kyren williams

Kyren Williams did not know if the questions would come, but if they did he was prepared.

The Rams running back was less than a week removed from fumbling at the one-yard line during a 26-23 overtime defeat by the San Francisco 49ers.

Now he is in Pacific Palisades, preparing to work with youth flag football players practicing for the first time since last January’s wildfires.

• Share via Close extra sharing options

Gary Klein breaks down what to expect from the Rams as they prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday before flying to London ahead of their Week 7 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“If they ask me, ‘Man, why did you fumble?’” Williams said, raising the pitch of voice to resemble a child’s, “I’m going to tell them exactly why it happens — because it happens.

“They’re wondering more than anything. They’re not trying to knock you down. So for me, tell them how it was, be accountable. Be honest about it and tell them, ‘Man, mistakes happen. … I’m going to grow from this mistake and it’s not going to define who I am.’”

Williams, 25, is eager to get back onto the field on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and show that he has moved on from his mistake.

The third-year pro, who received a $23-million extension before the season, is an integral part of an offense that features quarterback Matthew Stafford, the NFL’s leading passer, and receiver Puka Nacua, the league’s leading receiver.

Williams has rushed for 368 yards and a touchdown. He has 16 catches for 118 yards and three touchdowns.

In three-plus regular seasons and three playoff games, Williams has touched the ball as a running back or receiver 805 times. He has fumbled 11 times.

Williams was not the only running back to fumble against the 49ers. Backup Blake Corum dropped the ball on a pitch play.

But Williams’ miscue came at a more dramatic moment.

The Rams were trailing 23-20 when Stafford drove them to the three-yard line with just more than one minute left in the game. Williams took a handoff and plowed toward the goal line, but the 49ers knocked the ball from his grip and recovered the fumble.

Rams running back Kyren Williams, center, loses the ball on a fumble late in the fourth quarter against the 49ers on Oct. 2.

(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)

Williams also was stopped on a fourth-and-one play at the 11-yard line in overtime to end the game.

Afterward, he blamed himself for the fumble that he said cost the Rams the victory. The feeling lingered into the next week.

“Throughout the game, I had great ball security,” Williams said. “The one time that I saw pay dirt, I saw green, and I let up and I saw what happened.

“So for me the lesson I learned throughout the situation is, man, you can’t be comfortable until all double zeroes are on that clock.”

Coach Sean McVay said the Rams would take steps to improve ball security. But he stood by Williams.

“Love that guy.” McVay said. “I’m riding with him, and we have to figure out a way to improve, and he’ll be the first to take accountability, which is why you want to put your arm around him and be right there with him.”

As Williams moves forward, he anticipates sharing lessons learned from the situation during his charitable work.

Rams running back Kyren Williams instructs young flag football players in Pacific Palisades on Oct. 7.

(Gary Klein / Los Angeles Times)

Last Monday, Williams met with Molly Higgins, the Rams executive vice president of community impact and engagement, and told her that he wanted to commit to an event or an opportunity every Tuesday of the season.

“After a tough game on Thursday night, for him to want to sit down on Monday, I was fully prepared to say, ‘Hey, we can take a beat,’” Higgins said. “But he was like, ‘No, I want to sit down.”

Said Williams: “I know how when I was little, seeing people who I wanted to be like, how I was inspired and impacted and motivated. … So for me it’s remembering who I was and kind of trying to go above and beyond.”

Williams plans to do the same on the field when the Rams attempt to bounce back against the Ravens.

The fumble against the 49ers will not define him.

“I’m not happy that it happened the way that it did,” he said. “But I’m able to grow from the situation. I’m able to overcome it and show people that like, man, I’m so much better than what I put out there.

“So I can’t wait.”

The script is familiar.

Fourth quarter or overtime. Rams trail or are tied. On comes Matthew Stafford.

The veteran quarterback is the master of comebacks.

And he appeared to be on the verge of doing it again on Thursday night against the rival San Francisco 49ers.

But the 49ers stopped running back Kyren Williams on a fourth-and-one play at the 49ers’ 11-yard line, sending the Rams to a 26-23 overtime defeat before 73,652 at SoFi Stadium.

After the game, Rams coach Sean McVay blamed himself for the failed fourth-down run, saying “it was a bad call by me.”

Stafford tossed two touchdown passes to Williams and another to Puka Nacua, but on a night when the Rams’ kicking woes continued, it was not enough to beat an injury-riddled opponent as the Rams fell to 3-2 and wasted an opportunity to take over first place in the NFC West.

Rams kicker Joshua Karty, who last year beat the 49ers with a winning field goal at SoFi Stadium, missed a long field-goal attempt and had an extra-point attempt blocked, the second time that has happened this season. His kickoff in overtime did not reach the landing zone, giving the 49ers the ball at the 40-yard line.

