Turner followed closely with 48 tackles, seven sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery. As for Young, he was the most efficient, racking up 88 tackles, 12 sacks, and one forced fumble. Along with Fiske, the young defensive front combined for nearly 30 sacks, underscoring that the Rams’ pass rush was rarely the issue.

The bigger concern was the secondary behind them, which often struggled to contain explosive plays late in the year.

Now, that trio wants to be even better for 2026.

This accountability in the locker room was step one. Step three will be to show it in the minicamps and OTAs, and translate it all on the gridiron. As for step two, that belongs to the front office.

The Rams are already rebuilding their secondary

General manager Les Snead had already made an offseason goal clear to the world before he started making big moves. 

“Try to use them on a player who is going to give us an edge and make an impact,” Snead had said about his plans.

When asked about his free agency plans for the defense, Snead dropped another hint:

“Is there an All-Pro [defender] that you could add?” Snead added slyly. “That would be nice.”

Ultimately, though, he didn’t wait for the draft to make his move.

On March 4, Los Angeles acquired All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for four draft picks: No. 29 pick in the 2026 Draft, plus 2026 fifth- and sixth-round picks and a 2027 third-round pick.

Soon after, L.A. locked him in with a four-year, $124 million deal with $100 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid cornerback in league history.

Days after the McDuffie trade, the Rams agreed to a three-year deal with former Chiefs cornerback Jaylen Watson. Watson had posted career highs in 2025 across interceptions (2), pass breakups (6), and tackles (64). With these two additions, Los Angeles effectively rebuilt its cornerback room within a matter of days.

To anchor the back end, the Rams re-signed safety Kam Curl to a three-year, $36 million contract. Seeing how their defense suffered without him, they also signed Quentin Lake to a three-year extension worth up to $42 million, with $25.7 million guaranteed.

Those moves show a broader organizational push to maximize Stafford’s remaining window. At 38 and coming off his first MVP season, the Rams know they are closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but they also recognize the rare opportunity of having a quarterback still playing at an elite level.

All these moves are for one singular reason alone: winning another Super Bowl in the 2026 season.

Matthew Stafford came back for one reason: to win another ring. His 2025 season proved he can still carry a franchise. Now it’s on the defense, rebuilt, reinvested, and refocused, to finally carry him back.