The NFL has been defined by great running back duos. Harris and Bleier, Czonka and Morris, Brown and Williams. Even the modern NFL is being dictated by lighting-and-thunder rushing duos such as in the case of Detroit’s David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, Seattle’s Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet, Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry and Justice Hill.
In Los Angeles, a new tandem is slowly forming between Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. Corum, sidelined for most of the season due to a coaching decision, has finally been allowed to shine, breaking open the once-stalled Rams’ rushing attack. In back-to-back weeks, Corum has been fed eight carries for a total of 76 yards. That comes out to 4.7 yards per carry.
As a result, Williams put up a season-high 104 yards against the Saints and 87 yards against the Bills. The Bills, thanks to the success of Corum and Williams’, had to dedicate more resources to stop the run. Matthew Stafford then gashed the Bills for 320 yards through the air.
Once Corum becomes a better pass blocker, he’ll see more snaps but his carries need to go up. The Rams have found an effective formula for their run game: use Corum on the second drive to give Williams the energy to put the game away in the fourth quarter.
While Williams is a straight one-cut running back, Corum likes to weave his way in between defenders. Those rushing methods when paired together exhaust defenders as it keeps them on their toes. Williams and Corum tire out the defenders’ bodies, then their minds, then their spirits. Once you take their spirit, it’s all over. And that ideology has contributed to the Rams’ two-game winning streak.
This is the beginning of a terrific tandem and with both players signed through at least 2025, expect Williams and Corum’s numbers to balloon, especially with Stafford getting older. A QB’s best friend is a solid rushing attack and that’s exactly what Williams and Corum provide.
