Jalen Ramsey’s final 6 games were dominant by any measure

The LA Rams defense is better with Jalen Ramsey. There, we settled it. Ramsey is good. But just how good is he and how “locked in” was Ramsey in the second half of the season?

No matter where you look, you’re going to find that Ramsey is good. Really good. Maybe the best cornerback in the NFL, if not last season, then arguably next. Last week, one tweet making it around noted that PFF tracked Ramsey with only one game in the final six in which he allowed more than 12 receiving yards.

Why “more than 12”? Well, it is safe to assume that PFF saw the second-most yards surrendered in that span was 12, so then yeah, just go above that.

But one issue I have with “advanced stats” and “analytics” reporting and tracking is the inconsistency site-to-site. There isn’t a governing body — certainly not the NFL — going around disputing any of what is reported. Who would? Who cares?

Well, we use statistical information all the time to debate and determine the value of each player. In the cases of many, we use indisputable numbers like “yards gained” and “touchdowns scored” and “turnovers” because it’s all there for us to see and rather easily confirm. You can dispute which players were responsible for those stats — an interception is always tagged to the QB even though it is often not the QBs fault, whereas a sack can be attributed to the offensive line when it is the QBs fault — but not what they are.

Five yards is five yards.

“Advanced stats” and “analytics” seem to be struggling in this area and until the NFL itself begins reporting official numbers like yards allowed by a cornerback ... well, that’s not true. PFF doesn’t keep the same sack numbers as the NFL.

There’s simply no consistency and yet what’s first read seems to be what is believed.

Case in point, I wanted to confirm or at least double check a second resource on the reported “12 yards” number by PFF by way of JB Long. I went to Pro-Football-Reference, which shows the yards allowed by each player in each box score last season. From Week 11-Week 16, Ramsey’s final six games, they showed five games in which Ramsey allegedly surrendered more than 12 yards.

This is simply a clarification on numbers, not a condemnation of Ramsey: PFR says he allowed more yards than PFF does, but Ramsey was still dominant, surrendering zero touchdowns, 15-of-25 completions, one interception, and one contest in which the QB didn’t challenge him at all.

Week 11 vs Bears: 2-of-7, 17 yards, 0 TD, 10.7 Average Depth of Target

Week 12 vs Ravens: 3-of-4, 27 yards, 0 TD, 6.3 ADOT

Week 13 vs Cardinals: 0 targets on 38 snaps

Week 14 vs Seahawks: 6-of-7, 71 yards, 0 TD, 7.6 ADOT

Week 15 vs Cowboys: 1-of-1, 19 yards, 0 TD, 19 ADOT

Week 16 vs 49ers: 3-of-6, 58 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 14.7 ADOT

Other than a surprisingly accurate performance by Russell Wilson in Week 14, the only remaining evidence in the track record here shows that Ramsey could be a candidate to take Stephon Gilmore’s place as Defensive Player of the Year. Whether it was PFF or PFR, we know and can confirm that Ramsey was excellent.

Should these sites ever get on the same page, or at least share details of how they can be so far apart, it would only further strengthen the case for Ramsey and others.