Los Angeles Rams: Three biggest concerns heading into 2018
By Jason Reed
3. The fact that teams that rely on elite running backs rarely win Super Bowls
Relying solely on history books to try and predict what happens next is not capturing the big picture. While it is very helpful to find patterns, especially in sports, the future can hold something completely different than has ever happened before; like Nick Foles winning a Super Bowl.
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However, in the last 20 or so years, not many teams have won a Super Bowl that had to rely on an elite running back to kickstart the offense. And while the Rams are talented in the passing game with Cooks, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and quarterback Jared Goff, the offense lives and breathes on Todd Gurley.
Gurley opens up the passing game and is even a huge tool in throwing the ball as well. That is why Gurley won the Offensive Player of the Year award and was the only NFL player with over 2000 yards from scrimmage.
The problem is, teams that have elite runners they rely on rarely win Super Bowls. The most recent example is the Seattle Seahawks in 2014 that had Marshawn Lynch. And while he was elite at the time, it was the defense that carried the load all season as Lynch started trending down from his prime.
Aside from that, it is hard to find a team that relied on an elite running back like the Rams do with Gurley. The last team that really relied on an elite running back and won the Super Bowl was the 1999-2000 Rams. Even that is questionable as that team had Kurt Warner.
Next: Five Rams with the most to prove
Luckily for the Los Angeles Rams, this 2018 team is similar to the 1999-2000 Rams. They both have a young quarterback and a running back that can surpass 2000 yards from scrimmage. If any team is going to break the mold it is the Rams, but it is going to be hard.