In first 5 minutes, Rams RB Kyren Williams lays claim to contract extension

The LA Rams may not like it and may have other options for how this team intends to allocate limited salary cap dollars in the future, but one thing remains certain. This offense hums like a high-performance engine whenever running back Kyren Williams suits up and steps onto the football field. He is the offensive catalyst, a player whose ability to gain yards on the run activates the entire offensive playbook.

The Rams offense wants to start hot and stay hot. And so far, Williams is ensuring that they do.

Why is Kyren Williams entrusted with such a large role in this offense? Well, he has earned the right to carry the rock by his excellent blocking ability. Williams is adept at blocking free defenders who are barreling down on quarterback Matthew Stafford. He does not always pancake blitzers who have a head of steam, but he does engage them long enough to allow Stafford to get the ball away.

After that, there is his ability to run with the football. He is elusive, and shifty. While he is unlikely to put up runs from endzone to endzone, he is gifted enough to fall forward and avoid negative plays. He remains a dangerous runner, as he has already proved in the early going of this game. After a run of just one yard, he broke out for a 17-yard run with the teams second possession.

Where Kyren Williams is perhaps most dangerous is his ability to sneak out of the backfield and present a vital receiving target to QB Matthew Stafford. In the first quarter, Williams has caught two of two passes thrown his way for 11 yards.

One of those receptions was a cleverly designed play that allowed the Rams to score the only touchdown of the game:

The Rams are playing well as the game enters the second quarter. The Rams offense, long struggling to put up points this season, has scored 10 points in just the first quarter. The team appears to be fully vested and locked in the game. Is this a harbinger of things to come?

As always, thanks for reading.

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