INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Before the start of the season, Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams set a goal.
"I told myself coming into this year, it's unacceptable if I don't get 1,000 [rushing yards]," he said.
With his 152 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries in Sunday's 28-20 victory over the Washington Commanders, Williams came close to achieving that goal (reaching 953) with three games still to go this season. And he has done that despite missing four games on injured reserve with an ankle injury. In nine games this season, Williams has five games with at least 100 rushing yards.
Williams also surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage on Sunday, something he said "is cool," but "we're going to keep going."
Rams coach Sean McVay has said several times this season that his offense looks "different," in a positive way, with Williams on the field. Williams has been back from that ankle injury for five games, and the Rams have scored at least 28 points in each of the past four, which is tied with the 49ers for the longest active streak in the NFL. Two of those games came against the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens, the top two defenses in the NFL.
"I love the way that he continues to just be able to take steps in the right direction, keep being coachable, keep being accountable," McVay said. "He's made a lot of plays. He's made a huge difference. When he's in the lineup and when he's not, it's a very different theme for us. And I could say that about a couple guys, but he has been a big spark plug in a positive way for us."
While Williams had his second 150-yard rushing game of the season on Sunday -- becoming the first Rams player with multiple games of 150 rushing yards in a season since Steven Jackson in 2008, according to ESPN Stats & Information -- the second-year running back also had two lost fumbles, his first two of the season.
After those uncharacteristic mistakes, McVay said he told Williams "that I got a lot of confidence in him." That confidence, Williams said, "means everything."
"He was telling me right when it happened, 'I still got trust in you,'" Williams said. "'I still got 100% trust in you.' And that's just who he is. I don't expect him to change over little mistakes that happen in this game. It's football. That stuff happens. It's on me [to not allow] it to happen, but you just got to think that mistakes happen. Nobody's perfect. And so I appreciate Coach McVay for always riding for me, letting me know."
The drive after Williams' first touchdown, he ran for a 1-yard touchdown, his 11th (eight rushing, three receiving) of the season. He said after the game that he couldn't put his head down after the fumbles, because if he had, he "would have let [his] team down."
Instead, he said, "I'm going to own [my mistake] and be better because of it."
"It's always about your response," McVay said. "And so he'll learn from it and he's the type of guy that has the right football character, the right mindset and mentality to be able to use these things as learning ops [and] push forward in a positive way. And he still made big time contributions to this game in a positive way."
Williams will face a Saints run defense on Thursday night that is allowing an average of 126.4 yards per game and ranks 24th in the NFL in rush defense DVOA. Williams said he's got to hold himself "accountable" this week, and "fix it," so he has better ball security against New Orleans.
"If I'm getting the ball that many times, I've got to be able to have great ball security, keep it high and tight no matter what the situation is," Williams said. "Just being more aware. That's on me. One hundred percent on me. I'm going to fix it and be better next week."