Tag: Seattle Seahawks vs Los Angeles Rams

3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks offense vs. Rams in Week 18

3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks offense vs. Rams in Week 18

The Seattle Seahawks will conclude their 2024 season against their NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Week 18. Several of Ryan Grubb’s offensive starters possess financial and historical-based reasons to put their best effort forward despite already being eliminated from playoff contention. With that in mind, we’ve compiled three bold predictions for the offense.

Geno Smith makes $6 million in incentives

Starting quarterback Geno Smith can earn an additional $6 million via incentives, which would be tacked onto his March roster bonus, if he reaches several statistical achievements. That’s on the higher end of achievable incentives. Smith could earn $2 million for a 10th Seahawks victory, $2 million for reaching 4,282 passing yards (he needs 185), and another $2 million for finishing at 69.7555% completion rate or higher (he’s at 70.2359%).

Jaxon Smith-Njigba shatters Tyler Lockett’s single-season record

Sophomore wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is four receptions away (96) from equaling Tyler Lockett’s single-season receptions record (100). Smith-Njigba can sit atop the leaderboard with five catches, one fewer than his per-game average (six). Expect JSN to etch his name in the Seahawks’ record books on Sunday.

Tyler Lockett scores a TD in his potential final game as a Seahawk

Speaking of Lockett, the franchise legend will potentially be playing in his final game with the Seahawks on Sunday. That’s tough to stomach, but Lockett has expressed interest in continuing his career next season, but his cap charge is unfathomably scheduled at $30.8 million, and GM John Schneider could create significant financial flexibility by releasing him. Look for Grubb to try and get the veteran into the end zone in case this is his final hurrah with the organization that drafted him in 2015.

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3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks defense vs. Rams in Week 18

3 Bold Predictions for Seahawks defense vs. Rams in Week 18

The Seattle Seahawks will conclude their 2024 season against their NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in Week 18. Mike Macdonald’s defense will possess an opportunity to play against a Rams offense featuring mostly backups. Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford is among the starters expected to rest for the postseason. With that in mind, we’ve compiled three bold predictions for the defense.

Leonard Williams reaches 10 sacks

Dominant defensive linemen Leonard Williams has recorded a team-high nine sacks to date. The Seahawks haven’t had a double-digit sack artist since 2018. Williams will end that drought with one more quarterback takedown. He’ll be hunting backup Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo all afternoon long.

Jimmy Garoppolo is intercepted twice

Speaking of Garoppolo, he’s a turnover-prone quarterback. The veteran will also be rusty entering Sunday, making his first start of the campaign. That’s a bad combination. Look for Macdonald’s opportunistic defense to take advantage of his eagerness. Devon Witherspoon and Coby Bryant could celebrate their Pro Bowl success by intercepting Garoppolo.

Rams are held to one touchdown

Sean McVay’s offense will likely struggle with reserves at the helm of most positions. Seattle’s defense improved drastically as the campaign progressed forward, with contributors like Ernest Jones IV leading the way. The Rams shouldn’t score more than one touchdown against a hungry Seahawks defense anxious to conclude the campaign on the appropriate note.

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Seahawks QB Geno Smith can join historic club in Week 18

Seahawks QB Geno Smith can join historic club in Week 18

Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Geno Smith has plenty of incentive to play against the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s Week 18 regular-season finale despite the team already being eliminated from postseason contention. Smith could earn an extra $6 million in contract escalators by meeting certain achievements. It turns out he’s also chasing history.

Smith has been extremely accurate for the Seahawks this season. The former West Virginia standout has completed 70.2 percent of his passing attempts through 17 weeks. If Smith maintains that number following Sunday’s game with the Rams, he’ll become the 19th quarterback in NFL history with a 70% completion percentage in an NFL season, per Seahawks PR. Interestingly enough, Tua Tagovailoa, Baker Mayfield, and Jared Goff are also chasing the same accomplishment.

Smith currently ranks fourth in the league in completion percentage, minimum qualifiers included, trailing just the aforementioned three quarterbacks. Smith also ranks fifth in passing yards with 4,097. He’s 16th in quarterback rating among full-time starters. The ex first-round pick has thrown 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for the Seahawks this season.

Smith is slated to enter a contract year in 2025. The veteran’s season-long performance isn’t the reason the Seahawks are missing the postseason. Smith possesses an abundance of reasons to play effectively against the Rams on Sunday.

