4 gotta fix takeaways from LA Rams first preseason game

II: No sustainable ground game

If you strip away the rushing of quarterback Bryce Perkins, the LA Rams rushed 27 times for 70 yards, to set an average of 2.59 yards per rush. That’s not the type of average that leaves one optimistic about the ground game for the upcoming season.

The offense was completely vanilla, and I get that. Plunging smallish running back Raymond Calais between the tackles is not a high percentage play. But it’s preseason, so you call the same play repeatedly for each rusher to see who, if any, can make something out of nothing. Despite the commitment of the Rams to run the ball, 27 times with running backs, the Rams’ 70 yards on the ground was a pedestrian effort.

Rams rushing recap

The longest run for the Rams’ running backs in the game was A.J. Rose’s nine-yard burst. But on seven other occasions, he was only able to put up ten more yards on the ground. The other bigger back, Trey Ragas, was held to nine yards on four carries. That’s not exactly the production that you may have wanted to see out of the Rams ground game.

Of course, they are the two newbies on the squad. Second-year rusher Jake Funk piled up just 16 yards on six carries. Meanwhile, Calais put up the best performance on the evening, converting eight rushes for 25 yards.

The Rams will likely be working hard to solidify their rushing offense. Not only will the team rely heavily on the one-two punch of Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr., but the team will eventually witness the return of rookie RB Kyren Williams. Finally, the team will be going with two tight-end formations in the regular season as well.