A major turning point in Sunday’s game between the Rams and 49ers came when Matthew Stafford threw a checkdown to Kyren Williams, who let the ball slip through his hands and into the waiting arms of the defender.
At the time, the game was tied at 17 and there were about 4 minutes left in the third quarter, with the Rams sitting at the 49ers’ 31-yard line. At the very least, the Rams likely would’ve taken the lead with a field goal, but instead, the drop turned into a pick and three points for the 49ers.
Buy Rams TicketsStafford targeted Williams 10 times so he showed a lot of confidence in him, and he echoed that feeling after the game by backing the second-year player in his press conference.
“There was a lot of time left,” he said. “We have more opportunities in that game. There’s no more conscientious guy on our team, nobody that wants to do right more than that guy, so I got no problem with it. Obviously, he knows he can catch that ball but it’s part of it. There’s going to be those things that are unfortunate that don’t go your way in this game. All the trust in the world in him and his process and his ability to get it done.”
Oliver with the twist 🏈 @_isaiah_oliver_
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📱NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/Mn50nRhf1X— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 17, 2023
Sean McVay has shown trust in Williams this season, too, starting in Week 1 when he gave Williams 15 carries and again on Sunday by making Cam Akers inactive. Williams is going to be a huge part of the offense moving forward after playing 95% of the snaps Sunday, showing he can be the team’s workhorse back.
