For whatever reason, the Los Angeles Rams made little use of star running back Todd Gurley during the second half of the NFC Championship.
Gurley was used pretty heavily on the first drive, but he lost four yards on his lone carry before dropping a screen pass that landed in the arms of Saints linebacker Demario Davis for an interception.
From that moment on, Gurley was largely sidelined. He got two touches and one target for the rest of the first half for three total carries, and then completely disappeared in the second half. He got just one touch in the entire half, a six-yard carry early in the fourth quarter. The Rams instead leaned on C.J. Anderson, who got almost all the carries out of the backfield.
It’s worth noting that Gurley battled a knee injury for the latter portion of the regular season. While he appeared to be stretching himself out at times on the sideline during the second half, the Rams claimed there was nothing physically wrong with him.
Per Joe Buck, "the word from the Rams" is there's nothing physically wrong with Todd Gurley to keep him off the field on this drive or previous drives.
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 20, 2019
Either the Rams aren’t telling the truth or Gurley is in the doghouse. His early errors may have cost him, and while Anderson wasn’t bad, he wasn’t dominant. This will be a huge talking point, and rather curious considering the timing and Gurley’s stature.
