Rodrigue: Growing Rams have faced tough lessons all year, but in Arizona find joy too
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Leave it to human happy-lamp Kyren Williams , the Los Angeles Rams’ blossoming star running back who had 204 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns Sunday in a 37-14 blowout win at Arizona, to embody a reminder of what playing football can mean.
Joy. Life, energy. Green grass, and a lot of it, churning underneath his feet.
“He’s just, he’s a really good football player,” said coach Sean McVay, beaming, after the game.
“He’s a really good football player. He loves competing. When you’ve got that natural, just, zest” — McVay gave the word its appropriate emphasis — “and enjoyment for going out there and playing the game, and then oh, by the way, you’re really productive! He’s doing a great job. ... Kyren is just so conscientious. He loves to compete. He’s worked really hard. He’s worked really hard just to get himself back. To perform at that level was cool to see.”
Williams spent the last four games on injured reserve, and was out a total of five weeks with an ankle injury, because of the Rams’ Week 10 bye. Sunday, with his mom, sister, aunt, uncle and other family members in attendance at State Farm Stadium, as Williams broke off any one of his five explosive run or pass plays, you could almost see him grinning underneath his helmet visor from up high in the press box.
“This is really what I love to do,” Williams said after the game. “During those four weeks I wasn’t playing, I was still in it. I was still at practice. Still watching the film, still doing everything as if I was playing. ... I’m not surprised, no, because this is what I love to do.”
When a run game works like the Rams’ own did Sunday, it leaks into every player on the offense and the play caller, too.
Williams’ energy balanced well with the steady production from No. 2 back Royce Freeman , a veteran who quietly worked his way into the position when Williams and previous No. 2 back Ronnie Rivers were hurt. Freeman had a touchdown off a 23-yard carry in the fourth quarter and totaled 77 yards off 13 carries (5.9 yards per carry) in the Rams’ 228-yard rushing effort.
Veteran tight end Tyler Higbee caught two touchdown passes, his first scores all season (and the irony was noted among those in the press box, as Higbee was mistakenly listed as “inactive” on the Rams’ official pregame list, before a team spokesperson rushed to correct the error). But backups Davis Allen (a rookie) and Hunter Long , who has missed most of the year since joining the team in the spring via trade, were especially activated in the blocking surface. Instead of No. 89 throwing himself on “sift” or “crash” blocks into the front side of a run play, Nos. 87 (Allen) and 84 (Long) caught some of that action, too. It added depth to what is already somewhat of a disguised play and took heat off of Higbee, who has struggled with his health at times this season. Allen also converted a crucial third down just a couple plays before Matthew Stafford hit Higbee for a touchdown.
“We wanted to make sure that we were cognizant of, ‘Hey, we have such trust in Tyler Higbee. He’s played so many snaps, but let’s also say hey, these (younger) guys have done a great job,'” McVay said. “(Assistant tight ends coach) Nick Caley does a great job. I thought Davis Allen and Hunter Long did a nice job stepping up. They got their work during the course of the week, and I thought their practice performance ended up translating to game reality today.”
With help from the linemen and tight ends, Williams was able to run in the style he prefers.
“Especially on the gap-scheme runs, with (the blocks) up to the linebackers, they were really staying tight, staying thick on the D-linemen, the three-tech, and allowing me to do what I do best, and that’s make a decisive decision based off that linebacker,” Williams said. “That’s what I was doing today, I was really just trying to manipulate the linebackers and follow the blocks of my O-line.”
Meanwhile, veteran receiver Cooper Kupp said that they could feel McVay get into a flow as the play caller that matched their own, stemming from the balance and productivity of their attack.
“When you run the ball like that, it makes everything else easier,” said Kupp, smiling. “I thought Sean did an unbelievable job matching up the run and the pass, the play-actions, the screens. I thought all of that stuff, the flow of that was really well done. Put us in some great positions to go out there and execute, keep the defense on their heels a little bit.”
Having depth and versatility in the run game meant that a passing game featuring a banged-up Kupp (ankle; Kupp limped off the field after the Rams’ first series but McVay said he’ll be OK), Puka Nacua (various injuries over the middle of the season) and Stafford (he sprained the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb prior to the bye week) did not have to be perfect to win.
Alongside his four passing touchdowns, Stafford threw an interception that was basically forgotten about by the time the game ended, and lead receivers Kupp and Nacua finished the game with a combined 45 yards off eight catches. Even Tutu Atwell , who flashed brightly with a 42-yard catch that set up a game-opening touchdown, and a crucial third-down conversion later in the game, rotated in and out of the lineup frequently as Stafford targeted eight players but saw much of the overall pass production out of the screen game.
