LA Rams rushing game will be all about Cam Akers

The LA Rams have a new quarterback in Matthew Stafford. The Rams passing game will have at least two new wide receivers in veteran DeSean Jackson and rookie Tutu Atwell. And all through preseason, the talk of the town will be about the LA Rams passing offense this and the passing offense that. But no matter how the LA Rams configure the offense, no matter how many empty backfields the Rams put onto the football field, one thing is certain.

Running back Cam Akers will be the main offensive weapon in 2021.

Yes, you heard that right. Stafford will contribute more yards, yes. But he will need the help of Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, Van Jefferson, DeSean Jackson, and any number of receivers.  When Cam Akers gets the ball, it will be up to Cam Akers to get the yards on the ground. Is he up for the challenge? Well, head coach Sean McVay says that he is.  But we’ve heard the bold proclamations of McVay before, and the offense didn’t exactly follow that script before.

If Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett, Josh Reynolds, or Darrell Henderson didn’t deliver according to offseason rhetoric, what makes Cam Akers different?  Well, his post-season production wasn’t exactly shabby.  He rushed 46 times for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the NFL Playoffs. He was also a very efficient receiver too, catching three of three passes tossed his way for 51 yards.

Even at the most skewed passing offense, surprisingly in 2019, the Rams rushed 401 times, and the lion’s share of those carries was handled by RB Todd Gurley. Despite the pledge to limit carries, Gurley carried the ball 223 times. In 2021, there will not be any restrictions on Akers.  That should translate into carrying the ball from 250-275 times, or even moreso with the additional game this season. That should place him in the 1200-1320 yards and 10-12 touchdowns range for 2021. Of course, he will also be quite active in the passing game as a receiver as well.

Even optimistically, I would be surprised if any single receiver puts up similar numbers. The team will likely have too many weapons sharing the workload, and will likely have several 1000+ yard receivers.  But for the running game, it will be Akers as the primary rusher. That will leave 200 or so remaining carries to be shared among Darrell Henderson, Xavier Jones, Jake Funk, and Raymond Calais.

Keep in mind that with 17 games in the regular season, any number of eyebrow-raising statistics might occur. Could Cam Akers crack the Rams’ top ten single-season franchise record? Well, to do so, he’ll need at least 1359 yards. Hey, anything’s possible. 6