Kyren Williams did not hide his frustration after the Los Angeles Rams let a late lead slip away on Sunday. Asked why the offense could not carry its energy from one drive to the next in an 18-16 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Rams running back answered with a line that pointed straight at his own reduced role: “Can’t tell you, bro. Probably because I’m not out there.”
The remark landed on a day when Williams handled the ball only 13 times, and it came from a player his teammates voted a captain this season. Los Angeles fell to 2-4 with its second straight defeat, and the question of who carries the load in its backfield is now part of the conversation around a struggling offense.
Kyren Williams was asked why he thought the team couldn’t sustain the energy drive to drive.
“Can’t tell you, bro. Probably because I’m not out there.”
— Sarah Barshop (@sarahbarshop) October 18, 2026
Ten carries, nearly an even split
Williams was on the field for 40 offensive snaps against Arizona, against 16 for Blake Corum. The touches told a different story. Williams ran 10 times for 50 yards, a season low in carries, and caught three passes for 17 yards. Corum ran nine times for 42 yards and caught two balls for 18 yards, one of them the first Rams touchdown of the afternoon.
Williams averaged 5.0 yards per rush, so efficiency was not the issue. Before the exchange about energy, he described the problems as the team saw them: mistakes the Rams made on their own and slow starts. When he was asked whether he wanted his old workload back, he did not take the bait. He said that decision is not his to make and turned the answer back to the whole roster needing energy and togetherness on every series. He never mentioned Corum by name, and he did not single out head coach Sean McVay.
A shrinking share for a proven starter
Williams has started in the Rams backfield since 2023, the year he reached the Pro Bowl. In 2024 he was on the field for roughly 87 percent of the offensive snaps. That share has dropped to about 70 percent this season as Los Angeles has leaned on a two-back rotation, with McVay describing the pair as backs who spell each other. On Sunday the rotation was close to even by carries, and the offense managed only 286 yards.
The loss itself turned on the final minute. Matthew Stafford found Colby Parkinson for a touchdown, and with kicker Blake Grupe out with a knee injury, punter Ethan Evans converted the extra point for a 16-15 lead with 47 seconds left. Arizona answered, and Chad Ryland kicked his sixth field goal of the day, from 43 yards, as time expired. The full result is in the Game Center.
What comes next
McVay said after the game that there was nothing positive he could take from the day, and how he splits the backfield will be watched closely this week. The Rams visit the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, October 25, at 4:25 p.m. EDT, a chance to see whether Williams gets the bigger workload he hinted at. More on the club is on the Rams team page.
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