Just before this years draft I noted that the Los Angeles Rams needed a star quality running back for Sean McVay's to truly work. It was my observation that during the early years of McVay's tenure with the team he relied heavily on Todd Gurley to balance out his offense. Defenses couldn't just simply focus on the passing game with the threat of such a running attack. Over the past few seasons, after Gurley suffered a career ending knee injury, the Rams offense had become predictable as McVay had become way too pass happy. The team tried in vein to find late round substitutes and trade candidates to replace Gurley's production on the ground.
I thought that the team needed to invest yet another draft pick to acquire the type of game changing rusher. Little did I know that the player I was talking about was already on the roster.
This season Kyren Williams has shown that the Rams got a steal when they selected him in the 5th round of the 2022 NFL draft. On Sunday in Arizona Williams exploded for 204 yards from scrimmage as the Rams routed the Cardinals 37 - 14. The second year back out of Notre Dame sliced up the Cardinal defense both on the ground and through the air showcasing his speed and elusiveness.
With both star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua ailing coach McVay devised a game plan the leaned heavily on both of the teams runners, Williams and Royce Freeman, along with tight end Tyler Higbee and to a lesser extent speedy receiver Tutu Atwell. The plan worked almost flawlessly and the injury depleted Cardinals defense had little to no answers.
It was an afternoon where the Rams got back to the basics of what truly makes their offense click and it was certainly fun to watch.
From the Orange County Register:
The Rams’ offense had gone into quicksand the last four games. After averaging 367 yards and 23 points per game in the first six contests of the year, those numbers dropped to 272 and 14.25. A lot factors into numbers like that, including quarterback Matthew Stafford dealing with a thumb injury for part of that four-game drudge.
But the one common denominator for six games of success and four games of struggles was the availability of running back Kyren Williams. When the second-year back was healthy, the Rams had a balanced offense. When he was on injured reserve with an ankle sprain, they lost a dimension, and went 1-3 in the process.
Williams returned to action in Sunday’s 37-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, and with him, the Rams (5-6) rediscovered some of their offensive mojo.
Thirty-seven was a season-high in points for the Rams offense. The 457 yards and 25 first downs were high marks for the team since Week 4.
And on a night in which receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua combined for 45 yards on seven catches, Williams was the straw that stirred the drink for the Rams to the tune of a career-high 204 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns.
“What do you think?” head coach Sean McVay quipped when asked how Williams impacted the offense’s energy. “He’s one of those guys, he loves competing. And when you’ve got that natural just zest and enjoyment for going out there and playing the game … it’s a big difference and I think that you’ve seen that the last two times that he’s played.”
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