SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Even before the masterpiece game Todd Gurley crafted against the Denver Broncos last Sunday, he was building a convincing resume as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. That everyone was drawn to the 208 rushing yards and two touchdowns he produced against the Broncos and, subsequently, were compelled to view Gurley through the prism of the league’s best player is understandable.
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He delivered a performance we simply could not pull our eyes away from. And while the fourth-year running back has been on the MVP candidate short list all along, it’s never a bad thing to drop a little reminder every now and again about how much he truly means to his team and where he stands among the best players in the game.
At this moment, that would be at the very top. And as the Rams head to the Bay Area to play the San Francisco 49ers, you wonder how much higher Gurley can push his game.
With all due respect to teammate Jared Goff, who has thrust himself into the MVP conversation as well, and an offensive line that, for all the platitudes that unit has earned still remain wildly underrated, Gurley is the best player in football and the straw that stirs the best offense in the game.
Not that he sees it that way. While everyone marveled at the monster game he played against the Broncos, he took it in with his typical equanimity.
“I didn’t really think too much of it. I mean honestly, everybody did such a great job,” he said. “I really didn’t have to do too much, to be real, because Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, the whole O-line, (tight end Tyler) Higbee’s out there – everybody really just did a great job. It wasn’t an easy game, but it was really just like practice, honestly. We were out there and we got the tempo going and things were just working on all cylinders as far as the run. We just kind of stuck with running the ball and the rest took care of itself.”
Not so fast, according to Goff.
“I know I’ve talked about it a bunch of times with all the stuff he’s good at, but when you get a guy like that who can go for 200 (yards) and take a lot of pressure off me and certain things they were doing to take away some of the stuff in the pass game, you can rely on that,” Goff said. “It’s huge and helped us win that game tremendously.”
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The numbers tell most of the story about Gurley, but not all.
Gurley leads the NFL in rushing yards with 623, all-purpose yards (870), rushing first downs (31) and rushing touchdowns (9). His 18 runs of 10 or more yards are the most in the NFL and his five runs for 20 or more yards are tied for third. Among running backs with 100 or more carries, his 4.83 yards per carry average is second-best in the league.
He has also added 21 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns. The 11 touchdowns overall are the most in the NFL. And oh by the way, his two two-point conversions are tied for first in the NFL.
Among running backs — and as one of the true three-down backs in the league — his 347 total snaps are first overall, the result of a varied skill set that makes him a valuable and trusted runner, pass catcher and blocker.
What you have, essentially, is a work-horse running back who also happens to be the most physically gifted runner and, as his league-leading 310 yards rushing after contact shows, it’s toughest.
But he is also versatile enough to catch the ball out of the backfield or line up as a receiver out wide or in the slot. And if that isn’t enough, he didn’t miss a single block in pass protection last year, according to Sports Info Solutions, and he has not missed a step this year.
That he does all of this while getting heavily leaned on playing in the best offense in the NFL — and delivering more often than not — is a testament to his importance and talent.
The Rams are a star-studded bunch to be sure, and Goff is emerging as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. But it’s hard to imagine them being undefeated right now without their MVP candidate running back.
“There’s really not anything that Todd can’t do in terms of what you ask him,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “The thing that I say over and over is, as special of a talent as he is, he’s an incredibly smart player. That’s one of the things that, in the short time I’ve been coaching, but just being around this game since you’re a little kid, when you’re around really unique types of players, there’s that talent, but then it also matches up with the special work ethic. Then there’s also a feel and instincts and awareness that certain guys possess. He’s got a great feel for the game, just by the way he plays.”
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Like the read recognition Gurley made on a key third-down play against Denver in which he noticed a late safety blitz the Broncos sprung on the Rams just prior to the snap of the ball. Gurley picked up the shift while lined up in the backfield, and as the play developed he immediately put himself in position to cut down Broncos safety Dorian Stewart who, as Gurley suspected, was rushing through the A gap off center John Sullivan.
If Stewart comes screaming into the backfield untouched, he likely sacks Goff or forces him into a quick throw. Instead, Gurley eliminated Stewart from the equation to keep Goff in rhythm. He eventually hooked up with Robert Woods for a key first down.
“Yeah, I remember,” Gurley said when asked about it. “It was a third down. Darian Stewart kind of – he was very high. He was probably about 15 yards, came down very late, they shift No. 34 over ‘Sully,’ they did a great job with just getting the call out real late. They kind of snapped the ball and it was just one of those quick reactions. Didn’t really want to cut him, but I just felt like that’s what I had to do at the time.”
Gurley shrugged it all off as no big deal.
“I’m just doing what the O-line (does) every play,” he said. “It’s good when you can put stuff like that on film. If a team wants to blitz us, then at the end of the day, it’s our job to make them pay. If we didn’t pick that up, then they would keep doing it. So the more good stuff you keep putting on film, hopefully, we won’t have to deal with those situations.”
But the people who know understand how important it was in the whole scheme of things.
“Those are the things that make him unbelievable,” McVay said.
And right now, Gurley is the best player in football.
Here are some things to keep an eye on when the Rams take on the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.
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Rams vs. letdown
There is no getting around the fact the undefeated Rams could face a bit of a motivational challenge getting geeked up for an opponent that’s won just one game this year. It probably doesn’t help that everywhere the Rams turn these days there’s talk of Super Bowl runs and MVP candidacies and their obvious stardom ascent in Los Angeles.
There are peripheral opponents looming around every corner these days, and they aren’t always wearing an opposing team’s uniform. The trappings of success are real and they need to be acknowledged and managed.
