Why Robert Quinn Is St. Louis Rams' First-Half MVP

We have reached the midway point of the 2014 NFL season, and that means we can start handing out some recognition.

The St. Louis Rams currently hold a 3-5 record, but they have begun to turn things around in recent weeks, specifically on the defensive side of the ball.

After a rough start to the season, the Rams have won two of their last three contests. Those two wins happen to be over division foes Seattle and San Francisco, the two teams that met for the NFC title last season.

The Rams have amped up their defense and put pressure on the quarterback to get those victories.

In the first five games of the season, the Rams were able to muster just one sack. Read that sentence again. One sack in five games. That's very hard to do.

But in their last three games, the Rams have collected 13 sacks, including eight in their most recent win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The defense has gotten great contributions from James Laurinaitis, Eugene Sims and rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald this season. But one player has stood out, and who that is should come as no surprise.

"

Robert Quinn is back. Had 2 sacks and a separate forced fumble in the first half.

— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) October 26, 2014"

Robert Quinn is starting to look like the player who racked up 19 sacks last year, a season that culminated with a trip to the Pro Bowl. On top of that, the rest of the defense seems to feed off what he does.

Quinn got off to a slow start this season and did not have a single sack in the team's first five games. In their last three games, he has come up with five sacks and has looked unblockable on several plays.

His play in the team's two big wins this season, over Seattle and San Francisco, is what makes him the team's most valuable player through eight games.

Against Seattle, Quinn had a sack and two other hits on Russell Wilson, a quarterback who doesn't take very many sacks.

Quinn had two sacks in each of those games and against the 49ers, he knocked the ball out of the hands of Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick and Sims recovered the fumble. Quinn also had a pass defensed and was a menace to the San Francisco offense all day.

Quinn was a big difference-maker in those two games with his relentless pursuit of two of the league's most mobile quarterbacks.

When the Rams drafted Donald in the first round of the 2014 draft, they had a vision of a dominant defensive line with Quinn, Michael Brockers and Chris Long. Though Long is injured, that vision seems to be coming to fruition.

While the team still has a somewhat stagnant offense, they have a defense that is good enough to keep it in games long enough to pull out the victory. This is what happened against San Francisco.

Quinn is the best player on that defense, and now he's starting to play like it.

Over the course of the second half of the season, the Rams are going to be a team that nobody wants to play. The fearsome pass rush they have developed will be the main reason why.

Quinn may not finish the season with 19 sacks again, but he'll get awful close if he keeps up the level of play we've seen in the last three weeks.

The Rams will be a force down the stretch. Quinn will be a big reason for that.