"I thought he did a good job," said head coach Sean McVay. "I thought he tackled well. I thought he was in pretty good phase in his coverages."
The Rams' defensive scheme allows Forbes to use the tools that helped him lead the SEC in interceptions (and pick-sixes) in two of his three seasons at Mississippi State.
"(Shula) puts me in positions to succeed (because) we get a lot of ball opportunities, make plays on the ball, a lot of zone defenses," Forbes said. "So it's a lot of looking at the quarterback and just playing quarterback eyes. So that benefits me a lot and just let me use my athleticism, my route recognition, and just go make plays on the ball."
The Rams' other starting cornerback, Ahkello Witherspoon, liked what he saw from Forbes on Sunday. The 30-year-old veteran thought Forbes played to his strengths, which feature unpredictable yet instinctual movements.
"You don't know if he's gonna press, you don't know if he's gonna use a certain press technique, he might bail, he might jump-jam you, he might (be) soft out of the cloud rep and come down and make a big tackle," Witherspoon said. "He's just so multiple in the way that he approaches the game and I like that element of his game."
Forbes utilized pretty much all of those techniques in the Rams' Week 1 victory, to great effect. And don't forget, this is the same player who ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the combine in 2023. So his ability to go step-for-step with speedy receivers is just as prevalent as his enhanced physicality, whether he's tackling or covering.
Shula said their approach at cornerback could vary each week based on the opponent, but Forbes certainly earned the coaching staff's confidence ahead of Sunday's bout with the Titans.
Forbes found out he was going to start the season opener more than a week before the game against Houston. But the first-round pick, who was waived by the Commanders last season and subsequently picked up by the Rams, wasn't surprised. That's what he was always meant to be: A starter, if not a star.
"It's what I expect," Forbes said, "and I just go out and do my job."