5 gold nuggets LA Rams showed in Week 1 win

V: Rams Red Zone blocking was off the charts

There are a lot of persons who emerged after just one game already soured on the LA Rams rushing offense. Some are calling for Rams running back Cam Akers to be traded, released,benched, or demoted. And yet, they seem to be missing the point.

Although it was not perfect, the LA Rams got what they needed to get out of their running game. What did the Rams do on the ground in Week 1? Well, the Rams ran the football 40 times for just 92 yards. While not impressive on the yards per run statistic (2.3 YPC), the Rams did run for more yardage than the Seattle Seahawks. That reminds me of an old joke that I heard long ago:

Q: "How fast do you need to run to escape a hungry Grizzly bear?"
A: "Just faster than the other guys with you."

While the Rams may have hoped for more than 92 yards, they did rush further than their opponent. But we have shiny gold nugget for you on this topic as well.

Rams Red Zone effectiveness

When the LA Rams needed to score in the Red Zone, they ran the football behind rookie left guard Steve Avila. Running back Kyren Williams scored twice by staying in Avila's shadow and pushing the football across the plane.

When the Seattle Seahawks made adjustments to plug that hole, running back Cam Akers simply bounced it to the outside and waltzed it into the endzone untouched.

Eventually, defenses will track and try to counter the Rams' ability to punch it in on the left side whenever the team is in the Red Zone. But putting eight in the box plays right into the Rams wheelhouse.

Avila looked very sharp in his first start for the LA Rams, and he will simply get better and better.