One of the most surprising players in the NFL this year has been Kyren Williams. After rushing for just 139 yards as a rookie in 2022, Williams had taken the league by storm this year.
Through 17 weeks, Williams has rushed for 1,144 yards, which ranks second in the NFL behind only Christian McCaffrey. The fact that Williams ranks second in the league in rushing is somewhat surprising, but that's only because he's missed FOUR games this year. That's right, Williams has put up his huge numbers despite only playing in 12 games this season.
If Williams can hold on to that ranking, then he'll become the first player in NFL history to rank in the top two in rushing yards despite missing four games (as noted by Rams radio guy J.B. Long). The problem for Williams is that holding on to the ranking might not be easy and that's because Rams coach Sean McVay has already said that Williams won't be playing this week, which means he's going to end his season with 1,144 yards.
If Bills running back James Cook rushes for just 59 yards against the Dolphins on Sunday night, that will move him into second place on the NFL's rushing list this year, but even if Williams finishes in third, that will still be impressive. If that happens, he'll become the first NFL player in 86 years to rank in the top three in rushing despite missing four games. The last player to pull it off was Bull Karcis, who did it in 1937 with the Pittsburgh PIRATES (Karcis missed five games that year).
Whenever you're mentioned in the same breath as Bull Karcis, you know you're doing something right (There is a chance that Williams could drop out of the top three, but Cook would have to rush for 59 yards AND DeAndre Swift would have to rush for 96 yards against the Giants).
Williams has played a huge part in the Rams' resurgent offense this season. The budding star rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his 12 games with the Rams, including three games where he went over 140 yards.
Of the six running backs who have hit the 1,000-yard mark in 2023, four of them have played in 16 games, one has played in 15 games (Raheem Mostert) and then you have Williams, who has only played in 12. The Rams second-year running back is averaging 95.3 yards per game this season, which leads the NFL.
Williams is having one of the most impressive running back seasons of the past decade. He's one of just six running backs in the entire NFL who has averaged at least 95 yards per game AND 5 yards per carry over the past 10 years.
Although he won't be playing this week, Williams did close the season on a hot streak. The former fifth-round pick recorded at least 100 scrimmage yards in his final seven games of the season, making him the first Rams running back since 2009 to hit that number in seven consecutive games. The Rams went 7-1 this season when Williams totaled 90 yards or more from scrimmage.
If the Rams are going to make noise in the playoffs, they're going to need him at his best, which is likely a big reason why McVay decided to give him a week off.
McVay has decided to rest his starters in Week 18 even though the Rams playoff seeding is still up in the air. With a win over the 49ers on Sunday, the Rams would clinch the No. 6 seed, but with a loss, they could end up as the No. 7 seed. No matter what happens, they'll be playing on the road against the Cowboys, Eagles or Lions in the wild card round.
