NFC Game Of The Week
Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams
Seahawks: They looked soft on Sunday. Honestly, there’s no other way I can put it. Before the season started, the Seattle Seahawks were the pick of many to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. The talent is there without question. You have a top-three quarterback, an above-average ground attack, and a duo of receivers who go and get the ball in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. What’s holding this group back is their defense. For those of you reading this, do you remember a time when the Legion of Boom led defense gave up 44 points in a game? I’ll answer for you, you can’t! There’s no urgency, intensity nor tackling from this unit. Even when you look at their record, they aren’t blowing teams out either. There’s not that “stand out win”. They’ll be in LA on Sunday for a bounceback win.
Rams: The last time they played, they were physically dominated at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. Their gameplan was simple. Bottle up the running attack, make it difficult for Cooper Kupp to get open, and make Jared Goff take the game over with his arm. He was forced to throw the football a total of 61 times. The Rams offense thrives off balance. When they’re able to consistently run the football, everything else will open up for them. They won’t win games with Jared throwing the ball a certain amount of times. At 5-3, the Rams are still in the thick of this NFC West divisional race. The defense once again has carried them through so far. Aaron just continues to amaze me. He’s the closest thing to John Randle. The bye is over, it’s time to resume play.
Seahawks X-Factor: Tyler Lockett– He’s just as important to this offense as D.K. is. When Russ needs a for sure target, this is who he’s getting the football too. Tyler is so quick that he can get down the field to take the top off a coverage. He finds ways to sneak up the field.
Rams X-Factor: Tyler Higbee– I like his role within the Rams offense. Without the ball in his hands, he’s a solid blocker when the Rams run the football down the field. As a receiver, Jared targets him in different ways. They run a lot of bootlegs and he gets the ball. He’s also a target in the red area.
Final Thoughts: This is a huge game in the division. Both these teams are looking to get back on track. If I’m the Rams, pay attention to Jamal Adams. In the box, he’s great. But in coverage, he struggles. I’d look to exploit that weakness with passes in his direction. Furthermore, I’m looking to see how Russell bounces back. This will come down to the fourth quarter.
Prediction: Seahawks 31 Rams 29
