Week 10 Friday Focus: Seahawks @ Rams
By: Peyton Schultze
Hi everybody, and a very pleasant Friday to you wherever you may be.
This week, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks (4-4) visit Los Angeles to take on Jared Goff and the Rams (8-1) at the Coliseum (1:25 PM, CBS). Coming off their first loss of the season in which the Rams allowed 45 points, the Rams’ defense has been under major scrutiny over the course of the week, in particular cornerback, Marcus Peters. In fact, in a fiery interview with the media after Thursday’s practice, Peters had this to say about last week’s loss:
“Tell Sean Payton (Saints head coach) to keep talking that s—t. We’ll see him soon. I like what he (Payton) was saying on the sidelines too. Tell him to keep talking that s—t.”
Peters and the corners were the area of the defense in which the Saints flat out attacked during Sunday’s game and Sean Payton told the media following the game that he “loved the matchup between him (Peters) and wide receiver Michael Thomas.” While Payton has been notorious for making opposing teams angry (see: Week 14 matchup between the Saints @ Falcons during the 2017 season), it is very hard to argue with his analysis of the game. Thomas wreaked havoc on the Rams’ defense, totaling 12 receptions, 211 yards, and 1 touchdown. After an offseason full of pickups such as Peters, Aqib Talib, and Ndamukong Suh, the Rams’ defense was projected to take a major leap forward under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. And while the play of Suh and All Pro-talent Aaron Donald has been practically superb, the Rams have shown cracks in recent weeks that could jeopardize their Super Bowl aspirations. For example, let’s look at this play in the 4th quarter of Sunday’s game of the week:
During this play, Peters was still communicating with the rest of the defense for his assignment. However, this was relayed late and Peters was burnt for a touchdown by Thomas, which all but sealed the victory for the Saints. And while this may just be the Rams first loss of the season, this recent trend of poor defensive play is starting to become a glaring hole. Yes, the Rams may very well just be missing their other offseason, Talib (out with an ankle injury). But, if Talib returns and is not the same, while the defense continues to play poorly, how are the Rams supposed to reach their ultimate goal of a Lombardi Trophy? Does anyone really think their defense would stand a chance against the likes of Drew Brees? Carson Wentz? Tom Brady? Maybe even a suddenly accurate Cam Newton? The Rams must perform better on that side of the ball, and especially in the secondary, to avoid playing close games and clean up a huge hole on their team.
Which leads us this week to the game against Seattle. The Seahawks have quietly entered the playoff picture after a poor start to the season and were 6 yards short of a major comeback at home against the red hot Los Angeles Chargers. Even earlier in the season in Week 5, the Seahawks played extremely tough against the Rams and had a chance to give Russell Wilson the ball back with a chance to win before Rams head coach, Sean McVay, opted to go for it on 4th and 1 with a minute left. Todd Gurley converted and essentially sealed the win. In addition to having a usually stout defense (7th in total defense in the NFL), Seattle has had a complete overhaul of their offensive identity. Using a more traditional ground and pound approach similar to that of the early Pete Carroll in Seattle days, the Seahawks have found ways to ease the pressure off of Wilson and the offensive line, which has struggled to pass block for years. However, this does not mean that Wilson will not drop back and sling it when he must, as he has still had an incredibly productive and efficient season (1,791 yards, tied for 7th with 18 TDs). Wilson has been notorious over the course of his career for showing up in big games and it would not be a surprise to see him light up a suddenly fragile Rams’ defense.
Keys to the Game: Establishing the Run and Containing Wilson
Although the Seahawks’ defense has been productive and consistent this year, their biggest hole remains stopping the run. Ranking 21st in the league stopping the run, and with Gurley widely being known as the top running back in the NFL, the Rams must expose this weakness in the Seattle defense. This is where the Rams must attack and set the tone early. It is not expected that this Rams defense will have trouble scoring points on Sunday and Goff, Gurley, and co. should be able to have a nice day. In addition, the Rams must not allow Wilson to take over the game, as he so often has. By limiting him and preventing him from lighting a spark in Seattle’s hopes of a huge win, the Rams must keep Wilson in the pocket and generate pressure on the edges to force him up in the pocket where the huge arms of Suh and Donald will await. Although Peters’ performance may be something to watch, a player that might have to have a big game is newly acquired pass rusher, Dante Fowler, Jr.. If he can build pressure on the edge and pick up a few big sacks that keeps Wilson in the pocket, the Rams should be able to keep the Seahawks offense at bay. One more key thing to watch for: the number of Seahawk fan in the stands. After thousands of Packer fans flooded the Coliseum a few weeks ago, it is expected that Seahawk fans, and their infamous 12th Man, could do the same and cause a bit of trouble for Goff and Gurley.
Prediction: Seahawks (27) - Rams (34)
The Rams may be expected to come out a bit ticked off after last week loss and throttle this Seahawks team. Seattle has been shown to play off pure emotion for years and they may very well come out seeking revenge for their earlier loss in Week 5. However, following recent tragedies in the LA area and very close to the Rams practice facility, the Rams come out with even more of extra juice to put the city on their backs. Gurley has his usual big day, and a big play by Donald will lead the Rams to a hard fought Week 10 win.