Since Sean McVay took over as head coach of the Rams in 2017, only two teams have scored more points than Los Angeles: Kansas City and New Orleans. He’s completely turned around what was once the worst offense in football, not only elevating the play of Jared Goff, but making the Rams one of the toughest offenses to defend.
The Seahawks have had a ton of trouble with McVay’s offense in the last three years, only slowing down the Rams once – which came in their first meeting in 2017. In five of their six meetings, the Rams have scored at least 28 points against the Seahawks, with that 2017 game being the only exception; they lost that one 16-10.
Los Angeles is 4-2 against the Seahawks since McVay took over, and in their last five games against them, the Rams have outscored Seattle 168-111.
As tough as the Rams have been for Seattle to stop, that’s unlikely to change on Sunday, either. The Seahawks are 30th in points allowed and last in total defense, allowing 362 passing yards per game – which is 51 yards more than any other team in the Super Bowl era has allowed per game.
McVay isn’t overlooking Seattle’s defense, saying the Seahawks defense will still be a challenge for L.A.
“I think the season’s been up and down. I know that certainly being able to look at us, that’s the exciting part of the second half of the season,” he said Monday. “I don’t know that you’d say weakness – I think Buffalo did some good things, but then when you watch the film from the previous week, they played excellent and outstanding against the 49ers. So, we know this team too well to take anything for granted. I know Coach Carroll and (defensive coordinator) Coach (Ken) Norton will have these guys ready to roll. They still have Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams that they added — getting him back for the first time since Week 3, you feel his presence. Then adding Carlos Dunlap, I think it’s a big boost to them. They have good players, they have a great system, and it’s going to be a challenge for us.”
Jared Goff struggled in his last outing against the Dolphins in Week 8, but this is the perfect opportunity to get back on track. No team has allowed more passing yards or touchdowns than the Seahawks, and only three teams have a worse yards-per-attempt average than Seattle.
McVay can talk up this defense as much as he wants, but it would be a surprise if the Rams didn’t score at least 27 points on Sunday.
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