“They were playing really deep to short on a lot of our play-action passes,” Stafford said, “really just trying to dare us to throw it down the field and just check it down. (Williams) did a nice job of making those plays into, if not efficient plays, explosive plays for us. Caught a couple screen passes and I thought our guys did a great job of getting out in front (as blockers). Some interesting looks where a tackle is expecting to block somebody (but) the guy drops (into coverage), they added it on to the screen and did a great job. A lot of mix. Dropback screen, play-action screen. Catching out of the backfield out of play-action. Whatever it was, (Williams) did a nice job.”
One of Williams’ big plays, a 24-yard catch-and-run down the sideline, featured young left tackle Alaric Jackson clearing space ahead of Williams at the start of the run, and rookie left guard Steve Avila finding all the blocking work he could while sprinting alongside Williams.
“Par for the course,” said McVay, smiling. “He’s done a great job in the screen game all year. I really think that (assistant offensive line coach Ryan) Wendell does a great job as a whole, he was a pretty good player in the screen game. That was when you could throw low on people, back when (Wendell) was playing for New England. But I really think Steve is doing a great job. I thought that play in particular, Alaric Jackson did a great job of really being the first one out right there, (then) Steve. The screen game as a whole, that’s where you see Kyren’s production. Most of that was on screens today. Offensive line has been key and critical, and then Matthew does such an excellent job of being able to set that up.”
Let’s not forget the defense, either.
Rookie nose tackle Kobie Turner , who had two sacks Sunday, brought up a great point: When the Rams can sustain drives on offense, in part because of how effective they were running the ball, it doesn’t just give the defense a breather. It helps a very young group gain clarity about any necessary adjustments, too. Turner said the defense was able to log and react to each one of the 12 plays of the Cardinals’ first scoring drive, because the offense was staying on the field while the defensive players huddled with coaches over tablets.
“It feels really good, their first drive(s) of the game (were) really long drives, so we’re able to go through each one of those plays (on defense), talk adjustments,” he said, “and they’re still running the ball. It means a lot to be able to sustain some long drives, it gives us rest (and) allows us to be fresher when we go out there and get after the passer. Feels incredible. It gives you a lot of momentum, too, when you’re running the ball like that. You’re physically exerting your will on the other team.”
Armed with their own play-energy that has been consistent week over week, and the adjustments after an opening eight-point and 75-yard scoring drive, the Rams’ defense held Arizona to only 29 net yards in the first half after that opening drive. The race was on: By the time the Rams pulled defensive starters with 8:19 left in the fourth quarter, Williams had more total yards (204) than the defense had allowed the Cardinals’ offense overall (161 net yards).
The Rams first-half defense, after allowing 8-point, 75-yard opening drive:– Punt (three and out)
– Punt (three and out)
– Downs (four and out)
– Punt (three and out)
(Stafford INT to the AZ 48)
– Penalty nullifies FG attempt
— Jourdan Rodrigue November 26, 2023
For the second week in a row — not factoring in the garbage-time minutes with reserves that began halfway through the fourth quarter — the Rams’ defense has not given up a touchdown after allowing one on an opponent’s opening drive.
“Absolutely,” McVay said when I asked him if he can see the defense growing up in real time.
“And I think guys are playing with confidence,” he added, listing several key plays and players throughout Sunday’s game, including Turner, who rallied with his sack production after a penalty that allowed Arizona to successfully go for two after their opening-drive touchdown, and safety Jordan Fuller , who had four pass breakups (including on third and fourth down). “I’m really proud of those guys. I have definitely seen that over the last couple of weeks, and I think the coaching staff — you know, Raheem (Morris) and the rest of the defensive coaches have done such a phenomenal job. I’m proud of those guys.”
But that goes for the rest of the roster, too. This is a group of players who have faced highs (the season opener, the last time the Rams scored at least 30 points in a game) and lows (injuries, narrow one-score losses to opponents they should have overcome...and that dreadful day in Green Bay).
“We’ve had some tough, close losses where we’ve just come up short, and a lot of good opportunities to be able to establish and develop some grit, and continue to learn,” McVay said. “But they’ve been a fun, consistent group in terms of the energy that they’ve brought, all of the different things they present in terms of the coachability, the accountability. It’s awesome to see a lot of the work pay off ... let’s keep doing that, because I do think there is something to be (said) about learning how to win.”
To slightly paraphrase Stafford, who praised the effort by his teammates over the last two weeks — both wins: It’s almost like something shifted in the overall group during a gutted-out and narrow victory over Seattle in Week 11. Instead of losing that close game, they won it. Their extra energy carried into this week, and maybe will keep its inertia.
“I think last week was a true testament to just the grit and fight that this team has got,” Stafford said. “Found a way to win a game without playing our best football (last week), with a bunch of guys banged up. ... Got a little healthier this week, played a little bit better, a little bit cleaner football. Got to continue to get better.”
Added McVay: “We really challenged them coming off the bye to continue to stack blocks. Let’s see that development. Today was a step in that right direction.”
There have been a lot of blocks, a lot of lessons so far.
Adding a little joy to the mix helps, too.
(Top photo of Kyren Williams: Norm Hall / )
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