Cam Akers expects to play vs. 49ers after tearing Achilles in July
Sean McVay’s Rams could use all the help they can get when they battle the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday at Los Angeles.
Owners of a 12-4 record and riding a five-game winning streak, the Los Angeles Rams are in position to wrap up the NFC West on Sunday. Sean McVay’s club last won a division title in 2018, a year which saw the club wind up in Super Bowl LIII.
That season saw the club finish with a 13-3 mark, which included a perfect 6-0 mark vs. their NFC West neighbors. Of course, that included a season sweep of the rival San Francisco 49ers. And that also happens to be the last time McVay and company notched a win over their longtime adversaries from the Bay Area.
So guess who the Rams will close the 2021 campaign with this weekend with the NFC West title on the line? All told, the Niners have prevailed in the last five meetings between the clubs. The latest was a convincing 31-10 Monday night setback at San Francisco in Week 10.
Matthew Stafford threw for 243 yards and one score but was picked off twice. The Rams ran the ball only 10 times for 52 yards. Both of those numbers are season lows for McVay’s team this season.
Los Angeles lost Cam Akers back in July to an Achilles injury. Former Patriots’ first-rounder Sony Michel has had his moments in Akers’ absence. He leads the team with 802 yards on the ground. But the Rams are tied with the Jets for 24th in the league when it comes to rushing yards per game (101.2).
But via NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, the team’s leading rusher in 2020 may be ready to make his season debut.
Rams Coach Sean McVay said that he expects RB Cam Akers, coming off Achilles surgery this summer, to play against the Niners. How much will be determined through the week.
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) January 5, 2022
Despite the team’s current five-game winning streak, Stafford has struggled to take care of the ball lately. In each of the Rams’ last two games, he’s committed three turnovers. In this year’s first meeting with the Niners, Los Angeles was overpowered up front and Kyle Shanahan’s club owned the ball for 39:03.
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In 13 regular-season games, Akers ran for a team-best 625 yards a year ago and also led the team with 145 carries. But his best work came in the club’s playoff split with the Seahawks and Packers. He burned the former for 131 yards and a score in the wild card round. He ran 18 times for 90 yards and one TD in the divisional round setback at Lambeau Field. With Darrell Henderson currently on IR, his return is highly welcomed.