Tag: Kyren Williams

Rams announce their nominee for 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award

The Rams’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is Kyren Williams, his first time being up for the prestigious honor

Sean McVay always says Kyren Williams is made of the right stuff, and the Los Angeles Rams are recognizing him for that in a big way. The NFL announced the 32 nominees for the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award on Thursday and Williams is the Rams’ selection for the prestigious honor.

This is the first time Williams has been nominated for the award, something he should be incredibly proud of. Last year, Cooper Kupp was nominated and in 2022, it was lineman Tremayne Anchrum Jr. who was selected by the Rams. In 2021, Andrew Whitworth won the award in his final NFL season.

The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is one of the highest honors in the NFL, going to the player who displays “excellence on and off the field” for their work in the community and commitment to philanthropy.

Williams is outstanding on the field for the Rams, but his work in the community shouldn’t go unnoticed. He was the captain of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ WalkUnitedLA this year, he helped raise $750,000 as the captain for the LA Rams Night For Wishes to help kids battling life-threatening medical conditions and led the Rams’ annual “recycling combine,” among many other initiatives.

“It’s an honor to be nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award alongside the many players around the league who are doing meaningful work in their communities,” said Williams. “My community work is never about receiving recognition but about paying forward the support and inspiration that others have given me throughout my life. I cherish the opportunities to put a smile on people’s faces and help families in need. The game of football has provided me with a platform to give back and I believe it’s important to leverage it in ways that serve others.”

Fans can vote for Williams on the NFL’s official website and on social media with the hashtag #WPMOYChallenge. The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors show on Feb. 6, and all 32 nominees will be recognized during Super Bowl week in New Orleans.

Former Rams quarterback Jared Goff was also nominated by the Lions, as was linebacker Bobby Wagner of the Commanders.

Rams Week 13 snap counts: Blake Corum narrows the gap on Kyren Williams

Kyren Williams led the backfield in snaps again but Blake Corum was on the field more Sunday than he has been all season

The Los Angeles Rams accomplished their goal of leaving New Orleans with a win on Sunday, beating the Saints 21-14 on the road to improve to 6-6. They did so with a fully healthy offensive line for the first time all season, and with a slightly adjusted backfield rotation between Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.

On defense, it was much of the same, though there were some minor changes in the secondary with Ahkello Witherspoon getting zero snaps in the win.

Here’s a look at the complete snap counts from Sunday’s game with breakdowns of each position group.

Offense

All five starting linemen played every snap in the game, a positive development for a group that’s been ravaged by injuries all season.

At running back, Kyren Williams remains the starter but he played just 68% of the snaps, his lowest of the season. Previously, he had played at least 79% in every game. That’s because Blake Corum played a season-high 32% of the snaps and had eight carries, also tying his season-high. Corum isn’t going to unseat Williams as the top back but he may start to eat into his carries.

The Rams rotated their wide receivers more than usual, giving Demarcus Robinson only 34 snaps as the No. 3 receiver behind Cooper Kupp (91%) and Puka Nacua (79%). Tutu Atwell saw a slightly bigger role with a 39% snap share, while Tyler Johnson, Jordan Whittington and Xavier Smith were barely involved.

At tight end, it’s anyone’s guess as to how this group will look each week. On Sunday, it was Colby Parkinson playing the most snaps with 20, but Hunter Long (19) and Davis Allen (18) weren’t far behind. None of the three had a big impact, though.

Defense

Darious Williams and Cobie Durant have both been starters at cornerback but on Sunday, neither player came off the field. They were the only two corners to play multiple snaps, which is notable because typically, the Rams use at least three cornerbacks. Witherspoon saw his role disappear, getting zero defensive snaps in the win. Josh Wallace was the only other corner to play and he got only one snap.

At safety, it was once again a four-man rotation, with Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl each playing the entire game. Kamren Kinchens played 43% of the snaps as the third safety, which allowed Lake to drop down into the slot, and Jaylen McCollough had a 30% snap share as a dime defender.

Christian Rozeboom played the most snaps at inside linebacker (63), with Omar Speights playing 45 snaps as the No. 2 linebacker. Both of them played well against the Saints and will continue to see plenty of playing time moving forward.

