When the Rams beat the Saints last Sunday to go to Super Bowl 53, one notable contributor was absent nearly the entire game.
Star running back Todd Gurley, last year's Offensive Player of the Year, had all of four rushes and one reception during the Rams' overtime victory.
Some speculation arose that Gurley wasn't fully healthy; he suffered a knee injury late in the year that resulted in Gurley missing the last two games of the season. But Gurley put those rumors to bed fairly quickly, acknowledging in his post-game interview that he wasn't hurt, he just had an off day.
Leading up to the Super Bowl, Gurley has remained strong on that stance. In a report from Pro Football Talk, Gurley reiterated that he was completely healthy, and his lack of touches last week were solely a result of poor performance.
"If there was an issue with my knee, it would be on the injury report. Come on now. I'm at practice. I'm playing."
Gurley went on to make it clear that, performance-related or not, his impact on the Super Bowl doesn't matter if the team gets the win.
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Gurley has been anything if adamant about his potential knee issues, but it will continue to be a story leading up to Feburary 3rd. Whenever a player with the talent of Gurley is held to such a limited impact in the most important game of the season, the questions will arise.
The Patriots will already have their hands full with the Rams offense, and Gurley would add another dangerous element. It seems like how much of a difference he may make is up to Gurley himself more than anyone else.
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