As we sit one day away from the highly-anticipated Week 5 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams (2-2) and the Dallas Cowboys (3-1), both teams were in the headlines on Wednesday after Rams All-Pro LB Bobby Wagner made one specific comment on Cowboys QB Cooper Rush during his press conference.
While Wagner initially just talked about the Cowboys’ offense with Rush and praised him for his play this season, the comment that swept across social media from him was: “Just because a guy has been good against the blitz so far, doesn’t mean he’ll be good Sunday.”
Wagner would add that Rush has been in the league for a while, so he recognizes typical blitz packages, but it’s their job to disguise those looks to provide pressure on him. However, after fans saw his comment, they quickly went to social media to roast him, and some went as far as to pull stats up to mock Wagner’s “threat.”
Bobby Wagner tackles a dude doing a gender reveal and thinks he’s gunna get to cooper rush 😂 https://t.co/DmwYTzFAo1
— BEEZY🔥 (@Reckless_Beezy) October 6, 2022
Wagner has been a bust for the rams and he is talking tough like as if he going to do something about it lol overrated player
— T morales (@Tmorale22661761) October 5, 2022
The Rams are 6th in blitz rate but dead last in pressure rate this year 🤔 https://t.co/DFULwJLAMy
— David Howman (@_DH44_) October 5, 2022
While you would expect that type of confidence from a player who wants to stop one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL right now, I wanted to dive into his comments and see if there is any evidence to back up his remarks.
Let’s get to it.
First, if you look at Pro Football Reference, you see these are some of the stats from the Rams’ defense this season:
- Blitz Rate: 31.3%, 5th-most in the league
- Pressure Rate: 10.6% (Last)
- Sacks: 7 (29th)
Going based on those stats, that doesn’t scream any fear that Rush will be running for his life.
While you could factor in the possibility of their little-to-no success rate on pressures toward them facing either good-to-elite offensive lines, here are the tiers of offensive lines they have faced so far, provided by Pro Football Network.
- Buffalo Bills: Tier 3
- Atlanta Falcons: Tier 2
- Arizona Cardinals: Tier 2
- San Francisco 49ers: Tier 3
I understand them facing two Tier 2 teams could be their answer, but if you look at their numbers versus the other two teams (Bills and 49ers) who have worse offensive lines, you find the defense was non-existent.
Two sacks and two QB hits against the Bills and zero sacks with one QB hit against the Niners. Those numbers don’t back up Wagner’s claim.
Plus, to add the favorite stat of all the “Rush-fans,” he is tied with Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady for the quickest snap-to-throw. 2.1 seconds.
To sum it up, I’m SELLING on Wagner’s comment, as Rush has weapons around him to eliminate the blitz, and statistically, he thrives under pressure. According to Pro Football Focus, his passer rating is 97.9 when facing pressure — and it’s ironic because when his pocket is clean, his passer rating drops to 95.2.
Expect OC Kellen Moore to continue to scheme plays for Rush to get the ball out quick to either CeeDee Lamb, Noah Brown, or Michael Gallup, but also don’t be surprised to see a Tony Pollard breakout game.
The team knows they still have to respect the Rams’ defense as they got playmakers like Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Taylor Rapp, and Wagner — but the game will be closer than people think.
Their main goal will be to try to eliminate the run, so Rush may be slinging it more than usual.
With a lot of confidence on the Cowboys’ side, they will enter SoFi wanting to prove a point, and while there may be some hiccups on the offense, this game screams a defensive win for them.
The only QB that should be worried about beating the blitz on Sunday is Wagner’s guy, Matthew Stafford, as his offensive line looks like a junior-varsity squad, and he’s going to be running from that Cowboys defensive front all game.
