Todd Gurley Joins Multiple Elite Clubs with Week 16 Showing

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley posted a monstrous effort in Week 16's matchup versus the Tennessee Titans, racking up 118 rushing yards on 22 carries and 10 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns.

Gurley finished the day with a career-high 276 scrimmage yards, also becoming just the third player in NFL history to record at least 100 rushing yards and 150 receiving yards in the same game, per NFL Communications. Only Ollie Matson (1954) and Hershel Walker (1986) had previously accomplished the same feat.

The 23-year-old tailback has compiled a massive 2017 season for the Rams, possessing 2,093 scrimmage yards through Week 16. Only three players (including Gurley) have racked up at least 2,000 scrimmage yards and five touchdown catches in a season. The other two—Marshall Faulk and O.J. Simpson—have both already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Gurley burst onto the scene with the Rams in his rookie season in 2015, posting 1,106 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns and adding 21 grabs for 188 yards on 21 grabs. His sophomore campaign was disappointing from a comparative standpoint due to his own struggles and injuries along the offensive line.

Those struggles have subsided this season, in part, due to the maturation of quarterback Jared Goff, the line play returning to a respectable form and the addition of new targets in wide receivers Robert Woods and Sammy Watkins. The firing of Jeff Fisher and hiring of Sean McVay as the team's new head coach likely played a role as well.

In addition to the changes around the team, Gurley also rededicated himself in the offseason, per the Los Angeles Times. The combination of all of those factors likely led to his current output as the league's top rusher (1,305 yards) heading into Week 17. Assuming the Rams play their starters Sunday, Gurley will attempt to round out the 2017 regular season with a strong finish against the surging San Francisco 49ers(5-10), who have won four straight games.