Sometimes, the best plays are the ones that don’t go exactly the way they were drawn up.
Just ask Matthew Stafford and Kyren Williams.
During Monday night’s win over the Minnesota Vikings, the two connected for an opening-drive touchdown to put the Los Angeles Rams up 7-0 in the early goings. It appeared to be a beautifully designed play where Stafford rolled out to his left and Williams came wide open in the middle of the field, but that’s not how it was supposed to go.
Williams told Kurt Warner after the game that he improvised and leaked out late, giving his quarterback a wide-open target in the end zone. That’s a cool little nugget about a play that didn’t go according to plan, but it worked to perfection because of Williams’ awareness.
Kyren told us in interview after the game that he wasn’t supposed to do that… just leaked out bc it was open and MS found him???? 🤷🏻♂️Awesome play, no idea how it happened! https://t.co/Tif5d3Qa6A
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) January 14, 2025
Williams isn’t just a tough, physical running back who plays bigger than his listed size. He’s an incredibly smart player in all phases of the game, which is why he plays more snaps than any running back in the NFL.
Sean McVay never wants to take him off the field and it’s not hard to see why. Plays like that don’t happen without a player of his caliber.
