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Rams coach Sean McVay says he must do a better job getting Todd Gurley more involved

Rams running back Todd Gurley is tackled short of the goal line by Eagles cornerback Patrick Robinson during a Dec. 10 game at the Coliseum.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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After watching Todd Gurley rush for 96 yards in only 13 carries in his team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Rams coach Sean McVay said he recognizes that he needs to get the running back more involved.

“However you want to cut it, I’ve got to get him going, give him more opportunities with the way he was running it, and have a better feel for the flow of the game,” McVay said Monday during his weekly news conference. “That was something that I didn’t think I did very well,” against the Eagles.

The Rams are set to play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at Seattle.

Gurley has rushed for 1,035 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has 51 receptions for 602 yards and three touchdowns.

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A few days before last Sunday’s game against the Eagles, Gurley said he was excited to be playing in a marquee matchup.

“You have to beat the best in order to be the best, that’s why I play the game — to be one of the best,” he said. “Be one of the best at my position and to show why I deserve to be in this league, and I want to be in this league a long time.”

The third-year pro averaged 7.3 yards per carry against the Eagles.

The Eagles ran 85 plays, the Rams 45.

“We’ve got to do a good job executing, and I’ve got to put our players in good spots,” McVay said. “Whether that’s maintaining a better run-pass balance. Whether that’s being aware of, ‘All right, we’re running, efficiently, let’s make sure we don’t get away from that.’”

Against New Orleans, the Rams passed 44 times and rushed the ball 25. Against Arizona, the Rams passed 31 times and rushed 24. Against the Eagles, the Rams passed 26 times and ran 17 times.

“There’s been some times where you definitely get a little bit too aggressive,” McVay said, adding, “I look at it myself and say, ‘You’ve got to make sure that you’re cognizant of giving the runs a chance and trying to stay balanced.’

“And that’s something that I haven’t done. You can’t keep standing up here and saying the same things, you’ve just got to get it fixed. ... This year, there’s been a handful of things that you try to learn from and this is something that I’ve got to do and stop saying it and just get it done.”

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