Like Father Like Son: Rams S Had To ‘Pull Out My Inner Carnell Lake’ On Key Play

The Rams don’t have any former Steelers on their current defense, but they have Quentin Lake, son of Carnell Lake. And he had to play like Carnell Lake, as he said after the Los Angeles Rams’ win over the weekend in one key moment over the Bears. With Chicago in 3rd and goal from the 2, he took to the sky to stuff RB D’Andre Swift. The Bears turned the ball over on downs on the next play, trailing by 7.

While the Bears went on to tie the game and send it into overtime, helping keep seven points off the board with under 5 minutes remaining was a big deal. Chicago’s game-tying drive could have been a game-winning one, instead. And the Bears would have only needed a field goal to win instead of a touchdown to tie. But because Quentin channeled Carnell Lake on that play, the Rams are playing in the conference finals.

The Rams had just scored a touchdown to go up 17-10 with under nine minutes to play. The Bears made it to LA’s 27 before running into trouble, but a roughing-the-passer penalty on 3rd and 10 on top of a 17-yard completion set them up with 1st and goal. They tried to run Swift three times—and Lake helped stop him twice. Caleb Williams could not connect with Luther Burden on 4rd and goal, the pass broken up.

Quentin Lake said after the game that he had to “pull out my inner Carnell Lake” to make that tackle. While Lake played safety—and briefly, cornerback—for the Steelers, he was a linebacker in college. The Steelers drafted him in the second round in 1989, and he played in Pittsburgh for 10 years. After one season in Jacksonville and another in Baltimore, he retired.

In 2011, Carnell Lake returned to the Steelers and coached their defensive backs for several years. After the 2017 season, he departed to help Quentin focus on his own football journey. He eventually followed in his father’s footsteps at UCLA, and, like dad, is now a hard-hitting safety. Only he’s doing it in Los Angeles for the Rams, far from Pittsburgh, his place of birth.

Unlike Carnell, Quentin Lake was a late-round pick in 2022. The sixth-round selection established himself as a full-time starter in 2024 and has already earned a lucrative extension. Limited to 10 games in 2025, Lake recorded 61 tackles with 1 sack and 1 interception—the first of his career. He also had 10 passes defensed and his first career forced fumble. In the overtime win against the Bears in the Divisional Round, he recorded 7 tackles, including three run stops.

As mentioned, Quentin Lake didn’t actually win the Rams the game with that particular tackle against Swift. It did help prevent the Bears from scoring on that drive, but Caleb Williams did send it to overtime. And the Rams’ defense did seal the game with an interception. But had the Bears scored on that drive, they could have been kicking a game-winning field goal in regulation instead. So thank you, Carnell Lake, for teaching your son how to tackle. At least, that’s what the Rams should be saying.