Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
At the heart of a surprising 8-7 record for the Los Angeles Rams has been the emergence of inside linebacker Ernest Jones.
However, his rise is no surprise to coach Sean McVay, who has watched the South Carolina product grow from an athletic player full of potential as a rookie to one of the best players on L.A.’s much-improved defense in his third season.
“He’s got such an authentic play energy that I think has been instrumental in a lot of good things, not only for the defense, but for our team,” McVay told FOX Sports. “One of the coolest things [TV broadcaster] Kirk Herbstreit mentioned to me after the [Week 16] game was watching how excited Ernest gets for the offensive guys and just this team and the connection.
“I’ve really been super proud and happy for the things that he’s done, and we got to keep it going.”
Manning the middle of L.A.’s defense, Jones has been a big part of his team’s climb back to relevance. The Rams have won five of six games since their bye week, when they were 3-6 and appeared headed toward another rebuilding season. Now they sit as the No. 6 seed in the NFC and control their playoff destiny.
With two games left to play, Jones has already established career highs in combined tackles (132), tackles for loss (13) and sacks (4.5). According to Next Gen Stats, he has created 20 pressures since Week 11, 10 more than the next closest linebacker. He also has 34 defensive stops, the most among all defenders over that same time frame.
Since Week 11, the Rams have held opponents to 21.3 points per contest and have allowed just 80.2 rushing yards a game and just one rushing touchdown.
“We’re just a much closer unit,” Jones said. “And we’re playing together. All of us are playing on the same page. We’re executing at the right time. Everything is going perfect right now.”
McVay said that Jones benefited last season from watching perennial Pro Bowler Bobby Wagner’s…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/rams-lb-ernest-jones-thriving-as-playmaker-for-reenergized-l-a-defense
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Publish date : 2023-12-29 13:44:51
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