Two teams staring down the barrel of a must-win situation will meet at SoFi Stadium on Sunday as the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams renew their heated rivalry. These two teams split their meetings in 2019, with the Seahawks winning 30-29 in Seattle and the Rams defending their home turf with a 28-12 win.
Everything that could go wrong unfolded for Seattle (6-2) as they lost 44-34 at Buffalo in a game that should not have even been that close. Russell Wilson was a turnover machine with a pair of interceptions and fumbles. This is the second time in the last three games that Wilson has committed at least three turnovers, so the brakes have to be pumped on the MVP conversation.
As for the defense, head coach Pete Carroll said it best in his post-game comments: “I don’t recognize us.” The Seahawks made Josh Allen look like a combination of Patrick Mahomes, Joe Montana, and John Elway on Sunday. The Seahawks allowed Allen to complete 31 of 38 passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns, and the evidence continues to mount that the defense is a broken one. Carroll also needs to strongly think about demoting defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and inserting a new voice to lead the defense moving forward.
Los Angeles (5-3) is coming off of a bye week and will be looking to bounce back from a 28-17 loss against the surging Miami Dolphins. Jared Goff was not good enough, as he completed 35 of 61 passes for 355 yards, one touchdown, and two costly interceptions. The defense did its job against Miami by limiting the Dolphins to 145 total yards and kept Tua Tagovailoa in check — 12-of-22 passing for 93 yards and a touchdown — in his first NFL start as. Aaron Donald (9.0 sacks) collected the one lone sack for the defensive line against Miami, and that is one area that will need to pick back up this week since getting pressure on Wilson will be crucial to winning.
Seattle at Los Angeles
Kickoff: Sunday, Nov. 15 at 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Rams -1.5
Three Things to Watch
1. How will Mr. Unlimited respond against the Rams defense?
Russell Wilson has his back against the wall in the MVP race. The Rams have tended to give him problems, too, as they are 7-3 in the last 10 matchups with the Seahawks, and his career 97.5 passer rating against them is five points below his overall mark. Wilson was not very good in the last meeting against the Rams in 2019 when Seattle only managed 12 points and 245 passing yards. And it’s a stone-cold lock that Wilson will get nonstop heat from the defensive front of Los Angeles, which sitting fifth in the NFL with 3.1 sacks per game.
That means Wilson will have to be at his best with his decision making; hesitation throwing the football will not be an option on Sunday. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer can help Wilson by getting him going early with some quick, aggressive passes to get the Rams on their heels. This will be easier said than done for Wilson since the Rams have…
Read More: Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams Prediction and Preview 2020-11-13 22:00:00