McVay: There are ‘so many things’ that have led to running game struggles…

Sean McVay: There are 'so many things' that have led to running game struggles

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Skyler Carlin



The offense of the Los Angeles Rams has gotten off to a rough start this season and the running game has been nonexistent. Following another week where the Rams weren’t able to get effective plays from the rushing attack, Sean McVay iterated that there are plenty of things that are holding back the running game, especially the execution.

“Yeah, there’s so many different things. It starts with being able to…everybody do their job and then be able to create a little bit. We got to be able to sometimes get more than what the plays blocked for,” McVay said. “Then we can’t have free runners, we can’t have guys into the backfield with penetration. So the run game, it truly takes all 11, and we are not executing, whether it be one player here or a couple players. It’s been a challenge and it’s something that has really hurt us.”


Cam Akers led the Rams in rushing during Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys with 33 yards on 13 attempts. On the other hand, Henderson received more snaps at running back, but he didn’t have a rushing attempt in the box score.

Henderson did receive one carry in the second half, however, it was called back due to a penalty. So in the end, Akers saw all of the rushing downs for the Rams while Henderson was on the field for all of the passing plays, which likely helped the Cowboys determine what the Rams were going to do on offense.

After the first five weeks of the season, the Rams boast the worst rushing offense in the NFL with a mere 62.4 rushing yards per game and only 3.2 yards per attempt. The injuries on the offensive line certainly haven’t helped as opposing defenses have been living in the backfield against Los Angeles thus far.

It’s been a mixture of everything that’s led to the lack of a running game for the Rams this season. While we should expect more touches for Henderson this week, McVay is hoping to get more out of everyone involved in the ground game on Sunday versus the Carolina Panthers.