It wasn’t until Sunday morning that we learned of the Rams’ plan at running back with Kyren Williams out. While many expected them to simply hand the reins to Zach Evans, it was Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson Jr. who got all of the work against the Steelers.
Evans, meanwhile, didn’t play a single snap.
Freeman rushed for a team-high 66 yards on 12 carries, while Henderson had 61 yards on 18 carries, with one touchdown. Henderson also added a 5-yard reception, giving him 66 scrimmage yards to match Freeman.
It was neither a breakout game nor a poor performance from either player, but the Rams could tweak their plan at running back for Week 8 against the Cowboys. Should they lean on one of their backs as the primary rusher, or should they continue to use a committee?
The statistics show Freeman was the more efficient back on Sunday, averaging 5.5 yards per carry compared to Henderson’s 3.4 average. Freeman gained 12 rushing yards over expected, according to Next Gen Stats, which was the fourth-best mark of any running back in Week 7. Henderson was at the other end of the spectrum, ranking seventh-worst with minus-12 RYOE.
What helped Freeman is the fact that like Williams in the first six weeks, he didn’t face a single box with at least eight defenders. Henderson faced one on 16.7% of his carries, which made it tougher sledding for him.
Freeman’s run grade of 80.3 from Pro Football Focus was considerably better than Henderson’s 60.4, and it partly had to do with Freeman forcing four missed tackles compared to Henderson’s zero. Freeman also had two carries of 10-plus yards versus Henderson’s one.
While Henderson scored a touchdown and had a nice 16-yard carry early on, it was Freeman who had the better game. The Rams will likely utilize both players again on Sunday, especially knowing that was Henderson’s first game since last November, so Sean McVay won’t want to wear down either running back.
That’s not the news fantasy managers want to hear, but it’ll probably be a committee again on Sunday in Dallas unless one player emerges with a particularly hot hand.
