3 takeaways from Los Angeles Rams 31-9 win over Arizona Cardinals in Week 16

3. Anderson steps up

With Gurley dealing with knee inflammation from the team’s Week 15 loss to the Eagles, the Rams made the decision last week to bring C.J. Anderson on board to provide some insurance to the running back position.

Nothing against John Kelly, but Los Angeles realized the importance of having an experienced running back in the backfield for these final two weeks if the team were to take the safe approach when it comes to resting Gurley.

As bad as it sounds, there were some mixed emotions over adding Anderson to the mix since some fans believed the offense would be just fine going with Kelly. But as fans now know, the decision to bring Anderson on was the best decision the team could have made.

Against the Cardinals, Anderson was simply phenomenal after rushing for 167 yards to go along with a touchdown on 20 carries, which is impressive since his previous high on the season was only seven carries.

Now that Anderson has proven he can be a valuable member of the mix, it will be interesting to see how Rams use the veteran once Gurley is healthy enough to return. And if Los Angeles decides to rest Gurley again for the regular-season finale, at least they will feel better once again about having to rely on Anderson.