The 49ers improved to 4-1, with victories over the Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West.

McVay this week good-naturedly blamed his late grandfather John McVay for creating so many 49ers fans by helping assemble 49ers teams that won five Super Bowls.

And McVay and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, his former mentor, have squared off for some classic matchups, including the NFC championship game at SoFi Stadium in January 2022.

But these were not the same 49ers — at least on paper.

San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Alfred Collins (95) celebrates with teammates after forcing Rams running back Kyren Williams to fumble at the goal line late in the fourth quarter Thursday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

With quarterback Brock Purdy receiving a massive extension before the season, the 49ers let go of numerous high-profile stars that helped them make two Super Bowl appearances in the last six years.

Even quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is with the Rams.

Journeyman Mac Jones started in place of Purdy, who is nursing a toe injury. Tight end George Kittle, receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings and star defensive end Nick Bosa also did not play.

But the 49ers still prevailed.

Mac Jones completed 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns.

Rams linebacker Jared Verse celebrates after making a tackle in the third quarter against the 49ers on Thursday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Christian McCaffrey caught eight passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 57 yards in 22 carries.

The score was tied 23-23 at the end of regulation after the Rams blew a chance to win when Williams fumbled at the 49ers’ one-yard line — but then tied the score on Karty’s 48-yard field goal with two seconds left.

Piniero’s 41-yard field goal gave the 49ers the lead.

The Rams then drove from their 33 to the 49ers’ 11, where their hopes for a victory ended.

Another week, another big-name running back across the field on the opponent’s sideline.

Rams running back Kyren Williams acknowledged the well-deserved attention Saquon Barkley received last week before the Rams played the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

Now Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL’s leading rusher, is coming to SoFi Stadium.

Williams said a “competitive mindset” drives him when high-profile backs are in the building.

“I know how people look at those guys,” Williams said, “and so it’s like, ‘Bro, you better look at me the same way.’ I love it.”

Williams, who signed a $23-million extension before the season, and second-year pro Blake Corum are providing the Rams with the backfield balance coach Sean McVay envisioned as the Rams built a team regarded as a Super Bowl contender.

Last season, the 5-foot-9, 207-pound Williams carried the ball 316 times. Only Barkley (345 carries) and Derrick Henry (325) of the Baltimore Ravens had more. The Rams averaged 103.8 yards rushing per game, which ranked 24th among 32 teams.

Through three games, the Rams are ranked ninth, averaging 127 yards rushing per game.

Williams, a fourth-year pro, has rushed for 226 yards and a touchdown in 55 carries (4.1 yards per carry). He also has five receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.

Rams running back Kyren Williams celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Corum has rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown in 14 carries (7.1 yards per carry). He has one catch for 14 yards.

“Those two play off each other really well,” McVay said, adding, “We feel really good about where both of those guys are at, and continue to lean into it and look for a good balance of being able to keep Kyren feeling good throughout it and take advantage of Blake’s skill set.”

McVay has said that ideally he would like to see Williams get 65% of the carries, Corum 35%. But the flow of the game dictates whether that plays out.

After Williams carried the ball 18 times, and Corum only once, in the opener against the Houston Texans, the duo provided more balanced production in the next two games.

They combined for 110 yards rushing in a victory over the Tennessee Titans. In last Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, Williams ran for 94 yards in 20 carries. Corum gained 53 yards in eight carries.

“It was a good one-two punch,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said.

That is what McVay and general manager Les Snead aimed for after Williams carried a combined 544 times in the previous two seasons.

“We’ve got it kind of dialed into where, like, we’re able to feed off each other,” Williams said of he and Corum. “It’s like friendly competition as well. I go out and make a play, now Blake is going to come in and make a play.

“It allows me to stay fresh throughout the whole game. So it doesn’t feel like I just took 50 carries and it’s only the second quarter. To me it’s a great system.”

Rams running back Blake Corum carries the ball during a preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys in August.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Corum, a 2024 third-round draft pick from Michigan, is enjoying the expanded opportunity after getting only 58 carries last season.

“It’s been great getting my feet under me, being able to just go out there and play free and fast,” he said. “Kyren and I are feeding off each other, so it’s been phenomenal.”

Against the Eagles, Williams bested Barkley, who was limited to 46 yards rushing in 18 carries.

Taylor, the 2021 NFL rushing champion, arrives Sunday averaging 112.7 yards rushing per game. Last week, he gained 102 yards and scored three touchdowns in 17 carries against the Tennessee Titans.

After each of the last two games, Taylor was named AFC offensive player of the week.

Both Williams and Corum aim to continue their production, and to break free for long gains. This season, each of their longest runs has been 15 yards.

