Sean McVay sent a message to Cam Akers in Week 1 by barely giving him any playing time and only calling three running plays when he was on the field. Darrell Henderson Jr. was the clear-cut favorite in the Rams’ backfield during the opener, but things changed on Sunday against the Falcons.
In Week 2, Akers carried the ball 15 times for 44 yards, also catching two of three targets for 18 yards. He didn’t score a touchdown, but he was the preferred back when the Rams wanted to run the ball. That much was clear.
Henderson still got his opportunities, too. He rushed for 47 yards and a touchdown, carrying the ball 10 times. He was not targeted in the passing game, which was somewhat surprising. Though Akers out-touched Henderson 17-10, McVay got both players involved, which was perceived to be the plan all offseason.
According to Dave Richard of CBS Sports, it was Henderson who actually got more snaps than Akers, playing 56% of the snaps compared to only 44% for Akers. These are unofficial snap counts, and the official numbers won’t be released until Monday morning, but it’s interesting to see that Henderson played more than Akers.
FALCONS
Cordarrelle 59% (10/12 3rd/4th downs; 4/4 snaps inside the 10)
Allgeier 32%
A. Williams 25%
C. Huntley 5%RAMS
D. Henderson 56% (8/10 3rd/4th downs; 8/12 snaps inside the 10)
Akers 44%
Funk 2%— #AskFFT (@daverichard) September 18, 2022
This is very clearly a fantasy football owner’s nightmare – regardless of which running back you own. It’s impossible to know which running back McVay will prefer in a given week, and it’s not as if one player separated himself from the other on Sunday.
They were both effective, though Henderson averaged 1.8 more yards per carry than Akers did. For now, the Rams’ backfield will require patience because it doesn’t seem like there’s a clear-cut starter two weeks into the season.
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