To the Rams credit, they have done a good job keeping everything in perspective and making each day another work day in the process of constructing the long runway they hope delivers them to their most ambitious goals and objectives.
And while it’s only natural to try and peek ahead to the end of the road, you don’t ever get the feeling the Rams are allowing themselves that very human inclination.
“I think each week you treat it as one week at a time. Truly, I haven’t felt like we’re trying to be 7-0 this week. We’re really trying to win and the previous week, the same thing,” said Goff. “We really haven’t felt that way ever. So, each week, yeah, we will go into it putting our best foot forward and trying not to think about the overall pressure or anything and just trying to win one week at a time. Understanding the bigger picture of the season that there are a lot of games left and we have a lot of work to do.”
It’s a mindset and approach the Rams haven’t just bought into. They live it on a day to day basis to the point it’s a part of their DNA. The credit for most of that goes to the culture put in place by McVay and his staff. There is nothing cliche or contrived about it, either. It’s a very real dynamic and component and, thus far, it’s served the Rams well.
“Well, I think everybody always appreciates hearing nice things said, but there’s a narrative written every single week and I think our players appreciate that,” McVay said. “You want nice things written, you’ve got to continue to produce. And in order to be able to do that, there’s got to be a focus, a resolve, a concentration with every single day, being present. We talk about it all the time – anybody that’s the best at what they do, there’s a consistency to their production and you’ve got to do it week in and week out.”
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The Rams may very well get beat this year. But you don’t get the feeling it will be because they stepped incorrectly to a game or opponent. Someone is bound to beat them. But they will have earned it when they do.
Can Troy Hill bounce back?
Rams backup cornerback Troy Hill has been pressed into a starting role due to the injury to Aqib Talib, and as his rough day against the Broncos on Sunday showed, the longer you stand on cornerback island the more likely you end up getting burned.
“That’s just football. You’re playing football out there,” Hill said. “At the end of the day, you just gotta go out there and execute. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about.”
It’s really just the nature of the position, as Hill learned the hard way against the Broncos when he gave up a handful of big plays. And it wasn’t like Hill was completely beat on any of the plays. In fact, he was in great position on every one of them. But with cornerback being such a fine line proposition, a failure to turn to the ball at just the right time or raise an arm and hand to knock the ball away at just the right moment means ending up on the wrong side of a perfectly executed 45-yard pass play.
“I mean as a competitor if anybody catches it (it’s a problem) but like, I know there’s things that, I’m right there,” Hill said “I can correct some of the things in my technique and defend it better. That’s the main focus, just keep finishing.”
It’s frustrating, but it beats the alternative of not being in position at all. And that’s one of the reasons the Rams aren’t freaking out and considering a change.
“Like I said, in this league 50-50 plays, there’s going to be some opportunities where, credit to (Broncos WR Demariyus) Thomas, credit to (Broncos WR Courtland) Sutton and (Broncos WR) Emmanuel Sanders, those guys are great players. (Broncos QB) Case (Keenum) put the ball in good spots, but I’ve always seen opportunities that Troy’s been in similar spots where he’s made those plays. Going back to just the Seattle (Seahawks) game – made a couple plays like that. He’s a great competitor. The ability to respond is what says as much as anything and we’ve got a lot of confidence in his ability to move forward this week the right way.”
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Does Nick Williams get involved?
The Rams caught a bit of a break when Tennesse cut slot wide receiver, Nick Williams, last week, as his release just so happened to coincide with the knee sprain suffered by Cooper Kupp last week against the Denver Broncos.
The hope for Kupp is that it’s an injury measured in a week or two rather than a month. And with the Rams needing a short-term fill-in – be it to add depth or an actual replacement for Kupp – Williams springing free was a fortunate break.
Not only does Williams have a history with McVay – they were together in Washington in 2013 – the offense he last played with the Titans was under the guidance of Matt LaFleur, who just happened to be the Rams offensive coordinator under McVay last year.
“He’s got a little bit of familiarity in terms of some of the verbiage so that it’ll be a quick study,” McVay said.”That’s really why we brought him in here.”
If Williams can get a handle on the Rams playbook, there is a good chance he’ll see time on Sunday against the 49ers playing Kupp’s role in the slot. If so, that will allow Robert Woods to play more on the outside, his natural wide receiver position, rather than slide into the slot. Woods did that the last two weeks – first when Kupp was lost to a concussion against the Seattle Seahawks and then went he hurt his knee against the Broncos – in order to allow Kupp’s replacement – Josh Reynolds – to remain at his more natural position on the outside.
Williams, who has 23 catches for 263 yards in his career, can mitigate some of that disruption by proving he can command the playbook enough to get snaps on Sunday.
“I know he’s going to do everything in his power to get himself up to speed as quickly as possible,” McVay said. “I think there’s a chance that he will be part of that game on Sunday.”
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Prediction
The 49ers have shown plenty of resolve in their most recent losses — they took the Green Bay Packers to the limit last Monday — but the long, middle-of-the-night return home from Green Bay and the short work week coming off a Monday night game might be too much to handle for such a wounded team.
Throw in the fact the Rams are just the better, healthier team and one that understands the importance of taking care of business against inferior opponents and you have all the makings of a blowout.
It’s a division game, so expect the 49ers to hang in there for a little while. But they’ll eventually succumb to the power and weight of the Rams.
Final score: Rams 34, 49ers 13.
Top photo of Todd Gurley: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images