The Los Angeles Rams are known as a pass-centric offense. And why not? Veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford is on fire, not only slicing and dicing up opposing secondaries, but his 30 touchdowns in 11 games if five TD passes more than the runner-up, and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has played in 12 games.
Better still, Stafford has only thrown two interceptions all season long. It’s no wonder that so many have Stafford’s name linked to NFL MVP honors this season.
Still, there is a time and place for everything. And while the first impression for Week 13 is that the Rams can pass, pass, pass, the absence of Panthers’ safety Tre’Von Moehrig places a lot of pressure on the run defense. And nobody expects Los Angeles to run the football down Carolina’s throat.
Which is exactly why it should.
Like it or not, the Rams rushing offense is not among the top half in the NFL. At 110.0 yards per game, this ground attack is in the NFL’s bottom third. With the weather turning colder, and with Stafford as the natural top priority for opposing defenses, it’s a perfect opportunity to go after a back Panthers run defense with a double-barreled attack of running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
Kyren Williams needs a breakout game for Rams offense
While running back Kyren Williams has rushed for 798 yards and six rushing touchdowns in 11 games, he has rushed for over 100+ yards just once. Similarly, he has rushed for multiple touchdowns just once. That is below his previous season’s production.
Blake Corum’s track record this season is even more dubious. He has rushed for 341 yards and one touchdown. But with a workload that is nearly half that of Williams, many hoped that he would be over 400 yards and three touchdowns by this point in the season.
That is exactly where a solid breakout game would place him.
“Being able to have [Matthew Stafford] as a quarterback, it makes everything as an offense a lot easier.” 💪
Rams RB Kyren Williams on playing with Matthew Stafford ✍️ pic.twitter.com/NleYBGylzT
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 30, 2025
Don’t confuse what is being said. This offense has plenty of innovations with 13-personnel and is scoring well. The thing is that Panthers’ defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is quite familiar with LA’s offense, and he is quite capable of reformulating his secondary to make this unexpectedly challenging for Stafford and company.
But not even Evero can get blood out of a turnip. In focusing on neutralizing the passing attack with limited resources, he is almost certainly vulnerable to a rushing attack. And that is something that Los Angeles has not committed to this season.
Until now.
Expect the Rams to run at will today. The Panthers have struggled to stop the run this season. In Week 13, they will have no answer for the Williams/Corum duo.
As always, thanks for reading.
