The Los Angeles Rams got back on track with a big division win in Week 13, beating the Arizona Cardinals, 38-28, on the road to improve to 8-4 and take over first place in the NFC West.
It was one of the Rams’ best offensive performances of the season as they were able to methodically move the ball downfield all day against an improving Arizona defense.
Part of the reason the Rams were able to have so much success was because of their running game, which saw a breakout day from rookie Cam Akers. It was Akers’ first real opportunity to be lead the way in the Rams’ backfield and he carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards and a touchdown, also adding a reception for 22 yards.
After the game, Rams quarterback Jared Goff had a lot of praise for Akers and also explained why it took him until Week 13 to take over as the team’s every-down back, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“He just continues to take great leaps,” Goff said. “I think in practice you really see it. Early on in the year, we had a lot of faith in everyone, but Darrell (Henderson Jr.) and Malcolm (Brown) were a step ahead a little bit in understanding what we were trying to do on each play, and at this point Cam is right there with them. He’s done a really good job. He’s explosive with the football, he can catch, he can run, he can do anything we want him to do. He had a great day.”
When talking about his career day, Akers downplayed the significance of it:
“It was expected, you know?” Akers said in his postgame video conference. “It’s just kind of what I do, kind of what the team expects me to do – score points.”
When the Rams drafted Akers in the second round out of Florida State, they were by all accounts extremely high on his potential.
Sean McVay has made it clear from the beginning that his backfield would be a committee though, and Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown have also played well when called upon so there is no doubt they will continue to get some looks as well.
Akers dealt with a rib injury early in the season which limited him not only in games but also on the practice field, which likely hurt his ability to fully learn the playbook. It has become clear that he has the highest ceiling of all of the Rams’ backs though, so look for him to see even more opportunities moving forward to finish out the year.