Jared Verse and Byron Young remain the top two edge rushers with 55 and 50 snaps played, respectively. Michael Hochet played 39 snaps in his usual role as the third edge rusher and hybrid defender across the defensive front. Nick Hampton played three snaps as the fourth option.

Up front, the Rams once again leaned on Kobie Turner (53), Braden Fiske (48) and Bobby Brown III (28) along the defensive line. Neville Gallimore played 21 snaps and Tyler Davis played 20, so they each had a role in the win, too. Desjuan Johnson played 13 snaps, as well.

Rams finally got a taste of how good their one-two punch at RB can be

Blake Corum finally got a real opportunity on offense and he delivered with his best game of the season, creating a one-two punch with Kyren Williams

It took 13 games but the Los Angeles Rams finally realized a running back tandem of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum can be highly productive when used properly.

Williams has been dominating the workload in the backfield with 207 carries compared to 29 for Corum, but the split was closer on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Not only that, but it was Corum who got the first carry for the Rams, not Williams.

Williams still led the team in carries with 15 and he rushed for 104 yards, so there’s no question he’s still Sean McVay’s preferred runner. However, Corum showed he has a ton of potential with his eight carries for 42 yards. He did a great job spelling Williams, breaking off runs of 9 yards, 10 yards, 5 yards and 6 yards on the Rams’ second drive of the game.

He looked fast and agile when carrying the ball, too, showing the juice you’d expect to see from a rookie who’s barely been used up to this point.

He has fresh legs and runs hard, making him the perfect guy to give Williams a breather when needed. And as the season wears on, now is the perfect time to lighten Williams’ workload with the playoffs approaching.

Not to mention, Corum’s usage seemed to provide a spark for a highly motivated Williams. After Corum racked up 32 yards before Williams even got a carry, it was Williams who had a fire lit under him – particularly after fumbling twice a week ago.

To open the Rams’ third drive of the game, Williams carried it five straight times for 39 yards. On the next drive, he had 37 yards and a touchdown. McVay rode the hot hand, which helped keep the offense rolling in the second half.

It’s not completely unreasonable to think Sunday’s win could be a sign of things to come at running back. Giving Williams 15 carries and Corum eight instead of running Williams into the ground with 23 carries a game seems like a wise decision and Sunday was the first glimpse of how good that tandem can be.

When the Rams reached the Super Bowl in 2018, it was in part thanks to the combination of Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson in the backfield. An offense doesn’t always need a workhorse back to take 95% of the carries. Sometimes, keeping your starter fresh by giving the backup opportunities is the best thing to do, as we saw in the Rams’ 21-14 win over the Saints.

Corum has done nothing but rise to the occasion when called upon as a rookie and the Rams should keep this train rolling next week against the Bills.

Watch Sean McVay’s fiery locker room speech after Rams’ win over Saints

Sean McVay was fired up after the Rams’ comeback win over the Saints, handing out game balls to Kyren Williams and two others

Sean McVay always brings the energy in the locker room after Rams wins, applauding his players for getting the job done – whether it’s a one-point win or 30-point blowout. Sunday’s game against the Saints was a close one, but the Rams pulled out the victory with a second-half comeback after getting shut out in the first 30 minutes.

McVay was fired up in the locker room, giving a passionate speech to the team at the Superdome. He also handed out three game balls, recognizing Kevin Dotson, assistant defensive line coach AC Carter and Kyren Williams for their efforts on Sunday.

He was particularly excited to give Williams his game ball, praising the running back for bouncing back after fumbling twice last week against the Eagles.

“I think it’s fitting that he (expletive) closes the game out, you see the way he (expletive) approached the week,” McVay said. “You talk about a guy that is all about the right kind of (expletive). He did something today that nobody is surprised about. We all knew, he knew. What a (expletive) G. Kyren Williams.”

Williams broke down the huddle in the locker room with a fiery speech of his own.

“Don’t forget this (expletive) feeling we got right now. We’re going to carry this (expletive) on for the rest of the season. Ain’t nobody (expletive) stopping us, man. I ain’t hearing (expletive).”

It was great to see Williams rebound from a tough game last week, and even better for McVay to recognize him. In the win on Sunday, Williams rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Rams are unwisely running Kyren Williams into the ground

Kyren Williams’ overusage is resulting in damaging results for the Rams.

