Struggling Rams RB Todd Gurley could see more targets as a receiver

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher said Monday that Todd Gurley is "very close" to break the big races.

It has been said that for four weeks.

Gurley was held to a mere 33 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's 17-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. That's 1.74 yards per attempt, the lowest rate among the 16 NFL career starts.


Todd Gurley is the first return stroke in history with 80-plus carries in the first four games of his team and within 2.75 yards per attempt. Joe Camporeale / USA Today Sports
For the season, Gurley has only amassed 216 yards on 82 carries, ranking is 44th among the 45 qualified running backs (Adrian Peterson is the only below Gurley, but Peterson only played in two games). Stretching back even further, Gurley was held below 100 yards in 11 of his last 12 games.

"As long as I keep winning, I could care less," Gurley said after the third victory of his team Sunday. "It does not even matter to me."



But the gain is probably not sustainable if Gurley is not effective.

Fisher said "the line of scrimmage was full of Cardinals" on Sunday, as is normally the case. Thus, the Rams Gurley used a little more in the pass game. He caught a catch with one hand on a lob pass that turned into a gain of 33 yards early in the third quarter and then converted a key third-and-8 down the stretch, runs to the apartment, catch a jet Case Keenum, cutting inside and gaining the extra yardage two parts before Brian Quick caught the winning touchdown.

Gurley finished with five catches for 49 yards, giving him a more respectable 82 yards from scrimmage.

Pass-catching ability is underestimated part of the game Gurley, a skill that has not been exposed often during a rookie season that saw him finish as the third best NFL running back.

But the running tracks have not been there often enough to Gurley this year. It averages third-fewest yards in the NFL before the first contact (0.90), with teams continue to dare to beat the Rams in the air. According to Pro Football Reference, Gurley is the first return stroke in history with 80-plus carries in the first four games of his team and within 2.75 yards per attempt.

"It is obvious that the running game was not going as well," Gurley said Sunday night. "But hey, I'm a couple passes in the backfield. That was the key."

Look for the Rams to continue to explore that.