Week 16 features a matchup of the NFC West’s best with first place on the line as the Los Angeles Rams travel to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
The Rams are looking to find a way to bounce back from their embarrassing loss to the New York Jets a week ago while the Seahawks have a score to settle and are going to do all they can to fend off their divisional rival with playoff implications on the line.
Rams Offense Vs. Seahawks Defense
The Rams’ offense is coming off another woeful performance that saw them struggle to get anything going until the second half when it was already too late. They will now be without rookie running back Cam Akers after suffering a knee injury during the 23-20 loss to the Jets.
The onus will fall on the 1-2 punch of Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown to take the pressure off quarterback Jared Goff in the backfield.
Seattle’s pass rush has managed to kick things up a notch in the second half of the 2020 NFL season. They managed to bring Goff down three times during their first matchup in Week 10 and will surely be looking to replicate their success this time around.
Rams Defense Vs. Seahawks Offense
The Rams’ defense endured a subpar performance by their elite standards last week and will surely be looking to make up for it. They have good reason to be confident considering they managed to sack quarterback Russell Wilson a whopping six times at SoFi Stadium.
However, the Seahawks’ offensive line has done a much better job of protecting Wilson after holding teams to zero sacks over the last two games. The recent return of running back Rashaad Penny should provide another spark to this talented backfield that already features Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde.
A big storyline of the first meeting between these two teams was Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey shadowing Seahawks star receiver DK Metcalf as essentially shutting him down. While Ramsey wouldn’t say whether he will be doing the same this week, there is a good chance that will be the case since it brought so much success for the Rams.
Keys To Victory
Keep Goff Comfortable
By now, it is safe to say that there are certain conditions that must be met in order for Goff to successfully find and maintain his rhythm. Teams that are capable of generating consistent pressure have given this offense the most problems and the Seahawks definitely fit the billing.
The Rams are at their best when they are able to establish an effective balance on offense and the only way to do that is for Goff to keep them honest with his arm like he did with his 302 passing yards last time. McVay’s play-calling and the performance of the offensive line will likely prove to be the deciding factor in which team takes control of the division.
Win Time Of Possession Battle
Seattle has shown that they do not need a big game from Wilson in order to secure the victory as evidenced by last week’s win over Washington. His season-low 121 passing yards was offset by the team’s 181 rushing yards on 7.0 yards per carry.
L.A. lost the possession battle to New York by a whopping eight minutes and thirty seconds. Look for their opponent to follow a similar blueprint this time by using their ground game as a controlling factor.
