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COMMENTARY | On Sunday, December 30, the St. Louis Rams (7-7-1) will face the Seattle Seahawks (10-5) with a chance to earn a winning season for the first time since 2003. However, the Seahawks have their own reasons to win this game. The team will take the NFC West title with a victory and a San Francisco 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Both clubs have improved since the Rams beat the Seahawks 19-13 on September 30. In particular, Seattle’s Russell Wilson has developed into one of the league’s best young quarterbacks. He threw four touchdown passes in last Sunday’s 42-13 blowout victory over the 49ers. Wilson is one of the main reasons the Seahawks have averaged 50 points per game in their last three outings.
Meanwhile, the Rams can’t be overlooked despite the fact that the Seahawks have been peaking both offensively and defensively. The Rams are 4-0-1 in the NFC West this season and have won four of their last five games. They don’t have a lot of depth on both sides of the ball, but they do have enough skill players to give the Seahawks some problems.
If the Rams have any chance of beating Seattle and finishing above .500, they have to succeed with these three keys to the game:
Pressure Russell Wilson
The resurgence of the Rams’ defense is the main reason why the team is 7-7-1 this season, and much of the credit for that belongs to the defensive line. Defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn have been dominant on the edges while defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford have drastically improved the team in the trenches.
These four players have formed one of the most dangerous defensive lines in the NFL. They are the main reason why the Rams are third in the league with 46 sacks. If the defensive line can pressure Wilson, it should be able to force the young quarterback into making some mistakes with the football.
Run the football
This might be Steven Jackson’s last game with the Rams. He is expected to test the free agent market this offseason, and it appears that the team will be moving forward without him. With that in mind, I expect Jackson and his offensive line to leave it all on the field this Sunday. It won’t be easy. The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the league against the run, but if the Rams can somehow establish the ground game, their chances of winning will increase dramatically. By controlling time of possession, St. Louis would keep Wilson and star running back Marshawn Lynch off the field.
The fundamentals
This is going to be the toughest task of all. The Rams have consistently shot themselves in the foot this season with stupid penalties on both sides of the football. In particular, the offensive line has had multiple big plays called back for holding. It has also had a penchant for false starts in the red zone. If the offense can eliminate most of these penalties, we could see a Rams’ upset this Sunday.
Prediction
I believe that the Rams will put pressure on Wilson. I also believe that the St. Louis running game will have a solid day against the Seahawks. However, I simply don’t have any faith in the Rams to avoid the silly penalties that have cost them throughout this season. St. Louis will give Seattle a game, but the Seahawks will take this 27-17.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, GatewayMMA.com and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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COMMENTARY | On Sunday, December 30, the St. Louis Rams (7-7-1) will face the Seattle Seahawks (10-5) with a chance to earn a winning season for the first time since 2003. However, the Seahawks have their own reasons to win this game. The team will take the NFC West title with a victory and a San Francisco 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Both clubs have improved since the Rams beat the Seahawks 19-13 on September 30. In particular, Seattle’s Russell Wilson has developed into one of the league’s best young quarterbacks. He threw four touchdown passes in last Sunday’s 42-13 blowout victory over the 49ers. Wilson is one of the main reasons the Seahawks have averaged 50 points per game in their last three outings.
Meanwhile, the Rams can’t be overlooked despite the fact that the Seahawks have been peaking both offensively and defensively. The Rams are 4-0-1 in the NFC West this season and have won four of their last five games. They don’t have a lot of depth on both sides of the ball, but they do have enough skill players to give the Seahawks some problems.
If the Rams have any chance of beating Seattle and finishing above .500, they have to succeed with these three keys to the game:
Pressure Russell Wilson
The resurgence of the Rams’ defense is the main reason why the team is 7-7-1 this season, and much of the credit for that belongs to the defensive line. Defensive ends Chris Long and Robert Quinn have been dominant on the edges while defensive tackles Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford have drastically improved the team in the trenches.
These four players have formed one of the most dangerous defensive lines in the NFL. They are the main reason why the Rams are third in the league with 46 sacks. If the defensive line can pressure Wilson, it should be able to force the young quarterback into making some mistakes with the football.
Run the football
This might be Steven Jackson’s last game with the Rams. He is expected to test the free agent market this offseason, and it appears that the team will be moving forward without him. With that in mind, I expect Jackson and his offensive line to leave it all on the field this Sunday. It won’t be easy. The Seahawks are one of the best teams in the league against the run, but if the Rams can somehow establish the ground game, their chances of winning will increase dramatically. By controlling time of possession, St. Louis would keep Wilson and star running back Marshawn Lynch off the field.
The fundamentals
This is going to be the toughest task of all. The Rams have consistently shot themselves in the foot this season with stupid penalties on both sides of the football. In particular, the offensive line has had multiple big plays called back for holding. It has also had a penchant for false starts in the red zone. If the offense can eliminate most of these penalties, we could see a Rams’ upset this Sunday.
Prediction
I believe that the Rams will put pressure on Wilson. I also believe that the St. Louis running game will have a solid day against the Seahawks. However, I simply don’t have any faith in the Rams to avoid the silly penalties that have cost them throughout this season. St. Louis will give Seattle a game, but the Seahawks will take this 27-17.
Derek Ciapala has been following the Rams since childhood. He has been published on Yahoo! Sports, GatewayMMA.com and multiple other websites. You can check him out on Facebook or Twitter @dciapala.
(Originally published on Yahoo! Sports)
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