EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Don't tell Kyren Williams that he's small, because his running style is anything but. The Rams' five-foot-nine, 202-pound running back sought contact and fought for extra yards all day in below-freezing temperatures at MetLife Stadium against the Jets.
On the first play of the Rams' touchdown drive, which Williams scored from two yards out, he seemingly was stopped in his tracks a few yards short of the first down marker. Williams' legs kept churning, though, buying his offensive line enough time to push him forward for a first down, turning what would have likely been a seven yard gain into 13, his longest run of the day.
"I thought Kyren Williams and the offensive line did a great job being able to create removal," said head coach Sean McVay. "Didn't have a lot of plays, but it was good, efficient runs."
Williams carried the ball 23 times for a season-high 122 yards and a score in the Rams' 19-9 win over the Jets as the focal point of Los Angeles' offense. The majority of Williams' yards came after contact, as he forced three missed tackles against one of the NFL's best rushing defenses.
He may be 10-plus pounds and three-plus inches below the league average at his position, but that's the only thing that's below average about Williams' game.
Williams was the complete package on a December Sunday in East Rutherford, rushing with power, efficiency and burst. He didn't go backwards a single time and had more carries than quarterback Matthew Stafford had pass attempts (19).
"(Head coach Sean McVay) told us we have games like this, we had to bring up, run the ball and do it on our terms and our will and make sure that we dominate that," Williams recalled. "And I feel like we did that."
The Jets came into Sunday averaging the fifth-least yards per carry (4.1) allowed, and Williams exceeded that mark by over a yard (5.5 yards per carry). The Rams varied their rushing attack between zone and gap, inside and outside to give Williams lanes that he consistently hit.
Williams' longest run being 13 yards makes his efficiency that much more impressive. He welcomed contact and nearly always fell forward, which is part of the reason McVay features him so heavily.
This is the third time in four games that Williams has surpassed 100 rushing yards and he's surpassed 70 rushing yards in six-straight games. This is also the third time this season Williams has averaged at least five yards per carry and his third-straight game of at least 23 carries.
"Being able to run the ball that we have, that makes a huge difference for us, and we got to keep that going," said wide receiver Cooper Kupp. "That's gotta be a gotta be a priority for us."
