Linebacker Cory Littleton Makes Presence Felt

The most impactful defender on Sunday for the Los Angeles Rams was Cory Littleton. The third-year linebacker steps into the hole left by Alec Ogletree, who was traded to the New York Giants in the offseason. He finished the game with 10 tackles, five solos, one pass defense and a blocked punt that resulted in a touchdown.

CORY. LITTLETON.

Littleton with the punt block + @TheeCount2 with the touchdown! pic.twitter.com/pwxBBMNqxb

— x – Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) September 23, 2018

What gets lost in the stat line is how impactful some of Littleton’s plays were to the Rams winning the game. Immediately following Goff’s interception in the second quarter, Littleton blocked a Drew Kaser punt on the Chargers four-yard line. This came after the Chargers went three and out deep in their own territory. The blocked punt recovered in the end zone by Blake Countess extended the Rams lead to 15.

Littleton made another huge play in the fourth quarter, halting another Chargers surge. He forced running back Austin Ekeler to fumble in the red zone. The fumble was recovered by star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. This gave the Rams offense the ball back late in the game and allowed them to run out the rest of the clock.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slhbl2KGz6I?rel=0]

Littleton leads Los Angeles in total tackles after three weeks with 26. Despite going undrafted in 2016, he has spent all three seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Rams. The first two years were spent mostly on special teams, but Littleton has taken full advantage of the opportunities given to him so far in 2018.