The Los Angeles Rams are hoping that running back Sony Michel can help them make their way to the Super Bowl. With a strong performance in the playoffs, Michel is looking to show everyone what he’s capable of and how he can carry this team to victory.
The rams super bowl appearances is a question that has been asked many times. With the Rams having such a young team, it’s hard to know if they will make it to the big game. However, with Sony Michel’s experience in college football and his ability to carry the ball, he could be the key for Los Angeles.
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ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry Close
- For the Los Angeles Times, I covered the Rams for two years.
- Previously, I wrote about the Falcons.
- Has written about the NBA, as well as college football and basketball.
THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA – The Los Angeles Rams and their rebuilt offense, headed by newly acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford, were dealt a terrible setback when running back Cam Akers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury at the start of training camp.
The Rams, on the other hand, had plenty of time to prepare for Akers’ injury due to the timing of his ailment.
With more than seven weeks before the season opening, the Rams pushed Darrell Henderson Jr. into the starting position and had time to see whether any of their youthful talent, like as second-year pro Xavier Jones and rookie seventh-round selection Jake Funk, could rapidly grow into bigger roles.
With almost four weeks of practice under their belts, two preseason games under their belts, and the season opener against the Chicago Bears looming on Sept. 12, it became clear that the Rams needed to go outside their facilities for reinforcements if they were to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive.
They’re now hoping that fourth-year running back Sony Michel can enliven a stale backfield.
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“We’re certainly excited about where we’re at as a roster,” Rams general manager Les Snead said after dealing Michel to the New England Patriots for a 2024 sixth-round selection and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Michel, a Patriots first-round selection (No. 31 overall) in 2018, arrives for a cheap cost and could offer the explosion out of the backfield that the Rams have needed as they’ve built their playbook around Stafford.
“What he brings is this aspect of making a cut, getting north and south with some power,” Snead said. “Let’s call the physics he brings to the table a flavor or genre that we thought complimented our group.”
After the Patriots refused to take up Michel’s rookie option, he is in the last year of his rookie contract. He is set to earn $1.79 million.
Michel has run for 2,292 yards and 14 touchdowns in 28 starts over the last three seasons.
Henderson was chosen in the third round of the 2019 draft as a change-of-pace back. It’s unknown how the workload will be divided between Henderson and Michel, or whether Michel will ultimately take over the starting position from Henderson.
Henderson’s 5-foot-8, 208-pound rushing style differs from Michel’s 5-11, 215-pound running style, as Henderson bounces outside the tackles while Michel goes downhill.
After the Rams acquired Sony Michel, Matthew Berry examines Darrell Henderson Jr.’s fantasy expectations.
Because of health concerns, Rams coach Sean McVay has expressed confidence in Henderson’s skill set and ability to be a three-down back. However, he has also warned about the necessity for a cautious approach to Henderson’s deployment.
During training camp, McVay said, “There isn’t anything we don’t believe Darrell is capable of accomplishing from a skill level.” “It’s just finding out the sweet spot in terms of how many snaps to give him to keep him fresh over the course of a 17-game season and hopefully more beyond that,” he says.
Henderson is presently suffering with a minor thumb injury and is wearing a cast or brace on his left hand. And, over the last two years, he has dealt with a variety of ailments that have kept him out of the game on a regular basis and forced him to finish each season early when he was put on injured reserve in Week 16 in both 2019 and 2024 due to ankle issues. Both injuries necessitated surgery over the offseason.
Henderson has 771 yards rushing and five touchdowns in 28 career games, including 11 starts, and has also caught 20 receptions for 196 yards and a score.
Michel, a member of the Super Bowl LIII champion Patriots who beat the Rams, has received praise from coaches and has proved healthy throughout Patriots training camp. However, Michel has his own injury worries.
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Michel missed six games last season after being put on injured reserve following Week 3 due to a quadriceps ailment. Coming out of Georgia, he also dealt with knee problems that followed him into the NFL.
However, with the Rams anticipating a long postseason run, any injury risk associated with Michel is a risk worth accepting in exchange for experience, explosiveness, and depth in the backfield.
“We chose Sony for a variety of reasons,” Snead said. “Number one, his experience as a player who has carried the ball in huge games and in those big games when there have been big moments, big drives, important series.”
The Rams are hoping Michel is the missing piece that will help them get through February.
