Tag: Kyren Williams

Every NFL team’s rushing leader from the 2023 regular season

Here is every team’s leading rusher from the 2023 campaign

A Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!

Oh, wait . . . our apologies . . .

A former Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!  So, congratulations to Christian McCaffrey, who is also just days away from playing on the game’s biggest stage.

Now, as we continue to put a bow on the year, let’s look back at each team’s leading rusher from the 2023 regular season.

Look: Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams enjoying practice at Pro Bowl Games

Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are out in Orlando at the 2024 Pro Bowl Games

Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams are representing the Los Angeles Rams at the 2024 Pro Bowl Games this year and the fun in Orlando has already begun. Nacua participated in the Best Catch challenge on Thursday night, hauling in a pass while wakeboarding.

Williams was on the winning squad of the dodgeball game, as well, so it’s been a successful start to the week for the Rams’ two stars.

On Friday, they were both on the practice field with the rest of the NFC squad, which includes Jalen Hurts and DK Metcalf. The Rams shared this video of them heading out to the field for practice ahead of Sunday’s flag football game.

Williams was mic’d up for practice and he seemed excited about some of the plays on the sheet.

Man, where they get this from? I need to take this back to L.A.!

Here are some other shots of Williasm and Nacua at practice Friday.

Watch 15 minutes of highlights from Kyren Williams’ Pro Bowl season

Check out all of Kyren Williams’ best plays from his 2023 season

One of the biggest surprises to come out of the Rams’ 2023 season was Kyren Williams’ emergence as the team’s No. 1 running back. Not only that, but he established himself as one of the best tailbacks in the NFL, rushing for 1,144 yards in only 12 games played.

He led the NFL with 95.3 rushing yards per game and finished third in total touchdowns (15), posting at least 100 yards from scrimmage in nine of the 13 games he played, including the playoffs.

It was as good a[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media] season as the Rams could’ve hoped for from their second-year back, who was only a fifth-round pick in 2022.

The Rams put together a highlight reel from Williams’ season, picking out some of his best plays from the 2023 campaign – and there are a lot of them. The video is 15 minutes long, which shows just how many great plays Williams made over the course of the season.

Two Rams players named to 2023 PFWA All-NFL Team

Aaron Donald and Kyren Williams were both named PFWA All-NFL selections this year, but Puka Nacua was left off the team

The Pro Football Writers of America released their 2023 All-NFL Team and unlike the Associated Press’ where only one Rams player was selected to the first team, two members of Los Angeles’ roster were picked by the PFWA.

Kyren Williams was named to the All-NFL Team at running back alongside Christian McCaffrey, and Aaron Donald made it at defensive tackle with Chris Jones of the Chiefs. It’s the eighth time Donald has made the PFWA All-NFL Team, breaking a tie with Randy White for the most ever by a defensive tackle.

Only two wide receivers made the cut and Puka Nacua was not one of them. Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb were picked over him, which isn’t terribly surprising, given the limited spots available at wide receiver. Nacua didn’t make the All-NFC Team, either; those spots went to Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

See the full All-NFL Team below.

Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua made NFL history by each averaging 90 yards per game

Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua became the first pair of teammates in NFL history to accomplish this feat in 2023

Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua didn’t enter the NFL draft in the same class, but they were both fifth-round picks and have already become two of the best young players in the league. Nacua set multiple rookie records with his 1,486 yards and 105 receptions, while Williams finished first in rushing yards per game in his first year as a starter.

Of the Rams’ 6,108 total yards this season, Nacua and Williams accounted for 2,925 of them – so nearly half of the team’s yards from scrimmage. That’s quite the feat for any pair of teammates, let alone a tandem of two former fifth-round picks.

Rams play-by-play announcer J.B. Long uncovered a stat that says Nacua and Williams are the first pair of teammates 23 years or younger to average at least 90 scrimmage yards per game in the same season in NFL history.

So essentially, there’s never been a pair of teammates this young to average as many yards as Nacua and Williams did this season.

