THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cam Akers saw only 12 of the Rams' 72 offensive snaps Monday night against the Buccaneers, but when he did see action, he made the most of it.
The rookie running back scored his first touchdown of his NFL career in the Los Angeles' 27-24 victory at Tampa Bay, a moment he hopes to build off of the rest of the season.
"It was a blessing," Akers said during a video conference Wednesday. "All I can do is thank God and continue to work to get more (chances)."
With just under six minutes left in the third quarter, Akers lined up to quarterback Jared Goff's left side, then ran a route wide left out of the backfield. Tight end Gerald Everett and wide receivers Van Jefferson and Cooper Kupp occupying the rest of the Buccaneers secondary left Akers one-on-one with a linebacker who was unable able to get to him in time to prevent him from crossing the goal line.
Akers said he knew he was the first read on that play.
"When the call came in, I got excited because I kind of knew, if you coming to me, I'm scoring, regardless of how the ball comes, where the defender is," Akers said.
In addition to the four-yard touchdown catch, Akers also added five carries for 15 yards on the ground, giving him 24 for 88 over the Rams' last three games plus two receptions for 23 yards.
"I mean, it was a play that we've repped and a play that he's repped a whole bunch," Goff said. "We feel really confident with him. He has great hands, he can catch the ball in the backfield, he can make plays after the catch. That's part of the reason that we like him. That play is a part of that, and he's done a great job in practice with that play, just calling it in a game is no different. Then it played out, maybe a little bit easier than our practice reps have been honestly, and he was able to make the catch."
Rams head coach Sean McVay was also pleased with what he saw.
"I liked the tough contribution from Cam Akers," McVay said in his postgame video conference. "You could feel the burst. That's a tough run defense we played [against] tonight and he made a big touchdown catch."
Another matchup against a Top-10 run defense awaits this Sunday when the Rams take on the 49ers at SoFi Stadium. However, scoring against what is now the No. 1 run defense in the league has given Akers a boost of confidence that it won't be the last time he finds the endzone this season.
"I think just being the first one, it's blood in the water for me," Akers said.
