Heading into Week 13, it was clear the Los Angeles Rams needed to change up how they were playing by trying something new to get out of their funk.
After weeks of struggling to establish the run, head coach Sean McVay decided to ride Sony Michel for most of the afternoon against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The plan worked as Michel gashed the Jaguars seemingly on every run, which allowed Matthew Stafford and the rest of the offense to find their footing.
Michel easily had his best game as a Ram, finishing with 24 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He revealed his mindset was to just take advantage of all his opportunities, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I didn’t really think about them putting it on me, I just kind of thought, ‘Any opportunity that I get, I’m going to try to take advantage of it,'” Michel said after Thursday’s practice. “Opportunities just kept coming my way, and I was very fortunate to be able to execute on a positive note.”
As far as Week 14 against the Arizona Cardinals is concerned, Michel admitted he would like to see more touches but is focused on what he can control:
“Hopefully,” Michel said, when asked if he thinks last Sunday’s performance will lead to more opportunities. “We all wish we’d get more opportunities in our profession. But my mindset is continue what I’ve been doing – keep working, keep grinding, keep sticking to the root of things, and hopefully I get opportunities.”
Michel became the first Los Angeles running back to cross the 100-rushing yard mark this season. His longest play of the day came in the second half when he ripped off a 25-yard run when the game was already well out of hand.
Running the football has been a weakness of the Rams offense, though it might have found an answer in Michel. While Darrell Henderson should be more involved when he returns from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, it might be in the team’s best interest to keep Michel in the lead-back role.
