Seahawks vs. Rams Game Day

SERIES HISTORY

Thursday’s game is the 37th career meeting between the Seahawks and Rams. Seattle holds a 21-15 series lead, but the Rams have won the previous three games between the teams. That includes a 9-3 victory over the Seahawks during Week 2 — the Rams’ first game in the Los Angeles area since 1994 as the team moved back from St. Louis this year — as well as a 23-17 victory when the teams met at CenturyLink Field last December. The last time Seattle defeated the Rams was a 20-6 home victory in December of 2014.

KEY MATCHUP

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson versus himself

Who is this Russell Wilson?

The Wilson who’s quarterbacked Seattle two of the past three weeks certainly isn’t the Wilson Seahawks fans are used to seeing. Three weeks ago Wilson had a putrid 38.8 passer rating in a 14-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last week it was 43.7 in Seattle’s 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers. In between Wilson had a decent, but not spectacular, day in the Seahawks’ 40-7 trouncing of the Carolina Panthers. By passer rating, the losses were two of the three worst days in Wilson’s five-year professional career. Wilson threw eight interceptions the past three weeks, including a career-high five last week against Green Bay, while he had just two in the previous 10 games.

This from a quarterback who has a 64-25-1 record as a starter and whose career passer rating of 99.0 is the second best in NFL history. So what gives?

Pressure was the main reason for the poor game against the Buccaneers. Seattle was without starting center Justin Britt, who’s been the team’s most consistent performer on the offensive line this season, against Tampa Bay because of an ankle injury. The result was Wilson sacked six times and constantly on the run. That helps explain Wilson’s poor numbers against the Bucs.

But the same doesn’t apply against Green Bay. Though Wilson was sacked three times by the Packers, he wasn’t under nearly as much pressure on a regular basis as he was against Tampa Bay, and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the pass protection was fine against Green Bay.

What makes Wilson’s recent struggles even more puzzling is that they correspond with him getting healthy. Wilson’s legs are a big part of his arsenal, and those legs were not available for much of the season because of ankle and knee injuries suffered early on. Wilson played through the injuries and has gotten healthier as the year progressed, and it was the Tampa Bay game in particular when he finally seemed to be back to his full self as a runner — he had a season-high 80 yards on eight carries in that game.

It all means Wilson’s performance will be under the microscope this week against the Rams, a team that’s given Wilson trouble in the past. The Seahawks need Wilson to bounce back this week, not only to defeat Los Angeles, but to get himself going in the right direction as the postseason draws near.

KEY NUMBER

32 Los Angeles’ offensive rank in both points per game and yards per game, putting the Rams dead last in the NFL in both categories. Los Angeles is managing just 14.9 points per game and 286.2 yards per contest.

IMPORTANT INJURIES

Seahawks — Of the players currently on Seattle’s 53-man roster the Seahawks are in good shape as no starter is on the injury report. Running back C.J. Prosise (shoulder) remains out and won’t be back until the postseason at the earliest, and backup defensive end Damontre Moore (foot) will miss his second straight game. The only other issue involves linebacker Brock Coyle (foot), who will be a game-time decision.

Rams — Los Angeles could have issues on defense. Safety Maurice Alexander (concussion) has been ruled out. Defensive end Robert Quinn (concussion) looked like he would return this week, but has been listed as doubtful, as has cornerback E.J. Gaines (thigh), meaning the Rams may be without three defensive starters.

BREAK IT DOWN

The Seahawks will win if they …

Run, run run. Seattle’s running game, which was a disaster through the first half of the season, has roared back to life as the Seahawks averaged 163.8 yards per game on the ground the past four games behind an invigorated Thomas Rawls. However, in recent defeats Seattle got away from the run game while playing from behind. The Seahawks need to commit to the run, regardless of what the scoreboard shows.

Rediscover their pass rush. Seattle had 31 sacks through its first 10 games. The Seahawks had only one the past three. Last week in particular, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers had all the time he wanted to throw the ball. Seattle needs to find its pass-rushing form from earlier this season, particularly with defensive end Michael Bennett now healthy, and especially with the Rams using untested rookie Jared Goff at quarterback.

Don’t fall for any trick plays. One reason the Rams have had success against Seattle in recent years is because of their ability to execute trick plays, particularly on special teams. Los Angeles special teams coordinator John Fassel is now the interim head coach following Jeff Fisher’s dismissal earlier this week. No doubt Fassel will be tempted to dig into his bag of tricks, and the Seahawks have to be ready.

The Rams will win if they …

Play for their coach. Los Angeles essentially waived the white flag on its season when the Rams fired coach Jeff Fisher on Monday — not long after it was leaked that Fisher had signed a contract extension before the season began. John Fassel takes over as the interim head coach of the 4-9 Rams, and Los Angeles will have to play for Fassel in a manner in which they didn’t for Fisher.

See quarterback Jared Goff grow up in a hurry. Goff, the first-overall pick in this year’s draft, was deemed so unready at the start of the season that he was left inactive for Los Angeles’ opener. The Rams finally handed the reins to Goff four weeks ago, and the results have not been pretty as Goff has a pitiful 65.3 quarterback rating and is 0-4 as a starter. Goff must be improve significantly for Los Angeles to have a chance.

Get pressure on Russell Wilson. The Rams, more than any other team in the NFL, have consistently been able to get to Wilson, sacking Seattle’s quarterback 38 times in the nine times they’ve faced him. Defensive tackle Aaron Donald is arguably the best defensive player in the league, though defensive end Robert Quinn looks like he won’t make it back from his concussion. A consistent pass rush will make it difficult for Wilson to recover from his recent struggles.

PICK

Seahawks 24, Rams 3

Seattle is coming off its worst defeat in the Russell Wilson era, so the Seahawks will be eager to respond and prove last week’s loss to Green Bay was a fluke. It’s also relevant that Seattle’s two bad losses the past three weeks came on the road, and the Seahawks are back home, where they’re a perfect 6-0 this season. Add in the opponent — Los Angeles hasn’t been able to get anything going offensively this season, and the Rams are in turmoil after undergoing a coaching change this week — and it’s a recipe for Seattle to bounce back in a big way.