Sean McVay hasn’t made it a point to feature Todd Gurley much on offense this season. Coming into Week 11, Gurley didn’t have a single game with at least 20 touches and only topped 100 total yards once (Week 1) this season.
That changed on Sunday night against the Bears.
McVay called Gurley’s number throughout the game, getting him a season-high 28 touches. He turned those opportunities into 97 yards rushing on 25 carries and 36 yards on three receptions, looking like his old self under the bright lights of the Coliseum.
After the game, he seemed pleased with his performance. He told reporters that he “felt good” and felt like his old self.
Todd Gurley on his game: "It felt good, man. I guess I felt like the old Todd."
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) November 18, 2019
The Rams hadn’t seen that version of Gurley at all this season, but clearly he can still be an effective running back when given the chance. He had a long run of 13 yards and a 23-yard reception, showing the usual burst and cutting Rams fans have gotten used to seeing.
After the game, McVay evaluated Gurley’s performance and said getting him the ball was part of the game plan.
“That was part of the game plan tonight,” McVay said. “I thought he did a great job. What I loved the most about what Todd did was after we put the first carry on the ground, he didn’t flinch. He came back, had some good tough, physical runs, made some good catches out of the backfield and he was a big-time contributor tonight.”
About 10 minutes before kickoff, McVay told Gurley that the Rams were going to “pound the rock” and for him to get ready. Needless to say, he was.
Sean McVay told Todd Gurley before Sunday night’s game with Chicago that he was going to “pound the rock.” The result was the running back’s biggest workload in more than a calendar year. @usatodaynfl @DowntownRams @CVRamsClub pic.twitter.com/ZkOH8pDo6v
— Joe Curley (@vcsjoecurley) November 18, 2019
As McVay mentioned, Gurley did fumble the ball on his first carry, but it was uphill from there. He never had another miscue and helped carry the offense to victory. It wasn’t the vintage 150-yard, two-touchdown performance we’ve seen in the past, but he was productive and looked like a workhorse again.
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