The Los Angeles Rams get a chance to make up for an ugly loss when they take on the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football this week. The Rams fell at home to Tampa Bay, 55-40, giving Los Angeles its first loss of the season, while the Seahawks come into Thursday’s contest off an easy 27-10 victory at Arizona.
Both of these teams are currently tied for second place in the NFC West behind the 3-0 San Francisco 49ers, who had a bye last weekend. Though a loss in this game won’t knock one of these two teams out of the race for the division crown, it will give them a loss within the division, which could be key with such a potentially close race for the division and a playoff spot.
The moneyline for this contest has the Los Angeles Rams +100 and the Seattle Seahawks -120. Seattle is favored by one point at home, while the over/under for the game has been set at 49.5.
Reality Check
Los Angeles had gone unbeaten in its first three games, though two of the wins were by seven points or less, but they had a wakeup call against the Buccaneers, who never trailed in winning on the road. Jared Goff had 517 yards passing but threw three interceptions and threw 68 passes in the loss. Todd Gurley had just 16 yards on only five carries, as the Rams gained just 28 total yards on the ground, something that must change going forward.
Defensively, the Rams must be better if they’re going to get back to the Super Bowl again this season. Tampa Bay had 464 total yards, and Los Angeles currently ranks 26th in the league, allowing 26 points per game. For a team with Aaron Donald on the roster, the Rams’ defense — especially against the pass — should be better so that the offense can try to get the running game going and not feel pressure to go to the air too often.
Getting By
The Seahawks had their easiest game of the season last week, beating Arizona by 17 points, but prior to that, they had two wins by a total of three points. The Seahawks rely on quarterback Russell Wilson to make plays, and he’s been doing that so far this season, throwing for 1,141 yards and eight touchdowns without being intercepted. He’s also Seattle’s second-leading rusher, going for 88 yards and a team-high two rushing scores. The Seahawks must protect their franchise quarterback at all costs against a Rams team that will be bringing a lot of pressure.
Seattle ranks eighth in the league in yards allowed, giving up 319 per game. Linebacker Bobby Wagner continues to be the focus of the Seahawks’ defense, ranking third in the league with 45 tackles, including three for a loss. Seattle has 10 sacks on the season, with Mychal Kendricks, Quinton Jefferson and Rasheem Green each recording two. The Seahawks are looking for a breakout performance by Jadeveon Clowney, though so far he has just six tackles for his new team.
Rams Get Road Win
Seattle has a nice record so far, though its three wins have come against teams that have a grand total of one win. In the Seahawks’ biggest game of the season, at home against New Orleans, they suffered their only loss. They’ll get their second loss in this one, as the Rams are certainly ready to rebound from their first setback. I’m taking Los Angeles +1 to win outright over its NFC West rival.