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Seahawks could end 3-year drought with win over Rams in Week 18

Seahawks could end 3-year drought with win over Rams in Week 18

The Seattle Seahawks unfortunately won’t be playing a meaningful game versus the Los Angeles Rams in Sunday’s Week 18 regular season finale. The Seahawks were officially eliminated from postseason contention after the Washington Commanders defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime on Sunday Night Football. That doesn’t mean Seattle doesn’t have something worthwhile playing for, however.

The 9-7 Seahawks haven’t enjoyed a double-digit winning season since going 12-4 in 2020. They followed up that achievement with a lackluster 7-10 campaign in 2021, and then went 9-8 in consecutive campaigns, Pete Carroll’s final seasons in charge. Winning a 10th contest on Sunday would signal legitimate progress for the Seahawks. Furthermore, they’d equal the Rams’ record. It’d be a minor victory, but it’d prove they’re not far off from this year’s NFC West division champion.

The Seahawks appointed Mike Macdonald as head coach because the organization felt they’d reached their ceiling under Carroll. Matching Carroll’s records of 9-8 in 2022 and 2023 wouldn’t necessarily signal the progress Seattle set out to achieve this season, even though a winning campaign should be considered a success for a first-year head coach like Macdonald. But winning that 10th game would deliver tangible progress.

Baby steps, as the Seahawks attempt to resonate with a season that ultimately concluded in disappointment.

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Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks players on defense vs. Rams

Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks players on defense vs. Rams

The Seattle Seahawks were defeated 26-20 by the Los Angeles Rams in overtime on Sunday. The defense forced the Rams offensive into seven three-and-outs and limited them to 366 total yards of offense. Pro Football Focus had the following three Seahawks defenders as their highest-graded talents on that side of the ball versus the Rams.

Ernest Jones IV | 83.4

Ernest Jones IV was PFF’s fifth-highest graded linebacker in Week 9. He scored even better as a run defender, earning a third-highest 85.7. Jones IV recorded five pressures, three stops, and two pressures. The sideline-to-sideline linebacker has been an excellent addition to the defense following his acquisition in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.

Boye Mafe | 73.4

Boye Mafe has been a steady performer all campaign long. The 2022 second-round selection accumulated two quarterback pressures and two tackles versus the Rams. Mafe was also a force multiplier as a run defender, scoring a steady 73.4 in the run defense department.

Devon Witherspoon | 73.3

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon was credited with allowing five receptions on eight targets for 52 receiving yards against Matthew Stafford. His overall defensive grade of 73.3 was his third-best individually graded game of the season. Witherspoon has yet to allow a touchdown catch this year. He’s allowing just 8.7 yards per catch in 2024.

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Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks players on offense vs. Rams

Pro Football Focus’ 3 highest-graded Seahawks players on offense vs. Rams

The Seattle Seahawks were defeated 26-20 by the Los Angeles Rams in overtime on Sunday. The offense gained 20 first downs and accumulated 424 total yards in a losing effort. Pro Football Focus had the following three Seahawks players as their highest-graded talents versus the Rams.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 92.5

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba enjoyed the best game of his young career on Sunday. The sophomore wideout produced seven receptions for 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a late fourth-quarter score that sent the game to overtime. Smith-Njigba was PFF’s second-highest graded receiver of the week, trailing just Zay Flowers (94.5).

Geno Smith | 76.2

Starting quarterback Geno Smith endured a rollercoaster of a performance. The veteran signal caller completed 21-of-34 passing attempts for 363 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. PFF ranked Smith highly despite him committing multiple turnovers. He was sacked seven times, and likely earned brownie points for performing behind a lackluster offensive line.

Charles Cross | 75.8

Speaking of that offensive line, franchise left tackle Charles Cross was the lone standout performer. Cross was credited with allowing just three pressures and zero sacks in pass protection. The former Mississippi State standout has been outstanding all season long. Seattle’s underwhelming offensive line requires more players of his caliber.

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Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba posted career-highs in Week 9 loss to Rams

Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba posted career-highs in Week 9 loss to Rams

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was outstanding in Sunday’s 26-20 Week 9 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Smith-Njigba recorded seven receptions on 13 targets for 180 receiving yards and two touchdowns. It represented the most single-game receiving yards of JSN’s career. The seven catches were his third-most in a single appearance, and it was his first career multi-score game.

Smith-Njigba average depth of target (aDoT) of 20.3 yards was easily the highest of his career, according to Establish The Run’s Adam Levitan. It’s especially notable because JSN’s aDoT last season was just 6.4 yards under previous offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Sunday’s performance showcased some much-needed growth as Geno Smith peppered JSN with deep targets.

