After stringing together four-straight games with at least 20 rushing attempts after a slow start to the 2024 NFL season, Kyren Williams was barely utilized in Week 10, confusingly rushing the ball just 15 times in a game where the Los Angeles Rams couldn't get much going consistently on the ground.
What gives? Why did the Rams opt to run the ball just 18 times against a team that has allowed at least 100 rushing yards in six of their nine games this season? Do they not trust their collection of talent headlined by the Notre Dame product? Or was this a game-time decision?
While fans may never know either way, considering the Patriots' defense is the 10th-worst run defense in the NFL, business should at least be picking up for Williams in Week 11, right? Well, reporters asked McVay that question on Wednesday, and he took what should have been a layup and turned it into an answer that should worry fans with any stake in the game.
“Well, they came here in 2020 so the way that the schedules worked themselves out… I remember going there when I was a coordinator in Washington and [former Patriots quarterback Tom] Brady walked out to the ‘Hov’ song and you're thinking, ‘Oh man.’
“It was impressive. It’s a great venue and a historical franchise, so it seems like it's going to be a nice day from what I've heard. It’ll be cool, but it just kind of works out that way with how the schedule is situated.”
All right, so far so good, right? Well, guess what? McVay was just getting started with every twist and turn leading away from the obvious answer sitting right in front of him.
Sean McVay refuses to commit to the Rams running the ball more often
Turning his attention to the question at hand, McVay explained how successfully running the ball isn't as simple as just calling more run plays, with extenuating factors impacting how successfully the ground game works.
“As far as the run game, where do you want me to start? There are a lot of layers to this. It’s always collective. What positions are we putting guys in? Ultimately, is there an execution and an ability to be able to hit blocks, press the landmarks and be able to stay connected?” McVay asked.
“In the moments that we've been able to do that, we've been able to efficiently run the football. There are multiple layers to it. [It] always starts with us and what we can do to try to put these guys in the right spots, and then there's an execution element of it and a continuity that's a big part of it.
“There's a rapport that's established between the player next to you, especially in some of the different schemes when you are working in concert or combination with guys that we haven't had the chance to be able to develop.
“I think that's affected us but at the end of the day, people have to be able to deal with that. We have to be better. That's been an area that's hurt our ability to be consistent.”
Alright, a lot to unpack there.
On one hand, yes, McVay is correct; running the ball successfully has as much to do with the offensive line as what the RB does, and in Week 10, the Rams had three different starters compared to the week before. However, Williams was running well in Week 10 with the third-year rusher averaging 4.1 yards per attempt on Miami's defense.
If that trend continued and Williams got to 22 carries, his total versus Seattle, all that would have happened is 29 or so more rushing yards and a much more successful showing for the Notre Dame product, who only earned 69 yards in Seattle.
What will happen in Week 11? Will Williams get an appropriate number of carries, or will McVay keep spamming the passing game even if it isn't working? Fans will have to tune in to find out.
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