What will C.J. Anderson's role with Rams be when Todd Gurley returns?
Cameron DaSilva
[
theramswire.usatoday.com]
Todd Gurley is one of the most important players on the Los Angeles Rams’ roster. He’s the reigning Offensive Player of the Year and was an MVP candidate before the team’s Week 12 bye hit and he suffered a knee injury against the Eagles.
He was forced to miss the last two games of the season as the Rams preferred to play it safe with their star running back, allowing him to rest before the postseason. They were able to do that comfortably thanks to C.J. Anderson and his quick transition from free agent to RB1 in Los Angeles.
He rushed for 299 yards and two touchdowns on just 43 carries in Gurley’s place as the starter the last two games, helping lift the Rams to the No. 2 seed with back-to-back wins. The question now becomes whether Anderson will have a role in the playoffs.
If you look at the way the Rams used Gurley’s backups the past two years, it’d be easy to say Anderson will barely touch the ball in the postseason. Excluding the games in which Gurley didn’t play – Week 17 last year and the last two games this season – the Rams gave the ball to backup running backs just 55 times in 2017 and 47 times in 2018.
However, if you watched Anderson play the last two weeks, you probably know how hard it’ll be to keep him off the field – even with Gurley back in the mix. He’s averaging 7 yards per carry with 11 of his 43 attempts going for at least 10 yards. Granted, he did face a terrible Cardinals run defense, but the 49ers finished the season seventh in the NFL in yards per carry allowed.
That sort of effectiveness is hard to ignore, which makes this a somewhat difficult situation for Sean McVay. How can he ride the hot hand in Anderson while also giving Gurley enough touches, knowing how good he’s been the last two years?
Both are good in pass protection and can catch the ball out of the backfield, though Gurley has the advantage in both areas. Their well-rounded skill sets make them almost interchangeable, which is a good thing.
Rotating backs on a series-by-series basis is difficult because Gurley is such a good player, and that can sometimes take players out of a rhythm. Perhaps the Rams can use Anderson in some early-down situations, coming in as a change-of-pace player. After all, he’s shown explosiveness not often associated with him, ripping off a 46-yard run – longer than any of Gurley’s this year – as well as carries of 27 and 22 yards.
No matter how the Rams use Anderson and Gurley, this is a good problem to have. It’s never a bad thing to have two very capable backs available, especially given the physical nature of the position. If McVay wants to, he can change things up and go more run-heavy than he has in the past, keeping both running backs fresh and pounding the ball 25-30 times.
Ultimately, you can probably expect to see Gurley get around 15-20 carries in the divisional round with Anderson chipping in five or so touches throughout the game, though McVay may shed some light on the backfield timeshare at some point before the game.
