LOS ANGELES — Kyren Williams knows what the narrative was about him after dealing with injuries in his first two NFL seasons. He knows what the narrative is about running backs in general in recent years, that the position wears down players that makes them difficult investments.
“I wish people who say that could feel how I feel right now,” Williams said. “Because, bro, when I tell, and I don’t want to jinx nothing, but when I tell you I feel better after games than I did after camp this year, it’s a different feeling.”
For the first time all season, Williams won’t be suiting up for the Rams (10-6) on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks (9-7). With the NFC West secured, the Rams have opted not to fight for seeding in the final week of the regular season but to rest half their starting offense, Williams included.
Which means Williams finishes the 2024 season with career highs in carries (316), ground yards (1,299) and total touchdowns (16), not to mention 34 receptions on 40 targets. He played 86.7% of the Rams’ 1,023 snaps through the first 16 games of the season.
And, most importantly, he made it through the season without an injury, accomplishing a goal he set in the offseason as he began to cut down on his daily workouts to create a more sustainable routine for his body.
“We still got a postseason, but being able to get that is just a testament to the work that I put after, before, during practice, during the week,” Williams said. “To see that the work is paying off is great and I’m going to continue to work it even harder so I can continue to keep it the way that it is.”
A good deal of injuries come down to luck. Williams’ broken foot and high ankle sprain as a rookie weren’t a result of bad preparation. Neither was his ankle sprain during his breakout 2023 season, nor the broken hand he suffered in the wild-card loss to the Lions. When big, strong bodies hit each other at high speeds, injuries happen.
But Williams still changed his approach this year to mitigate any risk. He was a less frequent presence in the locker room after practices this year. Instead, he spent his time in the trainers room, receiving massages and treatment and doing additional exercises.
“It’s still putting in work and exercises that allow me to continue to stay strong through my toes and being able just to build up on that strength that I kind of didn’t do before,” Williams explained. “So having people like [directors of rehabilitation] Jon Hernandez and Byron Cunningham, people who really care for your health who want to work with you and for you, it’s amazing.”
Last season while on injured reserve with his ankle sprain, Williams would sit off to the side of practice on a scooter, a scowl on his face, unable to help his teammates. He didn’t want to feel that again.
Fast forward to this December. The Rams had just beaten the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, capping off two wins in five days. Williams learned that he had carried the ball 29 times on that rainy night in Santa Clara, matching the career high he had set five days earlier in Inglewood against Buffalo.
“Most backs after they heard they got 58 carries in four days, they’d be like, ‘I don’t want any more carries, I don’t want to play this next game,’” Williams said. “I heard that [expletive] and I was like, I got 58 carries and I feel the way that I do? Oh, I’m good. I can keep going.”
Straight into the playoffs, after some well-earned rest in Week 18.
When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
Where: SoFi Stadium
TV/radio: FOX (Ch. 11)(/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 227, 382
