Player Grades: Cavs drop Game 1 to Pistons – Turnovers cost Cavaliers
Cavs drop Game 1 to Pistons, 111-101, due to costly turnovers.
Braden Fiske of the Los Angeles Rams needs to improve his performance in his third NFL season after a drop in sack production from 11 to 5. The Rams are counting on him to help bolster their defense as they aim for Super Bowl success.
I wrote this post in October explaining why the analytical profile of Fiske’s second season was more optimistic than he showed in the box score on a weekly basis. This mostly held up for the remainder of the year.
In his first season, Braden Fiske recorded 11 sacks, but his production dropped to 5 sacks in his second season.
Injuries limited Fiske's availability and contributed to his decreased sack production and overall performance during the 2025 season.
Fiske faced more double teams, played fewer snaps, and had a struggling secondary, which may have impacted his ability to generate pressures and sacks.
With a clean slate and potential improvements in the secondary, the Rams hope for a breakout season from Braden Fiske in 2026.
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Two of Fiske’s five sacks came in the playoffs. He also earned four pressures in the Wildcard round against the Carolina Panthers and then three in the NFC Championship game versus the Seattle Seahawks. He also notched five run stops across the three postseason contests. The former second round pick injured his oblique in warmups ahead of the Rams’ Week 2 matchup at the Tennessee Titans. He then was questionable and limited the following week against the Philadelphia Eagles. Fiske’s pass rushing production remained low until Week 7 versus the Jacksonville Jaguars when he posted eight total pressures (without a sack). He was disruptive again against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12 with five pressures. His next highest totals came in Week 18 and the opening round of the playoffs with four. Did Fiske’s injury play a role in his slow start? A clean slate in 2026 could work wonders.
Fiske isn’t the only Rams defensive linemen that had a down year from a pass rushing perspective. Jared Verse did as well. Perhaps one under discussed element in the conversation is that a struggling secondary was really to blame for the lack of disruption up front. Of course, the coverage should be tighter after the Rams acquired both Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson from the Kansas City Chiefs. Perhaps all Verse and Fiske need is for opposing quarterbacks to hold the ball a half second longer and they can affect the quarterback more often. Pass rush and coverage work in tandem. Increased pressure also means more opportunities for the secondary to force turnovers. A rising tide lifts all boats. Improvements in the secondary and a clean bill of health could spell a third-year breakout from Braden Fiske.