The Los Angeles Rams offense went through Todd Gurley the last two years, but this season, they’ve leaned more on Jared Goff and the passing attack. As a result, Gurley’s workload has been reduced significantly.

Sean McVay says he hasn’t been on any sort of snap count, but the numbers say otherwise. In two of the last three weeks – excluding the Rams’ blowout loss to the Ravens – Gurley has gotten at least 20 touches and been a productive player.

The team hopes that sort of play continues for the two-time All-Pro running back, and according to Ian Rapoport, he’ll get the chance to return to his 2017 and 2018 form. The Rams will use Gurley extensively the rest of the way, according to Rapoport, and will “treat Gurley like the bell cow that he is.”

“Enough of the pitch count. They’re going to use him extensively, starting tonight,” Rapoport said.

From @NFLGameDay: #Browns WR Odell Beckham needs sports hernia surgery, but he'll play today vs. the #Bengals. … Meanwhile, as the #Rams get ready to unleash Todd Gurley, limiting carries has worked — He's as fast now as he was in Week 1, based on practice metrics. pic.twitter.com/GvrOOSakgN

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 8, 2019

Rapoport also reported that Gurley is as fast now as he was in Week 1, which he suggests is the result of the Rams limiting the running back’s workload. Gurley hasn’t necessarily looked as explosive as he did last year, but he’s still been productive when given the chance.

We’ll see how many touches Gurley gets on Sunday night against the Seahawks, but with Mychal Kendricks doubtful, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the Rams to ride Gurley’s hot hand.

Todd Gurley hasn’t had the Pro Bowl season everyone’s come to expect from the two-time All-Pro running back, gaining just 642 yards on the ground in 11 games. He hasn’t been involved much in the passing game, either, catching 22 passes for 134 yards; he had at least 59 catches in each of the last two years.

It seems like the Rams were trying to keep his touches down in an attempt to keep him healthy in the future, which is something Sean McVay vehemently denied. Gurley’s workload has grown in the last few weeks, surpassing 20 touches in two of the last three games for the first time all year.

McVay said it’s the result of “me not being an idiot,” admitting he was wrong for not getting Gurley more involved – especially in the loss to Pittsburgh. Gurley was asked about McVay’s comments Thursday and didn’t have much to say about it.

“He said it, I didn’t,” Gurley said laughing. “That’s all I got to say. I don’t have anything else to say.”

When asked if he wants to continue getting more touches, Gurley repeated what he’s said in the past: It’s a team sport and there’s only one ball.

“It doesn’t matter. Hit you with the same answer: team sport, man,” he said. “Only one person gets the ball. We’ve got great running backs in Malcolm (Brown) and Darrell (Henderson Jr.) as well. Four great receivers and some good tight ends. (Tyler) Higbee had a great game last game. Whatever he calls, I’ll do my part and be ready.”

Against the Bears and Cardinals in the last three weeks, Gurley had 97 and 95 yards rushing, respectively. And his performance Sunday against Arizona included a 28-yard touchdown run that was called back due to a holding penalty.

He’s certainly running better, and the offensive line has improved, so maybe McVay has noticed that and will continue feeding the running back.

Todd Gurley’s workload was pretty clearly lightened in the beginning of the season, receiving just 119 total touches in the first eight games he played. In the last three games alone, he’s touched the ball 57 times as the Rams have gone to a more balanced attack on offense.

Sean McVay hasn’t exactly made it clear why Gurley’s role was limited early on – often attributing it to “the flow of the game” – but he’s adamant that keeping the running back fresh for the end of the season was never a factor.

“No, no. It has nothing to do with that,” McVay said. “It was really just, you’re just kind of working through the 2019 season – the best way to utilize all of our plyers and figuring out what our identity is. I think we’re still working through that, but didn’t have anything to do with (load management). Shoot, we’re just trying to win a game. So, certainly it wasn’t ever with the mindset of looking ahead before anything was accomplished.”

It would be illogical for the Rams to sacrifice wins early in the season in an attempt to keep Gurley fresh for the home stretch and postseason. Hopefully that wasn’t the plan, because now we’re seeing how impactful Gurley can be when given a normal share of touches.

McVay should continue to get his two-time All-Pro involved, given the importance of these last four games of the season.

To begin the 2019 season, Todd Gurley went eight straight games with fewer than 20 touches. In two of the last three weeks, he’s gotten at least 20 touches – the lone exception being the Rams’ 45-6 blowout loss to Baltimore.

The Rams have won both games in which Gurley has gotten at least 20 touches, as his involvement has provided a spark in recent weeks.

So, what’s the reason for his increased role? Sean McVay explained it in very simple terms on Wednesday.

“Me not being an idiot,” he said. “I think he’s felt good and really he’s done a nice job with that. You look at the Chicago game and just going from there, you don’t want to make some of the same mistakes that you ended up making earlier on in the season and I think he’s done a nice job handling a bigger workload. But then you also have confidence in those other guys if they need to give him a spell.”

There were a lot of unhappy fans after the Rams’ Week 10 loss to the Steelers, and not just because Los Angeles didn’t win. It stemmed from Gurley not getting a single touch in the fourth quarter and being replaced by Malcolm Brown on the first two drives of that quarter.

McVay recognized that was a mistake and didn’t want to do anything like that again.

“I think there’s some instances where you look back and it’s always hindsight in terms of what can you do. I think the Steelers game stands out in terms of where we were running the football well and didn’t really give him a chance to get back going based on how that thing played out,” he said. “So you always try to learn from your previous experiences.

“I think we’ve been able to, in the games that he’s gotten more touches, be efficient when we’ve been able to give him the ball. That’s a reflection of him, but also the guys blocking.”

Gurley’s numbers are unimpressive this season, especially for the league’s second-highest paid running back. He has just 642 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 4.2 yards per carry compared to 4.9 in 2018.

Some of that is attributed to his reduced role, but he hasn’t been nearly as explosive or involved in the passing game. That’s changed a bit in recent weeks, but it remains to be seen if the Rams will continue with that approach.

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