LOS ANGELES -- As the Los Angeles Rams reworked their roster last offseason, the defensive side of the ball was hit hard.
First, the Rams released linebacker Bobby Wagner, who had quickly become a leader and was named second-team All Pro in his lone season in Los Angeles. Then, they released Leonard Floyd, who later signed with the Buffalo Bills. Two days later, they traded All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins.
It was the opposite of what the Rams had done in recent years to continually acquire high-end talent, but it was clear this offseason that Los Angeles was shedding salary in an attempt to reset for 2024. The Rams chose to rely on a young defense for 2023, surrounding defensive tackle Aaron Donald with first- and second-year players getting significant minutes.
But in Sunday's 17-16 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, that young defense kept them "in the fight," Rams head coach Sean McVay said.
The Seahawks scored a touchdown on their opening drive, a 14-play, 73-yard possession that ended in an eight-yard pass to DK Metcalf, but did not find the end zone again. And while the Rams' offense struggled on Sunday, going 2-of-9 on third down, the defense held strong in the second half, allowing three points. Los Angeles took the lead for the first time -- and for good -- with less than two minutes to go in the game.
"It's always a team game, but I thought for [the defense] not to be affected by some of the things that we were struggling with and our offense was struggling with as a whole [was big]," McVay said. "They just kept playing. They kept competing. They kept it to a tight game.
"Stop after stop, big play after big play. Just kind of just staying the course when offensively ... we just weren't having some of the success and the continuity and consistency in terms of moving the ball or coming away with points."
The Rams held the Seahawks to 87 total yards in the second half, although Seattle was without quarterback Geno Smith for part of the half due to an elbow injury. Rams nose tackle Bobby Brown III, who had a half-sack in his return from a knee injury, said he thought the defense "played with heart" against Seattle.
"We played with great intensity and did our job," Brown said. "Simple as that. Do your job, you should win."
Brown specifically pointed out two rookies, Byron Young and Kobie Turner, who were both third-round selections by the Rams. Young has five sacks and two forced fumbles this season, while Turner has two. The defense still has a lot of growing to do -- the unit is ranked 23rd in DVOA -- but has "made a lot of strides," McVay said.
McVay thinks "the younger players have gotten a lot better" and the defensive staff has been able to use more players, allowing the Rams to play with different personnel groupings.
"Guys all have roles," McVay said. "They're owning their roles and I think that enables us to be able to stay fresher throughout the course of a game.
"And I thought that was why yesterday was definitely one of our better performances as a defense. They were outstanding and it's definitely something that we want to be able to build on this last half of the season."