“I know I’m capable to create not those 15-yard runs but those 40- and 50-yard runs,” Corum said. “Just need to keep working in practice to hopefully go out and show that on Sundays.”

PHILADELPHIA — For awhile there, it was beginning to look a lot like 2021.

That was the year the Rams went all-in, started fast, endured through a midseason losing streak and then went on to win the Super Bowl.

There is still a long way to go before Super Bowl LX will be played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

But despite what coach Sean McVay and his players insisted after their collapse on Sunday against the defending Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles, it was no confidence builder.

Not in the short term anyway.

The Rams blew a 19-point third quarter lead, were set up to possibly win with a last-second field goal and then had that kick blocked and returned for a touchdown in a 33-26 defeat at Lincoln Financial Field.

“We had the game within our control kind of the whole time,” kicker Joshua Karty said, “and we come out of here with a loss, so [it] kind of sucks.”

When it comes to the Eagles, the Rams are accustomed to disappointment.

The Eagles (3-0) beat the Rams last season at SoFi Stadium. They beat them here in the snow in the NFC divisional round. And now they produced an epic comeback to send the Rams back to Los Angeles with another bitter loss.

• Share via Close extra sharing options

Gary Klein breaks down what went wrong for the Rams in their 33-26 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

It was a stunning defeat for a Rams team that an hour earlier appeared easily on its way to improving to 3-0 for the first time since their championship season.

The Rams had defeated the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans, but the matchup against the Eagles, quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley represented the first real test for a team McVay has described as the deepest in his eight-plus seasons.

The Rams again came close. And again they failed.

“These are the chances to be able to lean in and see what you’re really about,” McVay, who is now 1-6 against the Eagles, said of his team’s way forward.

Unlike last January, the temperature on Sunday was not frigid. It was sunny and warm, much like how the Rams must have felt early in the third quarter after they went ahead 26-7 on Matthew Stafford’s short touchdown pass to running back Kyren Williams.

It was a seemingly comfortable lead, even for a Rams team that had settled for multiple field goals instead of touchdowns because of poor execution inside the 20-yard line.

The Rams even had their nemesis Barkley — he of four long touchdown runs against them last season — under control.

“We were riding high — everything was feeling good,” receiver Davante Adams said, “and then to come out on the wrong side of this, obviously it’s not the way we drew it up.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford throws against the Eagles in the second half Sunday.

(Matt Slocum / Associated Press)

No one could have predicted the Rams would have two kicks blocked in the final minutes.

“It’s the NFL,” safety Kam Curl said, “It’s crazy.”

McVay appeared to keep calm, but like Rams fans watching their team barrel toward another loss to the Eagles, he had to be going a little nuts as his offense stalled while Hurts was passing for three touchdowns and running for another.

The Rams built a 19-7 halftime lead on Stafford’s long touchdown pass to Adams and four field goals by Karty.

They seized momentum on the first series of the second half when edge rusher Jared Verse sacked Hurts and forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Nate Landman.

The turnover set up Stafford’s scoring pass to Williams.

“Feeling like we had our foot on the gas,” receiver Puka Nacua said.

The Rams were in complete control.

Until they weren’t.

Hurts tossed two touchdown passes that trimmed the Rams’ lead to five points.

The Rams got the ball early in the fourth quarter, and with just less than nine minutes left, Karty came on for a 36-yard field-goal attempt. But Eagles lineman Jalen Carter blocked the kick.

Hurts’ short touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith put the Eagles ahead, 27-26.

And then Stafford, the master of last-minute drives, drove the Rams to the Eagles’ 26.

It was eerily familiar to last January, when Stafford had the Rams driving toward a potential game-winning touchdown.

This time, all they needed was a field goal.

“I was thankful for another opportunity to kind of help my team make things right and come off the field with a victory,” Karty said.

But Jordan Davis leaped high to block the kick, and then scooped the ball and ran to the end zone as delirious Eagles fans roared.

“Had our chances really in all phases probably to win that one and didn’t get it done,” said Stafford, who passed for two touchdowns, with an interception. “It’s frustrating.”

McVay and his players repeatedly cautioned that it was only Week 3.

And they are correct.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown catches a pass in front of Rams cornerback Cobie Durant during the second half Sunday.

(Chris Szagola / Associated Press)

No need to panic or overthink the defeat. Not with the surprisingly unbeaten Indianapolis Colts coming to SoFi Stadium next Sunday.

But at some point — likely the NFC playoffs — the Rams must figure out how to beat the Eagles.

“I hate the Eagles,” Williams said, “but they taught us something … or are putting us through something that we needed to get put through.

“I’m glad that it’s happening this early in the season because it’s only going to make us [better] for later.”

Time will tell.