LA Rams beating the 49ers may depend entirely upon RB Cam Akers

Can Akers be trusted?

That’s what w plan to find out. After all, as a rookie, Cam Akers rushed 46 times for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs last year. The Rams offense seemed to come alive with Akers in the backfield, and you could tell that head coach Sean McVay was more willing to call running plays with Akers running with the football.

Akers fumbled the football twice against the strong run defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the 49ers are stiff against rushing offenses, they are not nearly as proficient at it as the Bucs, and the Rams rushed Cam Akers 24 times for 48 yards in that one. It’s nice to move the chains on the ground, but for this offense, it’s about fooling those eager defenders to bite on the run when it’s play action.

I cannot believe that RB Cam Akers was able to come back to play from an Achilles Tendon to not make a positive impact for the LA Rams this year. So far, that impact has been a bit subdued. He’s running, yes. He seems faster, not just to my eyes, but to many fans who have commented after the game.

Akers is a rare player

Akers is that rare blend of elusiveness, power, speed, and getting small and thin to find the creases that even the defenders do not know are there. But that special skillset takes time to realign with the speed of the NFL, and with his offensive linemen. Will this be the game that it all comes together?

Akers rushed five times in the season finale against the 49ers, for a grand total of three yards. That was all the Rams intended, as the idea was to break him in for the playoffs. He rushed 17 times for 55 yards in the Wildcard Round against the Arizona Cardinals and rushed 24 times in the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I could see him getting as many as 30 carries against the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Will that be enough to claim the victory? It’s time to rework the offense and infuse something new. Rushing 30 times with Cam Akers is not something that I believe the 49ers will expect. And even if they do, so what? Run that ball right down their throats.