The Rams scored their second touchdown Saturday night when linebacker Alec Ogletree stripped Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman after a catch and returned the fumble 13 yards for a touchdown.
It was the second fumble in as many weeks for Hillman and it was also the last time he touched the ball against the Rams. Montee Ball, Lance Ball and Knowshon Moreno got the carries the rest of the way, but coach John Fox said after the game that he hadn’t lost any confidence in Hillman.
“I still have great confidence,” Fox said, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. “It’s something we worked very hard on last week, something we’ll work very hard on this week. I think the one this week was altogether different. I personally think his progress was stopped otherwise he’s got to get on the ground faster or do a better job hanging on to the ball when a guy’s yanking on it late in the down.”
Hillman ran well against the Rams, but fumbling the ball is a sure way to erode the confidence that coaches have in you. Montee Ball was drafted to take care of a lot of the heavy lifting on the ground and Moreno could have some value as a third-down back, which means that Hillman has all the motivation he needs to make sure that doesn’t happen.