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.