The Los Angeles Rams managed to take care of business in their rubber match versus the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round.
Although there were a number of major factors that went into the 30-20 win, it was the efforts of running back Cam Akers that stood out. After all, he did become the first rookie running back in franchise history to rush for more than 100 yards in a playoff game.
Akers finished with 131 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries to go along with two receptions for 45 yards. Despite his strong outing, the circumstances leave him with little time to relish in the achievement.
Akers was thankful for breaking the record but is adamant about pushing the pace moving forward, via Stu Jackson of the team’s website:
“Thank God for the opportunity, for allowing me to go out and do that,” Akers said during a video conference Tuesday. “Plus we’re going to try to do it again this week. Can’t get comfortable, (got to) stack weeks on top of each other.”
Akers doubled down on the importance of not getting comfortable:
“The biggest thing is don’t get comfortable,” Akers said. “That was just one game. Obviously it was a big game, but the next one is even bigger. You want to go out and come out prepared this week, (with) even more detail and more focus than you did last week. So not getting comfortable and keeping our foot on the gas.”
Akers’ comments are indicative of his veteran mentality despite being a rookie. While he certainly had good reason to stop and smell the flowers, he is already moving on to the next pivotal matchup versus the Green Bay Packers.
Having a healthy Akers back in the mix certainly paid huge dividends for the offense after having to swap quarterbacks early on. Given the status of Jared Goff’s thumb, it is safe to say that the onus will fall on Akers and the offensive line to once again control the line of scrimmage.
Fortunately, the run-heavy approach is something that has seen proven success against the Packers throughout the 2020 NFL season. They were out-rushed in all three of their losses this season in matchups with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts.
Given the cold weather that is expected in Green Bay, L.A. may need to rely heavily on the run game to set the tone.
