Darrell Henderson Jr. injured his quad against the Packers last week, and even though he was active for Sunday’s win over the Jaguars, he never played a snap. That opened the door for Sony Michel to take over as the workhorse back, and he took full advantage of the opportunity.
Michel rushed for 121 yards on 24 carries, setting a season-high for the Rams for rushing yards. He ran hard, forced five missed tackles and gained 80 yards after contact, looking every bit like a starting running back again after mostly being a backup to Henderson.
It remains to be seen whether Henderson will be healthy enough to play against the Cardinals on Monday night, but if he does suit up, all eyes will be on the running back position and the carry distribution between him and Michel.
Coming out of the Week 13 win, McVay was obviously pleased with the way Michel played, but he’s still not committing to him as the definitive lead back. He sees a role for both Michel and Henderson, similar to the way the Cowboys use Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
“I think it’s really good to get Sony going. I think he’s a rhythm runner, but I think we definitely would want to find ways to still have Darrell as a big part of it. What exactly that looks like – the distribution of carries – I don’t know that. But I know that we’re a really good team and we’re a better team when we have Darrell Henderson involved, as well. So, you saw us mix up some different personnel. There’s nothing that says that you can’t find a way to have both those guys in the game at the same time as well. You see Dallas do an outstanding job with Zeke and Pollard playing together. And so, I think there’s some more avenues that we can explore as ways of taking advantage of all the skills and some of the players that we do have at our disposal. But it will be good to continue to get Sony going, get him into a rhythm, and play the way that he played yesterday, while also utilizing Darrell if he’s available this week or not.”
Henderson has been banged up all year, dealing with several injuries – from his rib ailment that caused him to miss Week 3, to a minor ankle issue in Week 9 against the Titans, to his recent quad strain suffered in Week 12. He’s shown flashes of being a workhorse back, but he’s only carried it more than 17 times twice in his career, with one of those games coming in Week 6 this season (21 carries, 78 yards vs. Giants).
He’s been better suited as a change-of-pace back in the NFL, given his skill set and speed. Michel has far more experience as an every-down player, getting at least 20 carries in 11 different games during his NFL career – including in each of his two starts this season. He’s more physical than Henderson and is better between the tackles, which McVay notes at this point in the season can be a “real benefit.”
“He’s physical. He’s tough. He’s got great contact balance and really good vision. He’s just strong. When you’re just looking at Sony Michel, he’s a sturdy, tough back,” McVay added. “So, all of those things are really reflective. He’s really conscientious, really smart. I’ve kind of mentioned it about Odell the last couple weeks, but people forget Sony came in here at the very end of training in camp and immediately is playing in Week 1, where he’s up and available against the Bears. And then he had a huge workload against the Colts at the end of the game. His football intelligence, makeup and who he is, is all about the right stuff. Love working with him. But I think ultimately the physicality, the build, his vision and his ability to be able to fall forward and kind of be able to naturally work edges, but deliver those body blows is what makes him a good physical-contact runner.”
Those body blows are valuable over the course of a game, especially late in the season when players might be worn down physically. And when Michel delivers those body blows, it can open things up for Henderson and his slashing running style, getting him out on the edge and in space.
The comparison to Elliott and Pollard in Dallas is a perfect one because just like with the Rams’ situation, one of those players is the physical bruiser and the other is the explosive back. If the Rams can use that as a blueprint, they might have a dynamic tandem on their hands.
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