5 crucial takeaways from LA Rams Thursday Night Football game

Rams rookie RB Cam Akers has earned the right to start

If there were any questions before tonight’s game as to which player has earned the right to carry the ball 20+ times in a game, that should no longer be true. The LA Rams unleashed rookie running back Cam Akers upon the New England Patriots to determine just what they have going forward.  Well, now we know. Cam Akers is going to be pretty good.

Almost all NFL greats have that one origination story, the one game where they played lights out. Often, that performance came at the expense of a very talented opponent, when the team needed the heroics to win the game. The LA Rams needed Cam Akers to have a big game. He didn’t deliver a big game, rather he had a monster game that completely demolished the Patriots’ defense.

More to come

We knew that pressure was building for a breakout game by Akers, but witnessing it first hand on the national football stage was completely satisfying. Akers adds a familiar dimension to this LA Rams offense once more.  Akers added the flair of a Todd Gurley-like dimension back to this Rams offense. Not in style, but in impact. Akers rushing for 50 carries over the past two games for 243 yards and a touchdown has placed the Rams ground game back into the arsenal of the LA Rams offense.

The LA Rams have a long history of great running backs. Some of the NFL’s best rushers have made their fame rushing for the Rams. Some have gone on to fame even after playing for this team.  Right now, Cam Akers shows every bit the promise and potential of an NFL great rusher. With that added to the Rams offense, the team becomes all the more dangerous.  This is a team that is now coming together at the right time. The Rams feel like a team getting better and better. With each game, the team is revealing a new facet of diamond-like play.

Getting hot at this time of year may not guarantee anything, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. The defense is playing its best football of the year. The offense just discovered a running back who can run for 171 yards in a game. And even the placekicker had a perfect game kicking.  While this may seem like baby steps, they are all advancing in the right direction.