If Todd Gurley Plays This Week, He Better Prepare for War

Todd Gurley could face a huge slap in the face to start his NFL career.

At this point, pretty much every single St Louis Rams fan is experiencing nail-biting anxiety from the wait for the premiere of running back Todd Gurley. The St Louis Rams rushing attack is ranked 27th in the league at just over 70 yards per game. Before you get too optimistic about that, keep in mind that wide receiver Tavon Austin has accounted for a good portion of those yards. Austin mostly gets his carries in the end around game, which is fine, but doesn’t tell the whole story on how good the actual Rams rushing attack is. If you add up just what the Rams running backs have done in the first two games of the season, it comes out to be 26 carries for 74 yards. This means the Rams are only averaging 37 rushing yards a game from their running backs, and only 2.9 yards a carry.

These numbers just are not acceptable for a team that is based around a rushing offense. The Rams have solid talent at the running back position, and got the return of Tre Mason last week. When it boils down to it, the problem lies within the offensive line. We knew coming in that this group was young and inexperienced, and we also knew it would take time for them to grow. However, the performance they have put up in the first two weeks is nothing short of pathetic. There are no holes to run through, and most of the time Rams running backs are hit in the backfield by multiple defenders as the play begins.

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So expecting Todd Gurley to come in and change a lot is probably asking way too much of him. Will it help the Rams rushing attack? Absolutely. Gurley possesses some of the best vision in the game, and even though there won’t be very many holes to hit, Gurley will have an ability to see them better than any other Rams running back on the roster. Gurley also has great power and tackle-breaking ability. So on the plays where he is hit in the backfield, he will have a good chance of falling forward and turning a lot of nothing plays into something plays. Gurley also has great catching ability out of the backfield, something that Benny Cunningham struggled with last week after dropping multiple passes. Gurley can also pass block very well for a first-year back, so having him in on passing plays would help buy Foles some extra time if need be (and likely would given the circumstances). It would be asking quite a bit of Gurley to play his first NFL snap against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that is known for their tough and ruthless defensive front, but it might end up being a risk the Rams will have to take.

The Steelers will give the Rams a hard time on the ground. If the play of the offensive line wasn’t bad enough, the Steelers defense is allowing only 69.5 rushing yards a game to opposing running backs. Since the Rams only are averaging 37 yards a game with running backs, it’s easy to see that the match-up is not favourable towards the Rams. Not to mention the Steelers just held Carlos Hyde of the San Francisco 49ers to under 50 yards and just over three yards a carry, after his 168 yard performance in week one. If they can hold one of the best rushing attacks to minimal yards, then harassing the Rams offensive line will be like a fifth grade bully taking candy from a newborn baby.

Unfortunately, it is a Catch 22. If you send Gurley out to play, he will likely get man-handled by a very big, very tough defense. However, it is the only chance you have of winning. The St Louis Rams need Todd Gurley at this point, and even though there is little chance of him being the magic key to fit the Rams rushing lock, he has way more of a chance to do so than Tre Mason or Benny Cunningham.

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