It took 13 games but the Los Angeles Rams finally realized a running back tandem of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum can be highly productive when used properly.
Williams has been dominating the workload in the backfield with 207 carries compared to 29 for Corum, but the split was closer on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Not only that, but it was Corum who got the first carry for the Rams, not Williams.
Williams still led the team in carries with 15 and he rushed for 104 yards, so there’s no question he’s still Sean McVay’s preferred runner. However, Corum showed he has a ton of potential with his eight carries for 42 yards. He did a great job spelling Williams, breaking off runs of 9 yards, 10 yards, 5 yards and 6 yards on the Rams’ second drive of the game.
He looked fast and agile when carrying the ball, too, showing the juice you’d expect to see from a rookie who’s barely been used up to this point.
He has fresh legs and runs hard, making him the perfect guy to give Williams a breather when needed. And as the season wears on, now is the perfect time to lighten Williams’ workload with the playoffs approaching.
Not to mention, Corum’s usage seemed to provide a spark for a highly motivated Williams. After Corum racked up 32 yards before Williams even got a carry, it was Williams who had a fire lit under him – particularly after fumbling twice a week ago.
To open the Rams’ third drive of the game, Williams carried it five straight times for 39 yards. On the next drive, he had 37 yards and a touchdown. McVay rode the hot hand, which helped keep the offense rolling in the second half.
It’s not completely unreasonable to think Sunday’s win could be a sign of things to come at running back. Giving Williams 15 carries and Corum eight instead of running Williams into the ground with 23 carries a game seems like a wise decision and Sunday was the first glimpse of how good that tandem can be.
When the Rams reached the Super Bowl in 2018, it was in part thanks to the combination of Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson in the backfield. An offense doesn’t always need a workhorse back to take 95% of the carries. Sometimes, keeping your starter fresh by giving the backup opportunities is the best thing to do, as we saw in the Rams’ 21-14 win over the Saints.
Corum has done nothing but rise to the occasion when called upon as a rookie and the Rams should keep this train rolling next week against the Bills.
