The Los Angeles Rams traded for Von Miller, signaling that they are afraid of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. This trade is a move made to try and slow down the Packers offense in hopes of winning their seventh Super Bowl Championship against them.
The “Aaron Rodgers trade” is a situation that has been discussed recently. The Los Angeles Rams have given away their fear of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady by trading Von Miller to the Denver Broncos.
With a 7-1 record and a four-game winning run, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams are eyeing prospective NFC playoff opponents.
Perhaps McVay isn’t looking at the calendar for January just yet. Coaches, after all, are famously nearsighted. However, the senior brass in LA clearly believed that defensive reinforcements were required. They made a blockbuster deal to acquire ace pass rusher Von Miller from the Denver Broncos, and in the process, they revealed their long-term strategy.
This is an NFC conference that is still led by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are the defending Super Bowl champions. Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are once again looking like contenders at the top of the NFC.
Even with a resurgent Matthew Stafford at quarterback, the Rams know that stopping a quarterback wearing the No. 12 in the playoffs is crucial to their Super Bowl prospects.
Von Miller is a well-known player who can still contribute to the Rams.
Von Miller #58 of the Denver Broncos poses at Camping World Stadium during the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl | Mark Brown/Getty Images
To be honest, the Rams aren’t getting Miller like they used to. That would be inequitable.
Miller had a time in his career when he was the best pass rusher in the league. In ten seasons in the NFL, he has seven seasons with ten or more sacks, all with the Broncos. His best season was the 2012 season, when he had 18.5 sacks. As he prepares to fly to Los Angeles, he has an overall score of 110.5.
Miller was voted Super Bowl MVP for his effort in the Broncos’ 24-10 victory against the Carolina Panthers in the 2016 Super Bowl. In the game, he sacked Cam Newton 2.5 times.
Miller has made the Pro Bowl eight times and has been named to the All-Pro team three times.
It’s worth mentioning that, at 32 years old, Father Time has begun to catch up with him. He’s no longer the spectacular pass rusher he once was, but he’s still a better pass rusher than most.
Miller just had eight sacks last season and has 4.5 this season.
Miller will be asked to contribute to an already formidable defense by the Rams.
Von Miller (58) of the Denver Broncos celebrates a sack and forced fumble during the second quarter at Broncos Stadium at Mile High on Sunday, September 9. | Getty Images/Joe Amon/The Denver Post
The Rams aren’t bringing Miller in to be a superstar and lead the defense, as the Broncos requested.
Miller is expected to be a part of the broader vision in LA, and he should be able to flourish in that role. Consider a rested Miller as a situational pass rusher off the edge. For opposition quarterbacks, that has to be a scary prospect.
Before the deal, the Rams had a Top 15 defense and will now add Miller to a front that includes Aaron Donald’s five sacks and Leonard Floyd’s 6.5 sacks. When you add in a trash-talking Jalen Ramsey patrolling the defensive backfield, Miller’s job as a pass rusher just became a lot simpler.
The Rams’ defense will be on the cusp of becoming exceptional.
To stop championship-level quarterbacks, the Rams have created a championship-level defense.
During Capital One’s The Match at The Reserve at Moonlight Basin, Tom Brady (L) and Aaron Rodgers meet | Stacy Revere/Getty Images for The Match
The Rams now boast the finest defense Miller has been a part of since the storied Denver team he led to a Super Bowl victory.
But that doesn’t mean the NFC is now a stroll in the park. On the opposite sideline, there are still fear-inducing opponents, including two all-time great quarterbacks.
With Stafford and McVay at the helm, the Rams have the third-best offensive in the NFL, but Brady’s Buccaneers are ahead of them at the top. Los Angeles is averaging 30.6 points per game, while Tampa Bay is averaging 32.5. The famous quarterback is also 34-11 in the playoffs, proving that he understands how to win when the chips are down.
Despite their recent defeat to the Packers, the Arizona Cardinals still have a high-flying offense (30.8 points per game) lead by Kyler Murray. When it comes to Green Bay, it’ll be difficult to dismiss a club headed by the reigning NFL MVP that recently defeated Arizona on the road despite losing a number of key players. Rodgers and Matt LaFleur have the Packers working like a well-oiled machine, and when some of its injured players return to the field, the Pack will only get better.
Though the Rams can beat just about anybody in a shootout, clichés exist for a reason.
The offense wins games in the NFL, but the defense wins championships. Miller’s Broncos showed that in 2016, and the Rams are well aware of it in 2021.
Despite possessing a strong offense, the Rams’ success in the NFC playoffs will most certainly be determined by their ability to stop either Brady or Rodgers. Slowing down the game and keeping the ball out of the hands of either famous quarterback is a game plan that will lead to more postseason victories than not, especially if the Rams travel on the road.
Stafford has failed to win a postseason game in his professional career. That’s something he’ll have to show he can accomplish, and it’s not easy. Despite guiding LA to a Super Bowl, McVay is a mediocre 3-3 in the playoffs as a coach. This includes a defeat on the road against the Packers in the NFC divisional round of 2020.
The offense is the one who wins games. Championships are won on defense.
In 2021, the Rams have bought into that concept, as shown by Miller’s acquisition.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
RELATED: Von Miller’s Emotional Reaction to Being Traded to the Rams: “We Always Got Super Bowl 50”
The Los Angeles Rams have been known to be afraid of Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady. The team traded Von Miller for Aqib Talib with the hope that they would not face those two quarterbacks. But, now they are facing them in the Super Bowl. Reference: aaron rodgers agent.
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