No Aaron Donald? No problem for Rams as rookies lead defensive revival

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — When asked about the success of the Los Angeles Rams on defense during the second half of the season, rookie safety Kamren Kinchens said it plainly.

"We're relentless," he said about this year's rookie class. "Outside of the first Cardinals game, where it was kind of a lopsided score, you could see in the rest of the games we were right there. It was just about us finishing, limiting our mistakes and making sure we're coming out on the right side, which is getting a W." 

After a 1-4 start, the Rams won nine of their last 12 games to close out the season, earning a postseason berth for a second straight year. A defensive aboutface had a lot to do with L.A.'s turnaround. 

The Rams allowed 25.5 points per game and 141 rushing yards a contest through the first five weeks of the season. Those numbers included the humbling 41-10 road loss to Arizona that Kinchens referenced, in which the Rams gave up a season-high 231 rushing yards.

First-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula said the young group struggled to get its footing early on, with one of the best defensive players in NFL history having retired during the offseason. Aaron Donald made occasional appearances at the facility during the year to lift and hang out with his former teammates, but the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year had no intention of coming out of retirement.

"It was a test of who we truly were," Shula said. "You play that game [against the Cardinals], and you were almost shocked how bad you played. To go out and put on that type of performance, it was embarrassing to be honest. To see what type of guys we are, we challenged them."

The Rams responded to Shula's challenge. With some self-scouting to fix things during the team's