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Kyren Williams flourished last season once the Rams started to emphasize the run. He scored 15 touchdowns in 12 games. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
They play in an offense that features one of the NFL’s premier passers and two of its most dynamic receivers.
But Rams running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum will be pivotal pieces for a team that is expected to match or surpass last season’s 10-7 record and playoff appearance.
Last season Williams rushed for more than 1,100 yards in 12 games, scored 15 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl. Corum starred for national-champion Michigan before the Rams selected him in the third round of the draft.
Now the pair — along with Ronnie Rivers — are poised to complement quarterback Matthew Stafford and receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua in coach Sean McVay’s scheme.
In the second half last season, McVay and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur adopted more of a smash-mouth rushing attack — and Williams flourished. He rushed for 100 yards or more four times in his last six games as the Rams rebounded from a 3-6 start and made the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons under McVay.
Rams rookie running back Blake Corum takes a handoff from quarterback Matthew Stafford during practice. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
“For me, that’s a tone-setter,” Williams said of the philosophical shift in the rushing attack. “We got into a mentality to where we’re going to run the ball. You might know we’re going to run the ball, but we’re still going to. … It’s fun when it’s like that, when we control the controllables and we’re able to play on our terms.”
Most of the Rams’ success still will be dictated by how well Stafford, 36, plays in his 16th season. Last year Stafford overcame a midseason thumb injury and played at an elite level.
Kupp appears physically sound for the first time since 2021, when he was the offensive player of the year. Nacua is coming off a record-setting rookie season…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/rams-offense-passable-only-kyren-103043050.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-09-01 10:30:43
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