NFC West grudge match
It seems that when the Seattle Seahawks and St Louis Rams meet, it is almost always a close game. Although Seattle has completely dominated St Louis the last few seasons, it manages to stay close with each team’s record being thrown out the window. This week, the rivalry is renewed in their first meeting in a 4 week span.
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Both teams seem to have been decimated by injury which makes this match-up all the more interesting. With Seattle’s offensive line missing it’s 2 rookie starters (James Carpenter and John Moffitt, both went on IR this week) on the right side, Seattle’s run game could see a decline just as it was getting started.
The Rams on the other hand, have had 9 CB’s put on IR this season, a mind boggling number.
The good news for Seattle, though, is that the Seahawks officially announced all 3 players who left last week’s game vs the Ravens (Sidney Rice, Doug Baldwin, Kam Chancellor) are going to be able to return for this game. That should make the game a lot more competitive for the Seahawks, who have a favorable schedule for the rest of this season.
The key to this for the Seahawks is getting the offense going, somehow, some way. It has been very up and down all season and some consistency would not hurt, especially with the stretch of teams the Seahawks have left to face. The running game will need to keep going despite losing their young linemen.
Red Bryant will be instrumental in stuffing the Rams running game.
Mike Williams needs to see more passes his way and Doug Baldwin needs more opportunities as well. You would think leading the team in receptions and yards would warrant more targets, but that does not seem to be the case.
Zach Miller may be a good blocker, but he is also an exceptional receiver and needs to see more offensive looks.
The defense should be stout as always, with Kam Chancellor returning from his injury, the secondary will be ready to go. With Earl Thomas and Chancellor, coupled with the aggressive play of cornerbacks Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman, the big hits will keep coming, hopefully without the fines.
The keys each week seem to be similar, but the Seahawks really do need to get the offense going and get it going early on.
Stopping Steven Jackson should be a big priority for Red Bryant and company, but keeping the Rams receivers at bay should not be a tough task for our nasty defense. If Chris Clemons, Raheem Brock and some of our linebackers can stay in their quarterback’s face often, the turnover game should swing in favor of the Seahawks, too.
This game should not be overlooked no matter how bad either team may look. This is a grudge match and each time these 2 teams play, it always seems to be closer than it should be. Rivalry games are that way and this rivalry isn’t going to die out anytime soon.
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