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.
