The Rams have struggled on special teams struggled throughout much of the 2021 season.
But with the offense sputtering last Sunday, the unit came up with one of its biggest plays of the year at an opportune time.
With Los Angeles holding a slim 13-10 lead over Minnesota midway through the third quarter, returner Brandon Powell took a punt 61 yards for a touchdown to put the Rams up 20-10.
Now Powell has been named NFC special teams player of the week.
Powell has bounced around early on in his career but has seemed to find a solid role on Los Angeles’ return unit. In four games with the Rams, he’s averaged 30.8 yards on five kick returns. And with his long touchdown, he’s now put up 75 yards on three punt returns.
With two games to go, the Rams are now leading the NFC West. They go on the road to face the Ravens in the penultimate week of the regular season before hosting San Francisco in the regular-season finale.