Nacua and Williams were both banged up throughout the 2023 season, with Nacua landing on the injury report several times and Williams missing four games due to an ankle sprain. Assuming both are able to stay healthy in 2024, it’s reasonable to think they’ll put up even better numbers in Year 2 as teammates in Los Angeles.

Kyren Williams had surgery to repair broken bone in his hand

Kyren Williams broke a bone in his hand during Sunday’s game against the Lions and had surgery to repair the injury this week

The injuries piled up for the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s wild-card loss to the Detroit Lions, with Tyler Higbee, Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams all getting banged up at one point or another.

Williams left the game in the fourth quarter with a hand injury and did not get another carry after the 9:28 mark despite returning to the sideline with a wrap on his hand. It turns out, Williams broke a bone in his hand, which explains his absence late in the game.

Sean McVay said Wednesday that Williams already had surgery to repair the broken bone.

Williams will obviously be ready for the start of the 2024 season but it’s not the way he wanted to end a remarkable campaign in his first year as a starter. He was one of the top backs in the league despite missing five games, rushing for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the NFL with an average of 95.3 rushing yards per game.

He’ll almost certainly maintain his role as the Rams’ top back in 2024 following his breakout season this year.

Kyren Williams exits with hand injury in 4th quarter vs. Lions

Kyren Williams left in the fourth quarter with a hand injury and is questionable to return

Kyren Williams was forced to leave Sunday night’s game against the Lions with a hand injury, which he suffered on a red zone run that lost 1 yard. He was one of several Rams players to exit the game at least briefly, as did Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. Neither player missed a snap, however.

Williams is being designated as questionable to return after being taken to the locker room.

Ronnie Rivers replaced him and caught a 3-yard screen pass in the red zone after Williams went out.

Rams’ Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua voted 2nd-team All-Pros

Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua have been voted 2nd-team All-Pros for their stellar 2023 seasons

Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua were both voted Pro Bowlers this year for their remarkable seasons, and they added to their growing list of accolades on Friday. The Associated Press revealed its All-Pro selections and in addition to Aaron Donald being voted a first-teamer, both Williams and Nacua were selected as second-team players.

Williams was edged out by Christian McCaffrey as a first-team selection, which isn’t surprising considering McCaffrey was a unanimous All-Pro. At wide receiver, Tyreek Hill was another unanimous pick, with CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown also being picked at the position as first-teamers.

On the second-team, Nacua was joined by A.J. Brown, Brandon Aiyuk and Mike Evans.

Williams led the NFL in rushing yards per game this season, averaging 95.3 yards per game. He only played 12 games, missing four due to injury and sitting out Week 18 due to rest, yet he still finished third in rushing yards with 1,144. His 15 total touchdowns were also tied for the third-most in the NFL.

Nacua set the rookie records for the most receptions and receiving yards in a season, catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards. He finished fourth in the NFL in receiving yards and had the ninth-most receptions, as well.

How Sean McVay and the Rams have changed their run game for the better

Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams have put a different spin on their run game with Kyren Williams, and it’s devastating enemy defenses.

Obviously, the primary storyline in Sunday’s wild-card game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Detroit Lions is the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff former team thing, and justifiably so. But when you dig deeper into both of these offenses, their run games are exceptional, and Sean McVay’s Rams run game isn’t just great — it’s very different with Kyren Williams as the lead back.

McVay used to be one of the primary purveyors of outside zone runs, but that’s changed exponentially in recent years. In 2023, they’ve run behind gap blocking schemes on 42% of their snaps, which ranks fifth in the league. In 2022, the Rams ran gap on 29% of their attempts, which ranked 20th. In 2021, they ran gap on 20% of their snaps, which ranked 28th. In 2020, it was 17%, which ranked 28th. 

