LOS ANGELES — Last season, running back Kyren Williams accounted for 43% of the Los Angeles Rams‘ touches, which led the NFL. And he did that in 16 games after missing Week 18 because the team had already clinched the NFC West.
This offseason, coach Sean McVay said that he wanted to prioritize getting that target share down, leaning more on 2024 third-round pick Blake Corum. Through Week 14, that has led to Williams playing 69.19% of the Rams’ offensive snaps this season, while Corum has played 27.8%. By comparison, Williams played 81.47% of the Rams’ offensive snaps during the 2024 season.
He signed a three-year, $33 million contract extension in August.
The goal in decreasing Williams’ workload, McVay said, was to keep him “fresher” throughout the season.
“Just because he can do it doesn’t mean it’s best for him over the long haul and the longevity of the season, especially if you’re fortunate enough to earn an opportunity to play after the 17,” McVay said.
Despite the smaller workload, Williams’ production has still been there. In 13 games this season, Williams has 952 yards and eight touchdowns on 196 carries.
His six rushing touchdowns since Week 9 are third in the NFL behind Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who each have seven. And he’s been consistent. Williams has gone 41 straight games with at least 10 rushes, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.
The change has worked this season in part because of the emergence of Corum, who broke 100 rushing yards for the first time in his career in Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals. In what was the Rams’ best game of the season on the ground, Corum ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Williams added 84 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
“Last year, Kyren took up a big workload so he never really got into a rhythm,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “I thought he was running really well [in the 2024 season finale before he broke his right forearm]. Being in year two and getting more options, he’s taking advantage of it.”
That success came from two running backs who “work well off each other,” according to LaFleur.
“I think because we’re able to feed off each other very well and we complement each other too in the run game,” Williams said. “He’s the type of person that make you miss, I’m the type to slash run, get downhill, get vertical.
“And so I think we mix it up very good for the defense to where they don’t know how to attack us both. So I think the one-two punch that we got going on is something significant, and I just think it works because we feed off each other so well.”
For much of the season, the Rams’ offense has relied primarily on the arm of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is playing some of the best football of his career and in the conversation for MVP. Stafford has 35 touchdown passes this season, well on pace to shatter his previous career high of 41.
Now, with a running game that rushed for 401 yards on 57 carries in its previous two games, this recent success on the ground makes for an even more potent offense.
“I’ve told you guys before, you show me a good offense, I’ll show you an offense that can do either or,” McVay said about the need for a strong passing and running game. “It’s a numbers game and if they want to lean one way or the other, you have to be able to make them pay.
“I think our guys have done a great job of being able to keep teams off balance. In a lot of instances, we’re avoiding third downs because of the efficiency that these guys are having on early downs from a run and when we decide to throw the football perspective.”
