From their very first play on offense, the Rams set out to prove they could win a game on the back of their rushing attack. Granted, Todd Gurley lost a fumble on Los Angeles’ first play from scrimmage, but Sean McVay didn’t abandon the run or put Gurley in the proverbial doghouse.
Instead, he called another 24 running plays for Gurley and five more for Malcolm Brown, too. In total, the Rams finished with 34 rushing attempts, 30 of which were by running backs. It was the second-most times they’ve handed the ball off to running backs all season, doing a great job to ride Gurley to victory.
Sean McVay said afterwards that it was all part of the game plan, giving the ball to Gurley as much as they did. And it truly showed a new side of the offense that we hadn’t yet seen this season. This was the second time all year the Rams had more rushes (34) than pass attempts (18), with the other game being almost an even split (30 rushes, 28 passes vs. New Orleans).
But the changes offensively go deeper than just running the ball more often. It all started with their personnel adjustment. The Rams utilized 12 personnel (one running back, two receivers, two tight ends) on 34 plays Sunday night, which is their most in a game all year. On those plays, Gurley rushed for 92 yards on 22 carries.
It was by far the Rams’ most effective personnel grouping when it came to running the ball.
The Rams relied more on 12 Personnel (1 RB, 2 TE) without wide receivers Brandin Cooks & Robert Woods (season-high 34 plays).
Todd Gurley gained 92 of 97 rushing yards on runs out of 12 Personnel (3 carries, 5 yards from 11 Personnel).#CHIvsLAR | #LARams pic.twitter.com/SNW5c5LxXl
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 18, 2019
What was really good to see was Sean McVay’s ability to adapt. Just hours before the game, the Rams found out that Robert Woods wouldn’t play as he tended to a family matter. For a team that’s so reliant on having three receivers on the field at a time, this was a big problem for the Rams.
Rather than simply replacing Woods with Mike Thomas or JoJo Natson in the starting lineup and continuing to roll with three receivers on the field at almost all times, McVay adapted. He had tight ends Tyler Higbee and Johnny Mundt out there together often, with a mix of Gerald Everett, too.
The Rams even used an I-formation with Mundt as a fullback, which isn’t something often seen in McVay’s offense. Higbee and Mundt were non-factors in the passing game as receivers – neither was targeted even once – but they were great as blockers and opened holes for Gurley.
Instead of relying on Jared Goff to sling the ball around the field as he often does, the Rams only had him throw the ball 18 times behind their new-look offensive line – his fewest in a game all year. The result was a low pressure rate and a safe game by Goff.
Jared Goff was pressured only once on 18 dropbacks (6% pressure rate), the lowest pressure rate Goff has faced in a game in his career.
The @RamsNFL are now 14-0 under Sean McVay when Goff is pressured less than 22% of dropbacks (16-18 in all other games).#CHIvsLAR | #LARams pic.twitter.com/3TOU797fhl
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 18, 2019
The question now is whether the Rams will continue to utilize this new run-first approach in the future. When Woods and Brandin Cooks return, expect to see them assume their usual roles on offense. Cooper Kupp should play the majority of the snaps, too.
But if the Rams truly want to run the ball more often, 12 personnel might be the answers – which will cost a wide receiver playing time.