This is a full-on sea change in offensive philosophy, and Williams is benefiting in a lot of ways. On this 14-yard run against the Baltimore Ravens’ estimable defense in Week 14, the Rams excelled in a Duo blocking scheme. Center Coleman Shelton and left guard Steve Avila doubled defensive tackle Travis Jones, and right guard Kevin Dotson and right tackle Joseph Noteboom doubled defensive tackle Broderick Washington Jr. Then, Shelton kicked up to seal linebacker Patrick Queen, and Noteboom took Roquan Smith out. Williams had a pretty easy gap against one of the NFL’s best defenses. 

Last week, McVay used one word to describe his primary back.

“Stud. He’s exactly what we’re looking for in a Ram, mentally and physically tough, plays smart, loves to compete, really productive player. He’s got an energy. He’s like the Energizer bunny. When he goes and when he doesn’t, we’re a totally different offense and so love what he’s done. Really happy for him.”

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is well aware of the challenges — no matter how the Rams run the ball.

“I do know this, the crossover tape and some of the things I have seen, number one, they are still explosive on offense,” Campbell said Monday. “They’ve been explosive, their play-pass game. But what’s making it so dangerous, their run game. That’s what’s showing up. They’ve got a pretty dangerous run game. This mid-zone, they’re running a lot more gap than they have previously, and so that’s kind of where it all begins with them. And you put that with  Stafford’s ability to push the ball down the field and it’s dangerous.”

No team has more runs with motion this season than the Rams – 382 attempts for 1,692 yards, 1,033 yards after contact, 15 touchdowns, and 4.4 yards per carry. The Rams also have the NFL’s most runs with jet motion – 236. So, this is a primary construct of the Rams’ new run game.

Again, Campbell has been spamming himself with those concepts.

“I know for us, the challenge with it is really not what it does to you defensively from a schematic standpoint, it’s more about the eye-candy of it. If you’ll just stay true to your rules and understand who’s got that motion, who’s got this turbo motion, and play your rules and don’t let those things – don’t start chasing the butterflies. Man, just, you stay focused on your responsibilities, your keys and don’t – because one step the wrong way with that motion and all of a sudden, we lose a support player and that’s where they get you because this back is patience and when he sees it, he’s able to make the cut.”

The Lions do have a very good run defense. They’ve allowed 3.7 yards per carry on 408 carries, and that YPC is third-best in the NFL behind the Patriots and the Texans. But the Lions are well aware that they’ll see a lot of Kyren Williams in this wild-card matchup, and it’s the primary story beyond whatever Stafford-Goff stuff may be of interest. 

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys got deep into Sean McVay’s ever-changing ground game.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” previewing every game in the wild-card slate, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Previewing Super Wild-Card Weekend

In this week’s “Xs and Os,” Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar preview Super Wild-Card Weekend with tape study and advanced metrics.

It’s time for Super Wild-Card Weekend! Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup, and Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group, are here to get you ready for the most interesting matchups that could decide who advances to the divisional round.

Browns at Texans: Will the Browns defense under Jim Schwartz have answers for C.J. Stroud’s excellence against single-high coverage? Nobody plays more of it than Schwartz’s guys.

Dolphins at Chiefs: It’ll be very cold at Arrowhead Stadium, which puts the focus on the run game. Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has all kinds of wrinkles in his rushing attack, and we discuss a new one with rookie De’Von Achane.

Steelers at Bills: Can the Steelers counter the Bills’ improving defense with shot plays from Mason Rudolph? And what does T.J. Watt’s injury mean for Josh Allen?

Packers at Cowboys: Everyone’s talking about Jordan Love and Dak Prescott here, but watch out for Green Bay’s run game with Aaron Jones as the lead dog.

Rams at Lions: Similarly, while everyone’s talking about the Matthew Stafford-Jared Goff “Revenge Game,” don’t sleep on these two great rushing attacks. Kyren Williams has changed Sean McVay’s run schemes to great effect.

Eagles at Buccaneers: Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is the Greg Maddux of blitzers — he’ll throw everything at you with a little spin at the end. How will Jalen Hurts react, when he’s struggled against pressure most of this season? Also, Baker Mayfield and his receivers could feast on Philly’s misbegotten pass defense.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into all of it.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os,” previewing every game in the wild-card slate, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.