After their shocking loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Los Angeles Rams looked lost. Sure, special teams were an issue, but it was their lack of identity on offense that caused so much concern with this team. Matthew Stafford led the NFL in pass attempts and passing yards, but the Rams ranked 20th in scoring, so clearly their approach on offense wasn't working.
Sean McVay openly admitted after the loss to Arizona that he didn't know what the Rams were on offense.
"We're figuring that out. I can't answer that right now," he said when asked what Los Angeles' identity was.
On Sunday, the Rams found it. And it could be the key to unlocking the offense for the rest of the season.
In a 35-21 win over the Raiders, the Rams handed it off to their
running backs 33 times. Kyren Williams rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Blake Corum had 93 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. They combined for 192 yards rushing and 30 yards receiving, running exceptionally well all afternoon. It could've been much more, too, because Corum had a 43-yard touchdown run called back by a penalty.
For a team that had been so pass-happy all year, the Rams finally went back to basics and handed the ball off. Without Davante Adams, and with Puka Nacua battling through a calf injury, they wisely leaned on the run and it worked to perfection.
"You're really in 50-50 downs," McVay said of the balance. "That's a key factor for us. Any good offense that we've had here that I've been a part of, you've got to be able to do both. You have to have balance, or at least have to have the threat of, if they overcommit to something, you've got to be able to make them pay."
This was the best version of the Rams offense. Williams and Corum working in tandem, moving the chains and, most importantly, keeping the offense on schedule with manageable down-and-distances. It's a big reason the Rams converted on five of their 10 third-down attempts, allowing them to sustain drives and maintain possession.
As a result, they held the ball for 34:14 compared to just 25:46 for the Raiders.
Obviously, expecting this level of effectiveness from the run game every week is unreasonable. Teams don't rush for 200 yards a game in today's NFL. But the concept is simple: Get good yardage on first down with the run, which opens up the pass and forces the defense to creep up out of respect for the running backs.
The Rams are at their worst when Matthew Stafford is dropping back and throwing it 50 times. No team wants to play that way, though it seems the Rams are oftentimes comfortable steering away from the run because it doesn't work initially.
On Sunday, it did, and McVay stuck with it. This is the identity of the Rams, and they have to keep it going against a desperate Chargers team next week.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: After losing their identity on offense, the Rams may have just found it
