The Seahawks offense has gone through Russell Wilson all season long as the quarterback is approaching a career-high with 490 pass attempts through 14 games. He’s also carried it 75 times for 475 yards, which are his most in a season since 2017.
Wilson had even more of the offense fall on his shoulders against the Rams in Week 10 when both Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde were sidelined by injuries. Alex Collins and DeeJay Dallas manned the backfield, but Seattle will have Carson and Hyde this weekend in Round 2 against the Rams.
For that reason, Los Angeles expects the Seahawks offense to be much more balanced.
“They do a good job of getting a variety of playmakers involved. Then you look at it since they’ve gotten Carson and Hyde back, they’ve really done a nice job of balancing it out where they’re making you honor the run and the pass,” McVay said Wednesday. “… But being able to get Carson back in the mix and Hyde has really been a big difference and you can see how well they’ve been playing, really all year, but now you add the fact that they can run the football so efficiently, they can beat you in a variety of ways.”
In the first meeting back in Week 10, the Seahawks only ran the ball 13 times with their running backs. Collins carried it 11 times for 43 yards and a touchdown, while Dallas attempted two runs for 8 yards.
They weren’t heavily involved in the passing game, either, catching three passes for 27 yards on five targets combined. Carson and Hyde can have an impact as receivers this weekend, being more involved in the passing game – which is something the Rams have to account for.
“Neither one of those guys were healthy and they are big-time additions,” McVay added. “I’ve always thought Carson is one of the more underrated players in this league. I mean he’s physical, tough, he has great play energy and good contact balance. Carlos Hyde has played really good football for them as well, and he’s had a lot of success in this league. So, I think anytime that you’re a really good offense, which they clearly are – Russell’s done an outstanding job. He’s always been a great competitor, a great player, but to be able to have the two ways that he can beat you, whether it be the run or the pass and make you pay in a variety of ways, is something that’s always really difficult to defend.”
In the last two weeks, the Seahawks have thrown for a total of 357 net yards. On the ground, they’ve rushed for 355 yards, showing how balanced the offense has become with Carson and Hyde back.
Brandon Staley will have to account for the run more in his game plan this week, and like McVay, he acknowledged the difference having Carson and Hyde makes for Seattle.
“I think a lot of it, you’d be surprised what five weeks can do for a team from a personnel-standpoint – injuries and who’s available, who’s active, kind of how their team is taken shape,” Staley said of the differences since Week 10. “I think their team has really taken shape since our game in a little bit of a different way. They’ve got the runners back, Chris Carson is a heck of a running back in this league, someone that has our full respect. Carlos Hyde is a back that I’ve competed against at several other places, who’s really given them a lift. They have that one-two punch going.
“Because of the run game, I think that they’re a much more complete offense than when we first faced them and they’re definitely hitting their stride.”
The game will still most likely fall on Wilson’s shoulders, and if the Rams play him the way they did the first time around, they should win this game; he threw no touchdown passes and two interceptions against the Rams in Week 10.
Stopping this high-powered offense won’t be easy, though, and the Rams are well aware of that entering Week 16.
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