'Jumps Off the Tape!' Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams Draws Cleveland Browns Praise
The Los Angeles Rams have few adjectives left to describe running back Kyren Williams amidst his breakout second season.
Williams enjoyed a successful six-game stretch to start the year, unseating Cam Akers as the Rams' top running back and contributing to Akers' eventual trade to the Minnesota Vikings.
An ankle injury in Week 6 cost Williams four games, but he came back with authority last Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, taking 16 carries for 143 yards and adding six receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns.
Williams' 204 yards from scrimmage set a career high and helped the Rams secure a convincing 37-14 victory over the Cardinals - and his performance isn't going unnoticed.
When asked about Williams during his press conference Friday, Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski delivered positive remarks ahead of the two sides' meeting this Sunday.
“He’s just a good football player,” Stefanski said. “He has big play potential. When it’s blocked well, he can really go. If it’s not blocked, he can make plays on his own. He’s an impressive player. He has our attention. And you just watch the tape from last week - he jumps off the tape.”
Williams may have the Browns' attention, but safety Grant Delpit shared Friday the defense's focus is primarily on quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at State Farm Stadium.
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Delpit described Stafford as an experienced gunslinger and singled out rookie receiver Puka Nacua as another key player on the offense. He later declared his love for passing games and noted Sunday's an opportunity to capitalize on such a game.
The 23-year-old Williams eventually received his flowers, but Delpit made sure to stress that Cleveland is anticipating a pass-heavy attack Sunday.
“Run the ball hard, run the ball very well,” Delpit said of Williams. “Downhill runner. He’s looking for contact. We watched the tape ... This team isn’t the biggest running game team. We’ve got to play that to our advantage.”
Delpit added the Browns have played several good running backs this year and allowed too many rushing yards last game, a 29-12 loss to the Denver Broncos in which Cleveland allowed 169 yards on the ground.
That performance came after the Browns gave up 172 rushing yards the week prior in a 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Delpit noted the defense has placed a big emphasis on stopping the run this week.
Evidently, Cleveland sees a strong opportunity to get its run defense, which ranks No. 12 league-wide at 105.9 yards per game, back on track against Los Angeles' rushing offense, which sits tied for 14th at 114 yards per contest.
Can Williams jump off the tape once more and make the Browns' struggles in run defense continue, or will Cleveland get the pass-heavy game it anticipates and maximize the opportunity at hand?
The answer will be in soon enough, with the Rams (5-6) set to host the Browns (7-4) at 1:25 p.m. PST Sunday inside SoFi Stadium.
