Nick Scott making plays, sparking Rams in Super Bowl bid
Former Penn State safety Nick Scott isn’t just happy to be here, as his Los Angeles Rams prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. No, Scott has made the absolute most of the moment this season. According to PFF, the third-year pro worked his way into a rotational role with the Rams this season, playing 543 snaps, most of his career. But injuries besieged the secondary, and Scott joined the starting lineup after Taylor Rapp went down with an injury. Since then, he’s been one of the most productive defenders in the NFL playoffs.
Nick Scott in the playoffs
There’s an argument that he’s been the most productive coverage. Scott has broken up 100% of the passes thrown his way in two games. He’s tied for the lead with Cincinnati’s Jesse Bates for the total number of pass breakups with one interception and two forced incompletions. It’s not like Scott has had a cakewalk through the playoffs, either.
The Rams dispatched one of the league’s best offenses in the wildcard round when they smothered the Arizona Cardinals and one-time MVP Candidate Kyler Murray. However, Scott made his presence known in the 2022 playoffs right away. He broke up a pass from Murray to receiver AJ Green initially ruled a fumble on the sideline. Scott showed impressive range on the play, breaking on the route from his deep safety position getting to the receiver a split second after the ball arrived.
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However, Scott saved his best performance of the season for last week. He intercepted another MVP candidate in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady on a zone coverage assignment against Rob Gronkowski. Scott was in two-deep coverage, and the Bucs dialed up the perfect call to take advantage of it. Unfortunately for them, Brady was pressured and couldn’t step into his throw. That gave Scott enough time to break on the route and undercut the future Hall of Fame duo.
He made an even more impressive play later, breaking up a similar play against a similar coverage.
Rams defense explained
Scott hasn’t been perfect this season; he allowed just over a 71% completion percentage into his coverage as a rotational safety. Also, with its soft coverage shells, the Rams defense is designed to de-emphasize coverage players and accentuate their ferocious pass rush. With future Hall of Fame players Aaron Donald and Von Miller wreaking havoc in the backfield, the secondary only needs to hold up so long.
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And yet, that’s been the issue all year for the Rams. Rapp has struggled in coverage, allowing four touchdowns as nearly 500 yards of offense through the air. Cornerback Darious Williams has struggled equally, giving up three scores and a completion percentage of just over 63%.
Nick Scott when starting
And yet, in Nick Scott’s three starts (playoffs, plus Week 12 against Green Bay), he’s is the fifth-highest graded safety in coverage according to PFF and has allowed a passer rating of just 2.8. Moreover, while he’s played half as many snaps as Rapp, Scott has made significantly more plays on the ball. His instincts and recognition in coverage allow him to attack the ball in the air and make plays like those above.
This week, the 49ers present a unique challenge to the 49ers. They are uninterested in throwing the ball down the field. Instead, they focus on short, quick passes based on play-action and heavy run sets. Scott may be in more strenuous situations if the Rams can’t stop the run with quickness at the defensive line. That would force Los Angeles to drop an extra player into the box, and Scott would have to cover more ground as the team’s single-high safety.
But if Scott continues to make critical stops in the passing game, the Rams may be on their way back home for the Super Bowl.