Kyren Williams had a game to forget last weekend. He fumbled the ball twice and lost one of them on the opening drive in a 37-20 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. More embarrassing for the young running back, the performance solidified a belief that he has taken a step backward in his development.

However, it is not Williams’ fault as he has had to navigate through a variety of factors, including multiple absences on the offensive line and a blatant overuse by Sean McVay and his coaching staff.

Out of 267 rush attempts by the Rams this season, Williams has accounted for 77 percent of them. When you account for carries strictly by running backs, it jumps to 84 percent. While Blake Corum has 29 carries and Ronnie Rivers has 10, Williams has 207.

Not to mention, his 121 pass-blocking snaps are 41 more than any other running back in the NFL.

Williams’ mistakes result from a combination of frustration and fatigue. He’s been the Rams’ bell cow, but he’s getting run into the ground, resulting in turnovers like what happened on Sunday night.

Sean McVay needs to give Williams a rest, especially when he plays the majority of the passing snaps, too.

Corum and Rivers are more than capable and they will get the job done. Save Kyren Williams before he becomes another case study like Todd Gurley.

Sean McVay talked to Kyren Williams about fumbles and expects him to bounce back

Kyren Williams has fumbled 4 times in his last 4 games, but Sean McVay isn’t benching him and expects the RB to bounce back

Kyren Williams has struggled with ball security throughout the last two seasons, but that problem has become even more concerning in the last four weeks. He’s fumbled it four times since Week 9, including twice in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles.

Sean McVay didn’t take any carries away from Williams after either of his two fumbles, and it doesn’t sound like anything will change with the running back rotation, either. McVay told reporters on Wednesday that he’s had conversations with Williams about his fumbles and he expects him to bounce back.

He also confirmed that Williams will remain the starter over Blake Corum.

“You certainly have those conversations and you understand it’s about being able to correct,” he said. “Negative experiences without teaching I think this is where you lose morale. It’s really important to be able to have teaching and let’s apply it. Kyren [Williams] is so conscientious. In a lot of instances, he is such a great competitor. That’s one of his best traits that you’re saying, ‘When you were doing this, let’s understand what a great job these defenses do at attacking the football. Where are we leaving ourselves susceptible and what can we do to try to able to give ourselves the best chance to get as many yards as possible while also not potentially giving the football up?’ I trust him being able to move forward. He’s always been a guy that has been mentally tough. He’s been able to respond and I think that’s going to be reflected moving forward.”

It’s been a disappointing season for Williams after he averaged 5.0 yards per carry and a league-best 95.3 yards per game in 2023. This year, he’s averaging only 4.0 yards per carry and 74.7 per game, and he’s already fumbled it five times after doing so three times last year.

It’s clear that McVay fully trusts his workhorse back but at some point, Williams must cut down on the costly fumbles.

Why does Sean McVay refuse to incorporate this simple element into the Rams’ offense?

No team uses its RBs in the passing game less than the Rams. It’s been that way for years, but why is that the case?

Now more than ever, running backs are integral parts of an offense’s passing attack. Coaches have found that throwing to their backs can essentially be an extension of the ground game, whether it’s on swing passes or designed screens.

It’s an easy way to get the ball into the hands of one of your best playmakers without forcing him to take a pounding from defensive tackles by running it between the tackles. Plus, when a running back is in the open field against a cornerback, he can use his physicality to pick up yards after contact by breaking tackles.

As popular as running back targets have become, no one told Sean McVay about this trend. For whatever reason, he refuses to use his running backs as receivers and it’s a very simple element that’s missing from the Los Angeles Rams’ offense.

According to Fantasy Pros, the Rams have by far the lowest running back target rate of any team at just 9.6% this season. Every other team targets their running backs at least 13.1% of the time. By comparison, the Rams target their wide receivers at a league-high rate of 75.5%, and their tight end target share of 14.9% if the fourth-lowest in football.

Translation: The Rams are throwing to their wide receivers 3/4 of the time.

It’s not like this is a one-year thing for the Rams, either. Here are their running back target rates since 2017 and where they rank each year.

