Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams may simultaneously have one of the more efficient running back duos in the NFL and also the most frustrating. Kyren Williams ranks fourth in the NFL in success rate at 53.7 percent while Blake Corum has an explosive run rate of 8.3 percent which is the fifth-highest in the NFL.
This has been exactly what the Rams needed out of the running back position this season. Williams remains the singles hitter who can keep the offense on track. Meanwhile, Corum has the ability to hit a double and create the explosive plays.
It’s not a coincidence that the Rams’ three best rushing games have come when Williams and Corum have combined for 20 or more attempts. In those games, Williams and Corum have averaged 4.9 yards per carry, 0.79 RYOE/att., and had a 51.4 percent success rate. Williams has two games this season with 4.5 yards per carry and a success rate over 50 percent. In both of those games, Corum has had more than five carries. Williams’ worst game this season came in Week 1 when Corum only got one carry.
Williams and Corum complement each other so well as a duo. In Week 2, Kyren had a 35.3 percent success rate and Corum picked up the Rams run game with 8.8 yards per carry. In Week 4, Corum had a 22.2 percent success rate and Williams picked up the Rams run game with 5.9 yards per carry.
Still, despite their success, both come with their frustrations, to say the least. Williams’ fumbling issue has reared its ugly head with two fumbles in two games. Meanwhile, among running backs with at least seven targets, Corum leads the NFL in drop rate. Corum has been targeted seven times and has three catches. He’s dropped two of the four incompletions. That doesn’t mention that he dropped the ball on a toss play that resulted in a fumble.
Both Rams running backs cost the Rams in different ways last week against the San Francisco 49ers. It begs the question then if the Rams should utilize Jarquez Hunter in some fashion. That’s especially the case when considering the success of the rookie class. According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell,
“This is a special class of rookie running backs. Rookie running backs combined to rack up 737 rushing yards in Week 4, the most by any set of rookie backs in any week of September football since the 1970 merger. Week 3 ranked sixth by that same measure, and Week 5 wasn’t far behind. It’s rare to see so many rookie backs impacting games this early in the season. Overall, rookie runners have racked up 2,542 rushing yards through Week 5, good for the 10th most of any class since the merger.”
The issue here is that the Rams haven’t utilized Jarquez Hunter at all, despite drafting him inside the top-120. In fact, after drafting Hunter, the Rams opted to extend Kyren Williams, limiting any path of playing time for...
