Before the season started, no one said Kyren Williams was the Rams’ most valuable offensive skill player. We all thought that title belonged to Cooper Kupp, and after a few weeks, maybe even Puka Nacua.
But after Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, it seems Williams might be the key to the Rams’ offense. This was his first game since Week 6 when he rushed for 158 yards against these same Cardinals, but he didn’t miss a beat after sitting out four games due to an ankle injury.
He rushed for 143 yards on only 16 carries, and also added 61 yards receiving on six catches. Williams scored two touchdowns, too, giving him four multi-score games in just seven games played.
In four games without Williams, the Rams averaged totaled 57 points, an average of fewer than 15 per game. Matthew Stafford’s absence in Week 9 was part of that, but Williams was missed during that stretch, too.
In the last two games Williams has played, the Rams have scored a total of 63 points, both against the Cardinals. In his seven games this season, they’re averaging 25 points per game, 10 more than they’ve averaged when he’s been on the sidelines.
Mama there goes that man @Kyrenwilliams23 for 56 yards!
📺 @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/DTvsPG7QDy
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 26, 2023
It’s not as if the Rams faced significantly better defenses without Williams, either. During his four-game absence, they went up against the Steelers, Cowboys, Packers and Seahawks. Not exactly a gauntlet of opponents.
He’s just a player who does everything well, and it’s made a huge difference for the Rams.
Where he’s subtly helped in a big way is in short-yardage situations. He moved the chains four times in spots where the Rams needed to pick up just one yard for a first down, gaining 8 yards, 8 yards, 3 yards and 6 yards on those four plays.
He runs hard and falls forward, similar to the way Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson did when they were leading the Rams backfield during the team’s Super Bowl run. That helped the Rams keep drives alive on Sunday and maintain possession.
Then he sprinkled in several plays of 20-plus yards. He had a catch that went for 24 yards, a 24-yard run and a 56-yard run, as well as a 15-yard reception and 11-yard rush. The Rams had been missing those chunk plays from their running backs during his absence, but it was great to see him picking up big yardage on Sunday.
We’ll see if his dominance continues next week when the Rams face the Browns at home, but Williams has one of the hottest hands in the league right now, gaining 362 total yards from scrimmage with three touchdowns in his last two games.