1maGoh
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2018/12/24/18154549/the-winners-and-losers-of-nfl-week-16
By Rodger Sherman
That C.J. Anderson was the guy who stepped in for Gurley is pretty ridiculous. Anderson, who just three seasons ago helped the Broncos to a Super Bowl win, was on the NFL’s scrap heap. He started the year on the Panthers, but quickly became irrelevant behind Christian McCaffrey, managing just 104 yards in nine games.
He was cut in November and signed with the Raiders, but didn’t make it onto the field for Oakland. He only signed with the Rams five days ago as it became more apparent Gurley might miss time. He instantly leapfrogged several younger running backs like John Kelly and Justin Davis, and less than a week after signing with Los Angeles, he was their star:
View: https://twitter.com/DefPenSports/status/1076957946062520321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1076957946062520321&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F12%2F24%2F18154549%2Fthe-winners-and-losers-of-nfl-week-16
View: https://twitter.com/RamsNFL/status/1076964460915417088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1076964460915417088&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theringer.com%2Fnfl%2F2018%2F12%2F24%2F18154549%2Fthe-winners-and-losers-of-nfl-week-16
It’s not fair to say that Anderson simply filled in for Gurley—he actually outperformed him. Anderson’s 167 yards would be the second-best performance of Gurley’s season.
There’s been a lot of discussion over the past few seasons about how important running backs are in an era dominated by high-powered passing attacks. Gurley’s consistent success for one of the league’s best teams was one of the strongest arguments that a top-notch back could still be a meaningful factor on an elite-level team.
But Sunday, Gurley sat—and a total rando stepped in and did as well, if not better than Gurley. It made it seem as if Sean McVay’s scheme is more pivotal to Gurley’s success than Gurley’s incredible talents. It’s telling that the absence of the best running back in the game had a bigger impact on fantasy football than actual football.
TL;DR of my reaction: Roger Sherman is an idiot.
I think Gurley would have closed that game out in the second quarter if he was playing at full strength. He would have hit some of those holes and been in the secondary before anyone knew it. A 167 yard game for Anderson, in this instance, might have been 220 yard 3-4 TD performance for Gurley in 2.5 quarters.