At this time last season, the Los Angeles Rams were gearing up for a run to the Super Bowl that appeared to be a sign of consistently great things to come.
As the old adage goes, what a difference a year makes.
With just one game remaining in the 2019 regular season, the Rams are 8-7 and have been eliminated from playoff contention in a year that many expected them to repeat as NFC champions.
Los Angeles was dealt a deathblow last week in a heartbreaking 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and with a meaningless Week 17 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals on tap, LA must now ponder its future.
Much of that evaluation will probably have to do with running back Todd Gurley, the three-time Pro Bowler who has barely even resembled a mere shell of himself this season.
Yes, Gurley punched in a couple of touchdowns last Sunday to bring his total to 12 rushing scores on the season, but that doesn't even begin to describe the year he has had.
In 14 appearances, Gurley has rushed for just 789 yards while averaging a meager 3.9 yards per carry this season, which is not what we have come to expect from the 25-year-old who earned back-to-back First-Team All-Pro selections in 2017 and 2018.
Obviously, the knee injury that plagued Todd Gurley at the end of last season has lingered through this year, and it seems to be something that could affect Gurley for the remainder of his career.
That doesn't mean Gurley can no longer be an effective halfback for stretches, but it could mean that the days of Gurley dominating the NFL and having the Rams' offense at the top of the league are over.
So just what does that mean for Los Angeles going forward?
The Rams have pinned their hopes on Jared Goff, but based on his performance this season, it appears as if his success in previous years was largely tied to Gurley's production.
Defenses feared the play action, but with Gurley now being extremely limited, opponents can be much more liberal with their coverages, knowing that Gurley does not have the same type of explosiveness he once did in the recent past.
As a result, Goff and the Rams' offense have suffered.
Should Los Angeles dump Gurley? Certainly not, but the Rams probably do need to add another capable runner to their backfield to make life easier for Goff and to open up the offense in general.
It's entirely possible that running back could already be on the roster (maybe Darrell Henderson?), but with Gurley being so ineffective for most of 2019, you really have to wonder if the Rams can hitch their wagon to Gurley at all.
To be fair, Todd Gurley is still young, so there is plenty of time for him to right the ship. However, based on what we have seen from him this season, the outlook looks rather bleak.
Los Angeles thought it put together a dynamic offense that would contend for Super Bowls regularly in the coming years. Instead, the Rams may have to scrap those plans and pivot to something else, something they never could have imagined doing last December.
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