There was uncertainty surrounding the running back rotation for the Los Angeles Rams entering Tuesday night’s showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. Sony Michel has provided a much-needed spark to the offense in recent weeks, but Darrell Henderson Jr. was able to return to action this week.
While Michel received the bulk of the touches, McVay thought both handled themselves well in the team’s victory over the Seahawks.
“Sony got the majority of the workload. I thought Darrell came in and did a nice job. He was really kind of getting his wind underneath them. He had a couple big-time carries. But I thought Sony was outstanding today,” McVay said after the game. “Thomas Brown is such a leader for that room, he’s assistant head coach, he’s a running back coach. He has a great feel during the course of the game. I thought Zac Robinson did a great job being able to spell those guys, have a good feel, communicate with them in between drives. Sony was outstanding and then Darrell did a nice job with the opportunities he had today.”
Michel concluded Tuesday night’s contest with 92 rushing yards on 18 attempts while also catching two passes for 23 yards. Henderson saw his workload limited due to recent injuries and a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list, carrying the ball six times for 23 yards.
In the past three weeks — where Michel has started — Michel has combined for 292 rushing yards on 62 attempts (4.7 yards per attempt). The inclusion of Michel in the offense has allowed the Rams to get back on track on offense after a three-game skid.
He really impressed McVay on Tuesday night with some physical runs, which were reminiscent of how he played with the Patriots during their Super Bowl run in the 2018 season.
“He’s been awesome. I think he’s really brought a toughness to our offense,” McVay said. “You know, you saw the body of work that he had at New England. I think about when they ended up beating us in the Super Bowl. That stretch run, they really shifted their identity where they leaned on him and they were pounding, they were physical. We’ve been able to do that with him. And I thought he made some key plays in the pass game. He’s so tough in blitz pickup. He’s really a complete back. He’s brought so much to us.
It remains to be seen if Henderson sees more looks once he gets his conditioning back. But for the time being, it appears that Henderson will operate as the change-of-pace back behind Michel, which is something McVay seems to be content with moving forward.