NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams travel to the Emerald City to face the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. The Rams are looking to make it 3 straight wins following their exciting 41-34 victory over the Detroit Lions that clinched a playoff spot. The Seahawks are looking to make it 5 straight wins following their 18-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams are battling for not only first place in the NFC West, but the #1 overall seed and home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
In their first meeting this season, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was held to 130 passing yards by the tough Seahawks defense. Seattle was able to disrupt passing schemes that Rams head coach Sean McVay likes to run. Stafford, for the most part, was to hit receivers underneath the Seahawks’ coverage, with a long reception of 23 yards. WR Davante Adams was held to 1 reception for 1 yard, though that reception was one of the two touchdown passes Stafford threw in that game. Stafford may be without Adams on Thursday as he suffered a hamstring injury in the game against Detroit. After the game, Coach McVay said the injury did not look good. It is possible Adams may not play the rest of the regular season, and the training staff will work with Adams to have him ready for the playoffs.
With Adams out, the Seahawks defense will look to contain WR Puka Nacua. Against the Lions, Nacua had 9 receptions and a career high 181 receiving yards. Knowing the Seahawks are going to focus on Nacua, the Rams offense has adopted the next man up mantra with their WR room. Look for Tutu Atwell to start in place of Adams, with Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield seeing more playing time. TE Colby Parkinson has been a huge factor in the Rams’ passing game since TE Tyler Higbee was placed on IR. Higbee is eligible to come off IR this week, though the team has not announced whether he will play against Seattle. Look for Parkinson, Davis, Allen, and Terrance Ferguson to be part of the Rams’ passing game against the Seahawks.
The key to the Rams’ offense against Seattle will be their running game. The Rams followed up the 249 rushing yards against the Arizona Cardinals with 159 yards against the Lions. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combined for 149 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. The Rams have been alternating Williams and Corum in the backfield. This helps to keep both running backs fresher later in the game. Look for Coach McVay to go to the running game early with both Williams and Corum getting about 10-15 touches each.
In their first matchup, the Rams defense was able to force 4 interceptions by Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and held him without a touchdown pass. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba accounted for 105 receiving yards on 9 receptions. AJ Barner added 10 receptions for 70 yards. The Seahawks offense will look to attack a Rams secondary that allowed 326 passing yards to the Lions, with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams accounting for 298 receiving yards. Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will look to devise a game plan to limit the productivity of Smith-Njigba. One way the Rams can do this is by putting pressure on Darnold. Though they did not sack him in the first game, the Rams’ pass rush was able to put pressure on him and force him into making poor passes. The Rams’ pass rush will look to bring pressure from the outside, led by Jared Verse and Byron Young, and force him to step up in the pocket towards the Rams’ interior pass rush.
The Seahawks were able to rush for 135 yards against the Rams in their first meeting. The Rams will look for performance that limited the Lions to only 70 yards rushing. The Seahawks will look to get Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet going with the running game early in the game to keep the Rams defense honest. The Rams’ defense will look to limit the Seahawks’ running game. To do this, the Rams’ defensive line will need to get off its blocks and close up the inside running lanes. The edge rushers will need to maintain outside discipline to prevent the Seahawks’ backs from getting to the perimeter.
All season; Thursday night football has had interesting outcomes. The Seahawks fan base is going to be fired up from the opening kickoff. Look for the Rams to use a silent count all night to counter the noise they will hear. Both teams are gunning for the top spot in both the NFC West and the overall top spot in the NFC. Look for the Rams to make 3 straight in a hard-fought battle between two excellent teams.