  • 2017: 19.8% (21st)
  • 2018: 17.8% (23rd)
  • 2019: 10% (32nd)
  • 2020: 12.6% (30th)
  • 2021: 12.6% (32nd)
  • 2022: 12.2% (31st)
  • 2023: 12.4% (32nd)
  • 2024: 9.6% (32nd)

You’ll notice there was a steep drop-off from 2018 to 2019, which is when Todd Gurley went from being an All-Pro to looking like a shell of himself due to a knee injury. Once Gurley fell off, the Rams stopped throwing to their running backs.

It’s not because they haven’t had good receiving backs, either.

Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. were both very capable pass-catchers out of the backfield, as is Kyren Williams. McVay and Les Snead even admitted during the draft that Blake Corum’s receiving skills caught their eyes during Michigan’s pro day, coming away impressed by how comfortable he looked catching passes.

So what gives? Why do the Rams use their running backs as receivers less than any other team in the NFL just about every year? This season has been particularly bad in that department, with their 9.6% running back target rate being the lowest in the NFL since the 49ers had just an 8.1% RB target rate in 2014.

It’s not because Williams has had issues catching the ball. Sure, he has one drop, but of the 29 passes thrown to him this season, he’s caught 25 of them. That’s a solid 86.2% catch rate, showing just how easy those completions are for Stafford.

The biggest reason for Williams’ lack of targets is his heavy usage in pass protection. According to Pro Football Focus, he has 121 pass-blocking snaps this season. That’s 41 more than the next-closest running back, Javonte Williams.

Williams is only averaging 5.4 yards per reception, but the problem is, his average depth of target is 1.3 yards behind the line of scrimmage. That’s the ninth-lowest rate of any running back with at least 14 targets, per PFF.

Kyle Juszczyk (5.3), Christian McCaffrey (3.9) and Jordan Mason (3.4) rank first, second and third among tailbacks in average depth of target this season, showing how Kyle Shanahan utilizes his running backs on actual routes beyond the line of scrimmage, creating mismatches with slower linebackers who can’t cover the backs.

Even if McVay doesn’t want to send Williams out on choice or angle routes, he can call a screen or two every once in a while. That would’ve been particularly useful against the Eagles on Sunday night when Philadelphia’s pass rushers were pinning their ears back and getting after Stafford consistently.

The best counter to a blitz or strong pass rush is a screen pass to the running back, keeping the defense honest. Yet, the Rams threw zero passes to Williams for the second straight week, and Corum also didn’t see a single target.

It’s a small sample size, but Corum’s four receptions this season have gone for 7 yards, 7 yards, 8 yards and 9 yards. Most of those have been check-downs, too, but imagine what he could do in the open field on a screen pass with a convoy of blockers in front of him.

For an offense that’s sputtering, particularly on third down, it might be time to change things up and try something new. Throws to Williams and Corum can lead to easy completions, keeping the offense on schedule on first and second down.

Rams Week 12 snap counts: LA keeps status quo despite offense’s struggles

The offense is stuck in the mud but the snap counts show Sean McVay isn’t making any changes

Sunday night was not pretty. The Los Angeles Rams were crushed by Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles in their own building, losing a lopsided one, 37-20.

The offense put up 20 points, but that included a garbage-time touchdown where the Rams scored a touchdown with 1:07 left in the game to cut the deficit by six points. After a strong performance by Matthew Stafford and the offense last week in New England, the Rams could do nothing for three quarters against the Eagles.

The snap counts show not much is changing in terms of the personnel rotations, either. Kyren Williams remains the No. 1 running back despite fumbling it twice, Davis Allen is still leading the tight ends despite not being targeted in the last two games and Tutu Atwell is still barely playing.

On defense, the Rams were in their base personnel more often against the Eagles, but not much else has changed on that side of the ball. Here’s a look at the snap counts on offense and defense.

Offense

The wide receiver rotation has been mostly unchanged since Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua returned. Kupp remains the WR1 in snap share, with Demarcus Robinson and Nacua tied for the second-most snaps (80%) among the team’s wideouts. That left very few opportunities for anyone else. Tutu Atwell only played 17 snaps, and it seemed like most of those came when the game was already decided. Tyler Johnson only played 13 snaps, too.

