Kyren Williams deserves to be in the conversation among the NFL’s best running backs and the stats support his case beyond a shadow of a doubt. For example, if Saquon Barkley is a consensus choice for being in the elite class, then why not Williams?
After all, Williams has been more consistent than Barkley over the past three seasons, he has scored 10 more touchdowns than Barkley since 2023, and the difference in yards per carry and receiving yards between them is negligible.
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If Williams isn’t better than Barkley, a running back who almost every fan says is elite, he’s at least on the same level. Just look at these comparisons over the past three seasons:
By those raw rushing and receiving stats, Williams clearly holds his own against the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year, which is also the season in which Barkley got half of his total rushing yards over the past three seasons.
With different offensive line combinations and schematic changes by Sean McVay every year, Williams has remained consistent by rushing for at least 1,144 yards and 10 touchdowns every season since 2023.
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But it doesn’t stop there. By some other key rushing stats for running backs, Williams holds his own against a player who many believe will get into the Hall of Fame one day.
Runs for a loss
One of the statements we keep hearing during Rams broadcasts is how important it is to pick up positive yardage on a first-down carry, something Williams does consistently. McVay stresses positive yardage on first down and 5, 4, or even 3 yards completely changes the sequence of play calls going forward in that series. Getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage is equal to an incomplete pass and getting tackled behind it is like a sack. Williams avoids these negative plays at an elite level.
Kyren Williams has had a lower percentage of runs for a loss than Saquon Barkley in each of the past three seasons and the difference last season was stark:
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In 2025, Williams was stopped 4.63% of the time, much better than Barkley’s 14.64%.
No yards? Lost yards? Williams is one of the best at avoiding these, making McVay’s job as OC so much easier.
Success percentage
In 2025, Williams led all starters with had an astounding 50.19% success rate, compared to Barkley’s 37.5%.
A successful play for a running back is defined as follows:
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On first down, gaining 40% of the required yards.
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On second down, gaining 60% of the required yards
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On third down, gaining 100% of the required yards.
Because Success % focuses on consistency rather than just explosive, long breakaway plays, it is excellent for measuring an offensive line’s impact and a back’s reliability in keeping the chains moving.
While McVay may love the explosive plays and dials them up frequently, the Rams are designed to facilitate a methodical, grind-it-out style of play. He’d rather have a clock-controlled win than a shoot-out.
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The running style of Williams gives him the best chance for that, and if the ground game isn’t there, the outlet passes usually are. With 13 personnel coming in strong, I can see an increase in Kyren’s targets in the pass game, at least in the short run.
First down percentage
Kyren Williams led the league in the percentage of times his carries resulted in a first down, with a remarkable 29.34% of them hitting the mark. Saquon Barkley had just over 17%.
This one speaks for itself. As with goal to go plays, Williams finds a way to get it done. He’s so good at the goal line that sometimes he’s directing teammates to where they need to run to score:
More Stats Kyren Excelled In
Williams had an average carry of 4.83 yards in ‘25 and 10 touchdowns. Barkley had a 4.07 avg and seven scores.
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Explosive plays were the one metric where Saquon had a better number than Kyren last season, but a surprisingly small gap where Barkley had 7.14% success to Williams’ 6.95%
Finally, Barkley saw a dramatic increase in his metrics during his crazy 2024 season but came back to Earth in 2025 when the Eagles offensive line was far less effective and cohesive as a unit.
Obviously, a great deal of any running back’s success has to do with the offensive line, including Williams and Blake Corum, both of whom benefit from L.A.‘s improvement in that area recently. There’s no question that Williams is better because of the Rams offensive line. But how good could Williams have been in 2024 if he had played in Philadelphia’s offense instead of Barkley?
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Maybe he wouldn’t have done a backwards hurdle over a defender, but surely he could have rushed for a career-high number of yards.
The Rams don’t get credit for having an All-Pro running back. That doesn’t mean they don’t have a great one. It’s all a matter of perspective.
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