The Los Angeles Rams will try to remain undefeated this week as they face a tough road game against the Seattle Seahawks. Despite being the road team, the Rams are listed as 7-point favorites over Seattle.
It’s impossible not to be impressed with the Rams through the first four games of the season. Los Angeles has scored at least 33 points in every game this season with an average margin of victory of more than 18 points. It’s fair to question the schedule they’ve played, especially with three of their four games coming at home. Nevertheless, they were dominant throughout the month of September.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, have won their last two games, doing well to bounce back after losing their first two games. Of course, last week’s win over the 0-4 Cardinals wasn’t particularly impressive, as the Seahawks needed a last-second field goal to escape with a 20-17 win. However, Seattle has the momentum of back-to-back wins as they host the Rams in just their second home game of the season.
Can’t Be Stopped
As mentioned, the Rams have scored at least 33 points in every game this season. Only the Chiefs have scored more points through the first four games of the season. Jared Goff appears to have taken another step forward, as he’s on pace to surpass all of the numbers he put up last season.
The addition of Brandon Cooks has also changed the Los Angeles offense, giving them a more reliable and dangerous deep threat. Goff has also done a brilliant job of distributing the ball equal among Cooks, Robert Woods, and Cooper Kupp.
The question this week is whether the Seahawks stand a chance to slow down the Rams. In past years, this would have been an epic battle, but Seattle’s defense is not what it was in the years surrounding their last Super Bowl title. To be fair, the Seahawks have a top-10 scoring defense and held the Cowboys to 13 points in their one and only home game this season.
However, other than playing the Broncos in Week 1 and conceding 27 points, the Seahawks haven’t seen an offense anywhere close to the level as what they’ll see this week.
Keeping Pace
If the Seattle defense can’t stop the Rams, it’ll be up to Russell Wilson and company to keep pace in a shootout. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, that doesn’t seem likely. The Seahawks have struggled to generate much of a running game this season, which has made it tough for Wilson to use play-action and use his legs to make plays down the field. Instead, Wilson has been sacked 16 times in four games, which is one of the highest rates in football.
The Rams, of course, haven’t been that stout defensively, especially the last two weeks. At times, the Rams have been vulnerable against the run, which is a potential weakness for opposing teams to exploit. However, based on their play early in the season, the Seahawks may not be capable of exploiting that weakness.
Staying Perfect
Even on the road in a hostile environment, it’s tough to bet against the Rams right now. No team has proven they can contain the Los Angeles, so we have to assume the Seahawks can’t either. Seattle’s offense will also struggle to keep up in a shootout. Bet on the Rams -7 to beat the Seahawks.
