Rams OC On The Surprising Play That Fired Entire Team Up Vs. 49ers

A lot of things had to go right for the Los Angeles Rams to pull off a fourth-quarter comeback against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3. But according to the Rams offensive coordinator, Mike LaFleur the fighting spirit for that comeback came much earlier than the heroics of the final few drives.

The Play That Set The Tone For The Rams

With a minute forty-seven left in the first quarter, Kyren Williams took a handoff off the left end picking up 13 yards when he was met by 49ers All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga pasted Williams with a hit that knocked him well into the opposing sidelines.

“[Williams] had the wide zone (carry) off the left side, where Talanoa Hufanga had a pretty cool hit on him, right? I mean that was football at its finest right there. And for him to pop up, you know, kind of that pop-up-swag, you know. You can feel that from the sideline, you can feel that from from the bleachers. In terms of [the] kind of energy that brings; offensive guys feed off of it, defensive guys feed off of it. He’s a stud.”

Up to that point in the game, Williams had two carries for eight yards on a three-and-out that was the Rams’ first drive. He finished the day with 24 carries (fourth most in his career) 89 yards and two touchdowns.

On one of those touchdowns, Williams flipped over the 49ers defender attempting to stonewall him at the goal line, none other than Hufanga. That touchdown was the first points scored by the team with 1:11 left on the clock before halftime keeping the game in reach, 7-14.

Williams was the engine that drove the Rams’ seven-and-one winning stretch that propelled them into the playoffs after starting the year a dismal 3-6

This was the first game that they relied on Williams to once again run them to victory. In their first two games, he averaged just 15 carries resulting in a total of 75 yards.

Perhaps this is the wake-up call the Rams coaching staff needs to once again look to Kyren Williams to set the tone for their season.

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