Rams Defender Surprises as the Highest-Graded Player in Week 6 Win

The grades from the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants contest were officially released by analytics site Pro Football Focus on the morning of Monday, October 18, and there was a surprise at the top of the ratings.

The highest graded Ram was not Cooper Kupp following his 9-reception day for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Nor was it the defense’s top breakthrough performer from the 38-11 romp Taylor Rapp, as the safety snatched a career-high two interceptions at MetLife Stadium.

Not even Matthew Stafford and his four touchdown passes cemented his case as the Rams’ highest-graded performer by PFF.

So who did the national analytics site reward as the top graded Ram? It’s considered a surprise, especially considering he began the year on injured reserve but provided an extra jolt to the pass rush: Ogbonnia “Ogbo” Okoronkwo.

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Behind ‘Ogbo’s’ Breakout Afternoon

The 26-year-old edge rusher was given a 91.6 grade by PFF. That put him ahead of Rapp (90.5) and Aaron Donald (89.7).

So how did the right outside linebacker fare against the Giants? Here’s what PFF recognized:

• Snaps: Okoronkwo was on the field for 32 total plays, but 21 saw him on the field during pressure situations. He lined up on 29 plays as an outside edge presence.
• Pressures: The 6-foot-2, 253-pounder chased Giants quarterback Daniel Jones with three QB pressures.
• Production: Okoronkwo not only got a sack of the former first-rounder Jones, but forced the fumble that later got pounced on by Leonard Floyd.

Here’s the strip/sack we’re referencing, which ultimately became the turning point of the game and rewarded the Ram offense with their first starting field possession inside Giants’ territory:

Not only that, PFF writer Sosa Kremenjas pointed out how “Ogbo” went old-school on that game-changing pass rush:

But that strip/sack from “Ogbo” ignited the rout, as the Rams scored off of that takeaway:

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Performance Becomes Redemption for the Rams

The former Oklahoma Sooner Okoronkwo hasn’t always seen the field.

It has nothing to do with lack of production, as he’s provided a speedy pocket collapsing presence in the past for the Rams. It’s because he’s had trouble staying healthy.

Here’s the list of obstacles he’s had to endure:

• 2018: Was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) in August after having surgery on his foot in May of that year. He wasn’t activated until November 5.
• 2020: Okoronkwo went to injured reserve on October 20 due to an injured elbow and was out 4-6 weeks.
• 2021: Okoronkwo got bothered by a shoulder injury and returned to injured reserve to start the season. He wasn’t activated until Week 3 following Justin Hollins’ pectoral injury.

But now, Okoronkwo brought the heat at a crucial time for the Rams — with Hollins likely out until December and Floyd needing an extra pass rushing presence opposite of him from the LB unit.

This season, Okoronkwo has seen action on 83 defensive plays per PFF. But with an outing like the one he had versus the Giants, the Rams can rest easy knowing that Floyd has the OLB pass rushing assist from “Ogbo’s” side, plus Okoronkwo showing he can damage pass blocks once he’s at full strength.

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