4 Rams who did not end 2020 season on a good note

RB Akers

Did the young rookie running back Cam Akers try to do too much? Well, if you look at his rushing totals, it was not impressive in the least.  With a mistake-riddled offensive line, Akers had very little daylight, but he was gifted with getting the least amount of yards possible on several plays.

Unlike previous outings where he seemed to slide right behind an offensive lineman and at least fall forward for a couple of yards, Akers seemed to be hell-bent on rushing into the arms of the unblocked defender. On more than one occasion, he seemed to pivot behind the line of scrimmage, looking for a crease that never came. That seemed to become more frequent as the Rams offense got closer to the end zone.

Ho hum running game

Akers rushed for ‘no gain’  three times, for negatives yardage twice (once for a one-yard loss, once for a four-yard loss), and advanced the ball one yard, only to fumble on the one-yard line. And that was all in the first half. He improved in the second half, rushing for no gain just twice while rushing just once for a two-yard loss.

While I can gloss over a bad game on the ground, the mistake of fumbling the football at the one-yard line was a boneheaded move that has plagued these Rams all season.  Protecting the football is first and foremost, particularly when the line of scrimmage will be the opponent’s one-yard line. Thankfully, the defense not only held on the subsequent Cardinals’ possession but scored a safety and got the ball back to the offense fairly quickly. Healthy or not, this was not a good day for Akers.