Sean McVay: RB Cam Akers will have opportunities to 'prove himself' this weekend

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said running back Cam Akers will get a chance to prove himself, but it isn’t clear what that means. 

“He’s gonna get an opportunity to do it this week,” he said on the "Coach McVay Show." “Really, it’s not just one guy. I know what Cam’s capable of, but I know what we’re capable of as an offense as a whole. This isn’t about one individual, this is really about coaches and players competing and performing to the best of their abilities.”

McVay did not clarify what opportunities Akers would receive, though his Friday news conference comments about Akers seem to suggest they aren’t limited to touches. 

“There were some instances where there were some positive things and some things that he can do better, but we want to see just an increased level of urgency and accountability snap in and snap out from him,” he said.

In Week 1, Akers ran three times against the Buffalo Bills for no yards. He played 12 of the Rams 67 offensive snaps.  

The 23-year-old’s  snap count was so low in Week 1 that increased opportunities could mean anything. McVay may even want to put his third-year running back into situations where he’s not carrying the ball to see if he brings urgency to every snap. 

Akers probably won’t jump from playing just 18 percent of the snaps to a 50-50 timeshare with veteran running back Darrell Henderson, who ran the ball 13 times and played 55 snaps.

Henderson has rushed for more than 600 yards and five touchdowns in each of the past two seasons, so unless Akers impresses McVay, Los Angeles could stick with him instead of making Akers the clear-cut lead back.  

The Rams play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. They allowed 151 rushing yards to the New Orleans Saints, the ninth-most rushing yards allowed in Week 1.