Todd Gurley was supposed to be an integral part of the Los Angeles Rams' attack in Super Bowl LIII.
The superstar running back played mostly bystander in the NFC Championship game, finishing with only four carries, leading many to wonder whether he was fully healthy or had been bypassed by December signee C.J. Anderson in the backfield pecking order.
But Gurley was optimistically defiant after the game, throwing support behind the coaching staff's decision to limit his snaps while insisting he would be given more opportunities going forward.
It didn't happen, at least to the extent most anticipated. Gurley had just 10 just carries for 35 yards in the Rams' frustrating 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots, beset by his team's inability to string together long drives.
After the game, the 24-year-old again downplayed the significance of his lack of touches.
“It's cool, man,” he said, per ESPN's Lindsey Thiry. “It's a team sport. There's 11 people on the field. Everyone can't touch the ball.”
Los Angeles, which put up a second-ranked 421.1 yards of total offense per game in the regular season, managed just 260 yards against New England.
Jared Goff completed half of his 38 throws en route to 229 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. Anderson fared no better than Gurley on the ground, either, rushing seven times for 22 yards.
The Rams' vaunted offense was almost completely shut down on Sunday, a reality that led to wunderkind coach Sean McVay shouldering much of the blame after the game – including for Gurley's relative lack of involvement.
“There was some different situations, you could always look back, certainly that is going to be something I'm sure I'll say, ‘I wish I could have got him more involved,'” McVay said.
Gurley, who ranked third in the NFL with 1,251 rushing yards during the regular season, finished the playoffs with 30 carries for 160 yards, both second on the team behind Anderson.
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