It’s been quite a circuitous route for running back C.J. Anderson this season. The six-year undrafted veteran out of Cal, who ran for 1,007 yards as the Broncos’ lead back in 2017, was released by that same team in April 2018, two years after he signed a four-year, $18 million contract.

Releasing Anderson freed up cap space for Denver and allowed rookie back Phillip Lindsay to thrive, but the Panthers (who signed Anderson on May 7 and waived him Nov. 12) and the Raiders (who signed him on Dec. 4 and released him a week later) clearly missed the boat on his potential. At least the Panthers had a legitimate excuse: They wanted to place the offense in the hands of Christian McCaffrey, and that worked out fairly well.

The Raiders? Well, who knows.

Sometimes, all a player needs is the right landing spot. That happened for Anderson on Dec. 18 when the Rams gave him an opportunity as franchise back Todd Gurley was dealing with knee issues. Anderson demolished the defenses of the Cardinals and 49ers in the Rams’ final two regular-season games, amassing 299 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and a preposterous 7.0 yards-per carry average on 46 carries.

“I never gave up on myself,” Anderson said after riddling the Cardinals for 167 yards and a touchdown on Dec. 23. “I never gave up on my ability and what I could do.”

Neither did quarterback Jared Goff, who wasn’t surprised by what Anderson did in his debut.

“He’s brand-new to the team,” Goff said. “But you see the way he practices, the way he prepared, how smart he was, and I think halfway through that first quarter I’m like, ‘OK, this guy can still run.'”

After a bye week, and with Gurley riding an exercise bike for a small part the first half of the divisional round against the Cowboys, the Rams again turned to Anderson, and he delivered as he had before. Behind superior power blocking, and against a Dallas defense whose previously stellar gap-control defense was getting blown to smithereens, Anderson ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in the Rams’ 30-22 win that will take them to the NFC championship game against either the Saints or the Eagles.

Gurley saw the field enough to run for 115 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, which allowed the Rams to set a franchise playoff record.

.@TG3II + @cjandersonb22 are EATING. 🍽 Not one, but TWO 💯-yard rushers in a playoff game for the first time in franchise history! pic.twitter.com/T5ONdVNh7d — Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 13, 2019

And, the Anderson-Gurley combo did something no other playoff team had done in six seasons.

Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson are the first players to each rush for over 100 yards in a playoff game for the same team since… wait for it… ready? Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick, six years ago today. https://t.co/hRxbUWB04z — Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) January 13, 2019

Anderson isn’t as fast as Gurley, especially to the outside, but he’s a dominant inside runner, and he works perfectly with an offensive line that blew up Dallas’ defense over and over at the line of scrimmage.

Moreover, Anderson was able to enjoy a quiet moment on the Cowboys’ bench, though he did get a few weight jokes on social media … but when you run like this, it’s OK that you’re a biscuit or two above your ideal.

Now playing left guard for the Dallas Cowboys, C.J. Anderson pic.twitter.com/cOFqPt9xr1 — Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) January 13, 2019

Anderson’s story is one of the most remarkable of the season, and it just goes to show that the best teams focus on what a player can do to help them, as opposed to focusing on what that player isn’t able to accomplish. For the Rams, the Anderson acquisition has paid off in ways nobody could have expected, but kudos to the Rams for identifying the player, maximizing the skill set and creating the opportunity.