Blake Corum helped prove why Rams must lean on underrated run game

Everyone in the NFL knows and respects Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. The same cannot be said about running back Blake Corum, who had churned out 1,176 yards and seven touchdowns in his two-plus NFL seasons before Week 7.

But that may soon change if he settles in as an integral component of LA's offense on a weekly basis. He helped lead one of the Rams' best outings this season against the Raiders are barely broke a sweat.

In Weeky 7, the team needed to rework an offense that had begun to rely too heavily on Stafford's arm. While Stafford still leads the NFL in passing yards, should he? Rams receivers have been subject to too many injuries for LA to sit its girl-dad QB in the pocket 50 times a game. Kyren Williams and Corum are too potent to leave untested under a heavier workload.

Against the Raiders, that pass-happy approach finally changed. LA did something it had not done so far this season. The Rams ran the football like they meant it. The result: 29 pass attempts versus and 35 rushes (not counting kneeldowns).

Best of all, the Rams controlled the clock, holding the football for 34:14. Taking over up 35-21 with over four minutes left, they ground the game to a close.

Rams must keep feeding Williams and Corum

Stafford finished 23-of-29 for 195 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception off the hands of tight end Colby Parkinson. Corum and Kyren Williams led the ground attack with 35 carries for 192 yards and two scores. In what was easily his best performance this year, Corum rushed 17 times for 93 yards and a touchdown.

To many fans, this was how the team was built to operate, minus the two turnovers. By putting up an early lead, Los Angeles forced the Raiders to abandon an ineffective rushing offense and sell out to pass.

While Las Vegas QB Kirk Cousins passed for nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns, it made the offense one-dimensional. And that allowed LA to rally the defense.

This was not an easy game to win. The Rams defense has been decimated by injuries, forcing the team to start many depth players. Entering the game, fans were anxious to see how the newly revamped front would stack up against the run. The group performed better than expected.

The true showstoppers, though, were the running backs. Williams and Corum both had season-best games. The only unfortunate part is that it took the Horns until Week 7 to committed to the run game. No wonder Williams was openly disappointed in his light workload late in games this season.

Both backs touched the ball often in Week 7, and the offense erupted. Is this a sign of things to come? Fans certainly hope so. Running the ball also makes life easier on the defense, so DC Chris Shula probably hopes so too.

As always, thanks for reading.

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