San Francisco 49ers’ defense presents opportunity for Rams running back Todd Gurley
The Rams have attempted most everything to get Todd Gurley moving this season.
Nothing seems to give.
“We’ve tried to get the ball inside, we’ve tried to get the ball in the perimeter, we’ve tried to get him a little bit more in space, tried to get him involved in the pass game,” offensive coordinator Rob Boras said after practice Tuesday.
With two games remaining, Gurley must gain 222 yards to reach 1,000 yards this season, a mark he flew past as a rookie when he rushed for 1,106 yards in only 13 games.
Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers could be Gurley’s best chance to gain more than 100 yards for the first time this season, a feat he accomplished five times as a rookie.
The 49ers’ defense ranks last in the NFL and has allowed a league-worst 176.3 rushing yards per game.
Boras said Gurley’s rushing success last season was tied to the number of carries he made in the second half.
“He was really strong last year in the second half because we were playing in close games, that’s when he popped a lot of those,” Boras said. “Hopefully we can keep handing him the ball where he can find one of those explosive runs.”
Last week, in a loss against the Seahawks, Gurley gained only 38 yards in 14 carries — and 22 yards came on one carry.
“I thought Todd was running really strong in the first half,” Boras said. “We need to find that rhythm and more consistency with it that way.”
Follow Lindsey Thiry on Facebook and Twitter @LindseyThiry
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