The Los Angeles Rams headed into Week 9 fresh off a bye, but were facing one of the NFL’s intimidating teams in the Carolina Panthers. Fresh off of a convincing win against the Arizona Cardinals, the Panthers headed to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to battle against Todd Gurley and the Rams.
In a low-scoring affair, the Panthers came out on top in a 13-10 victory. Both teams had trouble getting any points on the board, especially during the scoreless second and third quarters.
Going into the bye week, head coach Jeff Fisher stated the team needed to get better production from their running game. However, Gurley didn’t find any traction during the contest, totaling only 48 yards on 12 carries.
Gurley’s average of four yards per carry was efficient, but he didn’t receive enough carries throughout the game.
After the game, Fisher was asked about Gurley’s production against the Panthers and stated it must increase, via Myles Simmons of TheRams.com:
“Todd’s carries — his numbers of carries the last few weeks are not what we would like,” Fisher said. “Those numbers need to get up in the 20s.”
While quarterback Case Keenum did have a decent game, it didn’t necessarily translate to points. Keenum delivered a pass to Lance Kendricks, who was open in the end zone, only for him to drop the pass.
With the Rams trailing, Fisher and the Rams tended to be passing a lot more throughout the contest. In Gurley’s last four games, he has seen carries of 15, 14 and 12. Through the first five weeks of the season, he was averaging 21 rushes per game.
Fisher commented on Gurley’s outlook moving forward and stated it will be implemented moving forward:
“His touches, and his numbers, need to increase significantly,” Fisher added. “And that’s what we discussed, and what we’re working on right now offensively.”
Gurley has been going through a sophomore slump of sorts, as teams have been focused on stopping the run more so than the passing game of the Rams. The lack of holes from the offensive line has also halted some of his big-play ability.
Through eight games this season, Gurley has taken 146 carries for a total of 451 yards. With a 3.1 rushing average per carry, Gurley has had trouble replicating his rookie season numbers.
The 22-year-old hasn’t scored since Week 5 and has only scored in two weeks thus far this season.
