LA Rams Brandon Powell has been Boom Boom Pow

When the LA Rams promoted 5-foot-8 188-pound wide receiver Brandon Powell to the team’s active roster, they had no idea what to expect. He was playing on his third team in three seasons, and as some may have commented to the article announcing his arrival, he had done very little to command any extra interest or excitement.

And yet, there the LA Rams were, trying to turn the corner after a three-game losing streak, hoping for a spark, any spark, to give the 7-4 Rams something to build upon. Some beachhead of positivity, a return that could give the Rams reason not to clench their fists, slam their eyes shut, and whisper prayers for nothing disastrous to befall the team when their opponents kicked or punted the football to them.

Something had to give. The LA Rams’ special teams were anything but special, and that was sabotaging the efforts of the offense and defense. But the Rams had one more card to play, and they were willing to give a former player for Raheem Morris’ Atlanta Falcons team a shot.  What a difference that small move would make for this team.

Boom Boom Pow

The debut of Brandon Powell did not even involve a punt return. In fact, his first three games for the Rams were all about kick returns. But after five kick returns for 154 yards, it was clear that the Rams had to get this guy involved in punt returns too. And so, the LA Rams searched 12 weeks for anyone to handle special team return duties. But after assigning WR/PR/KR to special teams, the LA Rams finished the season 5-1 to end the year with a 12-5 record.

Oh, and they are 3-0 in the NFL playoffs too. How’s that for some Boom Boom Pow from Powell? Need more proof? It was Powell’s punt return for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings that ended up being the margin of victory in a 30-23 win.

In the regular season, Powell returned six punts for 133 yards and one touchdown. That worked out to a fantastic 22.2 yards per punt return average. What about kick returns? He ran eight back for 208 yards, and that works out to a 26.0 yards per kick return average.

Powell presence pressures punters

Okay, but what about his playoff performance? So far, he’s run five punts back for 79 yards. He has also returned four kickoffs back for 71 yards. Any time Powell touches the ball, he is dangerous. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that since he has taken over for the Rams, they have lost just one game. And that one was a 27-24 loss to the rival San Francisco 49ers in overtime.

The Bengals punting team averages just 40.9 yards per punt. With a punt returner who averages 15.8 yards, that works out to a net punting average of 25.1 yards, which is a pretty solid advantage for the Rams. Even if the Rams do not average 15+ yards per punt return, they get a solid advantage if they pressure the Bengals on each play.

The presence of Powell on the field will pressure Bengals punter Kevin Huber to punt away from him, perhaps shaking it for a ridiculously short punt. In the end, the name of the game is field position. Since Powell has arrived, that has been going the way of the LA Rams.