On the surface, it looked like the Rams got blown out of the water by the Vikings on Sunday. The 24-7 score indicates a lopsided affair, but the game was far closer than it appeared. The teams were tied 7-7 after three quarters before the Vikings erupted for 17 points in the final 15 minutes.

Los Angeles’ offense was obviously stonewalled by the Vikings’ stellar defense, totaling just 254 yards – some of which came in garbage time on the final drive. Some would say the Vikings had the perfect formula for slowing L.A. down, and they did.

They generated pressure on Jared Goff with blitzes, locked down Sammy Watkins on the outside and didn’t allow any running room for Todd Gurley. The Rams tried to do the same to Case Keenum, Adam Thielen and Latavius Murray, but their defense was unsuccessful.

In fact, Minnesota exposed the Rams’ biggest weakness, and it has nothing to do with the offense only scoring seven points. Los Angeles has a pass-rush problem outside, and it’s unlikely to be solved this season.

This stat shows it:

The Rams were unable to generate any pressure with four rushing the quarterback, so Wade Phillips got aggressive and dialed up blitzes. Unfortunately, they didn’t work. Keenum was only hit five times (three by Aaron Donald) and wasn’t sacked once. He was pressured a fair amount, but the Rams couldn’t get there quick enough to bring him down for a loss.

Just look at this play. Robert Quinn and Connor Barwin both had free shots at Keenum, and neither was able to get him on the ground. It’s one play, but it also shows how ineffective both veteran pass rushers have been this season.

Quinn owns a 51.3 overall grade by Pro Football Focus’ measures, while Barwin’s is just 43.8. They’ve been ineffective all year, combining for 6.5 sacks. They rarely win one-on-one matchups outside, which is a major problem for the Rams.

Now, you might say that the Rams are eighth in the NFL in sacks with 28. That’s all well and good, but three of those have come on blitzes by Mark Barron and Alec Ogletree, and another four are from Matt Longacre – a role player at outside linebacker. None of those three are primary pass rushers.

When you have two players like Donald and Michael Brockers, you have to be able to win outside, which the Rams can’t do. It’s allowing teams to double Donald inside despite the fact that he still dominates against two blockers up front.

Had Los Angeles been able to bring down Keenum a few times rather than allowing him to escape the pocket and make big plays against the blitz, the game would have looked much different. The offense would’ve had more opportunities, and the defense wouldn’t have been as gassed as it was toward the end of the game.

By far, the biggest need for the Rams this offseason is at outside linebacker. Both Quinn and Barwin could be gone, and they simply can’t rely on Longacre to be a starter. When facing great offensive lines, the defense will be exposed and teams will learn that it’s better to double Donald and dare Quinn or Barwin to beat them.