Turf Show Times
The Los Angeles Rams have had one of the best running back duos in the NFL this season. After being primarily a one-running back team under head coach Sean McVay, the Rams have utilized both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum in 2025. The result has been arguably the best Rams rushing attack in the McVay era.
As it stands, the Rams have a rushing success rate of 48.3 percent via Next Gen Stats and are averaging 0.02 EPA per rush. Both of those numbers are just shy of what Todd Gurley accomplished in 2018. With that said, the Rams are averaging 0.8 rushing yards over expected per attempt. In 2018, they had -0.1 rushing yards over expected per attempt.
This has evolved into a rushing attack that the Rams should be able to ride down the stretch. When it comes to December and January football, having the ability to lean on a stable run game is invaluable. That’s exactly what the Rams currently have with Williams and Corum. Both running backs have the ability to keep the offense on track and ahead of the chains. As shown last week, Corum has the ability to provide an aspect of explosiveness and big-play ability that the running game has lacked over the past few seasons.
Since Week 7, the Rams have done a commendable job splitting the carries between Williams and Corum. Williams has taken just 50.5 percent of the team’s rushing attempts during that time frame which ranks 21st in the NFL. The result has been a fresher and therefore more effective Kyren Williams.
Williams is averaging 4.9 yards per carry which is similar to what he had in 2023 when he missed time due to injury. His 54.1 percent success rate is also a career-high. Additionally, 10.2 percent of his carries have gone for 10 or more yards which is nearly two percent higher than what he did last season.
The idea with giving Corum more touches has always been to keep Williams fresh. From Weeks 1-13 in 2024, Williams had 222 carries for 926 yards and averaged 4.17 yards per carry with a 52.7 percent success rate. Over the final four games of the regular season, he averaged 3.97 yards per carry with a 46.8 percent success rate.
This isn’t to say that Williams hit a wall. However, he was at his most effective in 2023 with 228 rushing attempts. During his first 220 carries of 2024, he was at his most effective. He had eight games last season with 20 or more carries. He’s eclipsed 20 carries in one game this year.
With Williams and Corum splitting carries, it has made both players more effective. Williams is averaging 4.9 yards per carry this season with a career-high 45.7 percent rushing success rate. With Williams breaking down defenses inside, Corum has been able to use his speed more to get to the edge. Their skill sets complement each other perfectly.
However, when it comes to a running back tandem,...
