The offense has yet to get going in two games for the Los Angeles Rams. The team ranks dead last in yards and points per game and one important factor in this has been running back Todd Gurley’s inability to get going.
There are a number of factors contributing to Gurley’s struggles such as defenses loading the box to stop him, and some struggles on the Rams offensive line.
Guard Rodger Saffold spoke about what needed to happen in order for things to change, outlining some things for both Gurley and the line to work on via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN:
“The biggest thing is knowing how to protect against all the different blitzes, the nine-man fronts, to be able to open some lanes. Basically he’ll continue to see those things and he’ll gain the experience and learn, just vision-wise […] Our entire team, we have to do a better job of blocking. Our receivers have to dig people out. And then we just have to be able to read and put ourselves in the best situation. I think the coaches are starting to do that for us. We’re putting ourselves in some better situations so we can open up some holes for Todd.”
At the end of the day, Saffold believes the line will make things easier for Gurley:
“We need to make sure that we understand this — he’s still a second-year player,” Saffold said. “He’s still going to have to continue to learn. But that’s not on his shoulders. We’ll never put that on his shoulders. We put that on ours. So we’re going to make it easier for him to be successful.”
The offense will have to help each other out. One other reason why Gurley is struggling is that the passing game doesn’t pose enough of a threat to force them to not load the box. As long as defenses aren’t worried about being beaten by Case Keenum they’ll put all of their focus on stopping Gurley.
The line, the passing game, and Gurley himself all need to improve if the Rams plan on ending their offensive slump and finally get in the end zone.
