Week 13 against Cardinals could be big test for Rams running back Lance Dunbar

After missing Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, the Los Angeles Rams hope Lance Dunbar will be ready to go in Week 13 when facing the Arizona Cardinals.

When Malcolm Brown was expected to miss some time after suffering a knee injury against the New York Giants, the Los Angeles Rams were hoping to see Lance Dunbar step it up in the backfield after spending the beginning of the year on the PUP list. And while the veteran running back did provide some production against the Houston Texans in Week 10 with 31 rushing yards on five carries, it was kind of frustrating to see Dunbar recently inactive against the New Orleans Saints from the same knee that caused him problems earlier in the year.

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However, it looks like Sean McVay and the Rams hope to have Dunbar back in the lineup for Sunday’s key game against the Arizona Cardinals. Obviously, Todd Gurley is going to receive a majority of the workload as usual, but also it’s nice when McVay can rely on other running backs to fill in when needed so there isn’t as much pressure on the former Georgia star to be out there every single play.

Despite the win against the Saints, last weekend was the perfect example of how Los Angeles could use someone like Dunbar in the lineup since the only other two players to record rushing attempts was Tavon Austin and Jared Goff. But as for whether Dunbar still has what it takes to make an impact for the Rams’ offense, that’s a completely different story. In a way, Sunday’s game against the Cardinals should be considered a major test for Dunbar when it comes to proving there’s no reason for concern moving forward over his knee injury.

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Bringing Dunbar on board in the offseason was a low risk for Los Angeles since he was only receiving a one-year deal with the hope he would return to his old form from a few years ago before suffering that devastating knee injury back in 2015 when he was in Dallas. Hopefully, Dunbar will be good to go come Sunday, and live up to to the hype by taking advantage of any playing time he receives, or the Rams will have to adjust their game plan until Brown returns.