The 2021 NFL season may barely be in the books, but Dave Richard is already getting a jump on his 2022 preparation by highlighting at least one key statistic to know for each NFL team that had a major bearing on their 2021 performance and could mean a great deal for their 2022 outlook. In this space, Dave dives into the Los Angeles Rams.
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Los Angeles Rams stats to know
It was low-key amazing to see Cam Akers back as the Rams' lead running back this postseason, just six months removed from a torn Achilles. His stats weren't great at all, though, fueling concern that he won't get back to the man he was before the injury. How were some next-level metrics compared to qualifying running backs from the regular season?
- Akers avoided tackle per rush rate was 17.9%, which would have ranked 15th-worst out of 50 regular season running backs with at least 100 carries.
- Akers had a run of zero or negative yards on 29.9% of his carries, which would have ranked the highest among running backs with at least 100 carries.
- Akers had a carry of five-plus yards on 23.9% of his carries -- that sounds like a lot but would have ranked dead last among running backs with at least 100 carries.
How do these three stats compare to his rookie year? In 2020 he had an avoided tackle rate of just 17.8%, a run of zero/negative yards on 16.2% of his carries and a run of five-plus yards on 33% of his carries.
You could add the context of a Rams offensive line declining in the playoffs, and certainly, the Rams' playoff matchups were very difficult, but there's a pretty notable decline from his rookie year to this past postseason. There's certainly a chance Akers' explosiveness improves as he continues recovering from his Achilles injury, but Fantasy managers might want to see it first before racing to draft him.