At running back, Sean McVay isn’t going away from Williams, even with his recent fumbling issues. Williams played 58 of 64 snaps despite fumbling it twice, leaving only six snaps and one touch for Blake Corum. For whatever reason, McVay refuses to get Corum involved, even though he’s looked good when given the opportunity.

At tight end, Allen is still the top tight end, playing 31 snaps compared to 19 for Colby Parkinson. For the second straight week, Allen didn’t see a single target so he hasn’t been involved as a receiver. Hunter Long played 13 snaps, as well, but like Allen, he wasn’t targeted.

Defense

The Rams weren’t in nickel and dime packages as much as they have been in recent weeks, partly because the Eagles were such a run-heavy offense. Omar Speights and Christian Rozeboom each played the majority of the game, with 56 and 55 snaps, respectively. The Rams tried to counter the Eagles’ rushing attack with more base personnel but it didn’t exactly work.

In the secondary, Quentin Lake, Darious Williams and Kamren Curl played every snap again. Cobie Durant played 59% of the snaps as the second corner on the outside, but he exited early with cramping and was replaced by Ahkello Witherspoon, who played 52% of the snaps. Kamren Kinchens played 51% of the defensive snaps and Jaylen McCollough was out there for only 12 plays in dime packages.

Byron Young played 63 of a possible 73 snaps, leading the Rams’ edge rushers. Jared Verse played 58 snaps and Michael Hoecht played 44 snaps, so there wasn’t any significant change at that position. No other edge rusher played a single snap.

Along the defensive line, Kobie Turner played 71% of the snaps, the only player who played more than half the game. Braden Fiske’s snap share dropped to a season-low 44%, lower than both Bobby Brown III and Tyler Davis, who each played 48%. Jonah Williams played five snaps. That was likely just because the Eagles were in a run-heavy game script, and Davis is a bigger defender in the middle than Fiske.

Here’s what Sean McVay said about Kyren Williams’ two fumbles vs. Eagles

Sean McVay didn’t have much to say when asked whether he’s concerned about Kyren Williams’ fumbling issue

Kyren Williams has been the Rams’ workhorse back for the last two seasons but despite all the production he’s had, he’s also shown a propensity to cough the ball up – especially at inopportune times.

On Sunday night against the Eagles, he fumbled it not once, but twice in the 37-20 loss. He only lost one of them, but it was on the Rams’ opening drive when they got to the red zone and were poised to take an early lead.

Williams now has five fumbles in his last seven games this season after fumbling it three times in 2023. After the game, Sean McVay was asked flatly if he’s concerned about Williams’ fumbles.

He didn’t have much to say in response, which was a clear sign of his frustration.

“You know, that’s something we have to be better at, for sure,” he said.

McVay typically gives rather lengthy answers to questions in his postgame press conference, so his brief reply on Williams’ fumbles is somewhat telling. He obviously trusts his top back without wavering because Blake Corum only got one carry in the entire game, but fumbling is the quickest way to lose opportunities as a running back.

In his opening statement, McVay did mention that he felt his team “came out ready to go.”

“The turnover really hurt us, obviously.”

When asked again about what that opening-drive turnover did for the trajectory of the game, McVay expressed his frustration.

“It did take the – it was tough because I thought our offensive line came out ready to go,” he said. “I thought Kyren was hitting those holes and that play, you’re in scoring position already right there, felt good about some different options, and for us to turn it over there when we did, it was costly, for sure.”

This may not lead to any changes in the backfield but if Williams keeps giving the ball away, McVay may not have much of a choice.

Saquon Barkley runs the Rams out of SoFi Stadium, carrying the Eagles to their 7th straight win

A sea of Eagles fans took over SoFi Stadium, carrying Philadelphia to its 7th straight win on Sunday night as Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night

The Eagles are 9-2 and have won seven straight games after Saquon Barkley exploded in the running game, and A.J. Brown was dominant in the passing game. Philadelphia put the league on notice with a 37-20 win at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

If not for a late Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp, Philadelphia would have exited Los Angeles with a 37-14 road win just seven days before a monster matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13.

Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night and had 302 total yards of offense in a game that saw A.J. Brown log 109 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven targets.