Smith-Njigba entered Sunday with an average depth of target of 8.2, significantly higher than last season’s 6.4. That number (8.2) will further increase once Sunday’s data is implemented to his season-long totals. There have been some disappointing metrics as well. Smith-Njigba also went into the game versus the Rams averaging fewer yards per route run (1.22), yards per target (6.3), yards per reception (9.0), and yards after catch per reception (4.5) than last season.

Sunday’s performance was JSN’s second 100-yard showing of the campaign after failing to reach triple-digit receiving yards in any game as a rookie. It also highlighted that offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is still learning how to best-utilize Smith-Njigba’s skill set. Sunday’s showing was a positive step in the appropriate direction.

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Seahawks defense enjoyed historical success vs. Rams offense in Week 9

Seahawks defense enjoyed historical success vs. Rams offense in Week 9

The Seattle Seahawks lost a heartbreaker, dropping Sunday’s Week 9 NFC West contest versus the Los Angeles Rams 26-20 in overtime. The Rams managed 26 points, 22 first downs, and gained 366 total yards of offense. Most notably, starting quarterback Matthew Stafford strung together an 83-yard game-winning drive via four plays in overtime after taking over possession following a failed Seahawks’ fourth down.

Seattle’s defense may have crumbled when it mattered most, but head coach Mike Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde gave their offense plenty of opportunities throughout the game. The Seahawks forced seven Rams drives to end in three-and-out. That only happened in one of 115 (0.87%) previous games since Sean McVay became the Rams’ head coach, according to data collected by Brian Nemhauser.

The Seahawks out-gained the Rams 424-366. McVay’s offense punted (8) more than Seattle (7) did, and the time of possession was near dead-even, with Seattle owning the slight advantage, 32:53 to 32:10. The Rams converted just 3-of-13 third-down attempts.

Seattle’s defense unfortunately wavered with the contest on the line, and that must be addressed by Macdonald and Durde. But they also enjoyed a historical amount of success against a McVay-led offense throughout the contest. It shouldn’t go unnoticed.

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Seahawks CB Riq Woolen consistently forces turnovers vs. Rams

Seahawks CB Riq Woolen consistently forces turnovers vs. Rams

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen endured an up-and-down performance in Sunday’s heartbreaking Week 9 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Rams. Woolen was borderline outstanding for four quarters, but overtime welcomed some difficulties. He missed a potential interception opportunity, was whistled for pass interference, and was beaten in coverage for the game-winning touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Demarcus Robinson.

Woolen also intercepted Stafford in the second quarter when the Seahawks were nursing a 6-3 lead. The Seahawks took the ensuing possession for seven, with Geno Smith finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 24-yard touchdown pass. It was a critical turnover going into halftime.

It was also Woolen’s third career interception in five regular-season appearances versus the Rams.

Last season, as a sophomore, Woolen picked off Stafford in a tight-knit 17-16 defeat. As a fifth-round rookie in 2022, Woolen recorded a campaign-high seven tackles and an interception in a 27-23 early December victory over the Rams. He consistently locates the football versus the Rams.

Woolen plays the cornerback position with a red-hot motor and a sense of competitiveness and aggression. It occasionally leads to the lackluster reps he endured in overtime, including the defensive pass interference penalty. It’s also worth remembering it leads to big-time interceptions against division rivals like the Rams. Woolen isn’t Seattle’s problem.

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Can Seahawks trust OT George Fant to stay healthy?

Can Seahawks trust OT George Fant to stay healthy?

The Seattle Seahawks activated offensive tackle George Fant off injured reserve (IR) ahead of Sunday’s Week 9 showdown versus their NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams. Fant was active for the first time since Week 1, when he suffered a knee injury in the regular-season opener. He opened Sunday’s contest as the starting right tackle, replacing rookie Mike Jerrell.

Fant unfortunately suffered another knee injury in the overtime defeat to the Rams. The veteran blocker exited the game and did not return. Jerrell replaced him and played the majority of snaps on Seattle’s offensive line.

Fant only managed 17 offensive snaps before re-injuring the leg that landed him on IR in September. Jerrell played the remaining 63 snaps on offense. Seattle’s offensive line was totally ineffective once again, with starting quarterback Geno Smith under constant duress from the Rams’ offensive line, leading to seven sacks for the defense.

Assuming Fant’s season isn’t over, the Seahawks unfortunately can’t rely on his availability for the rest of the season. Ideally, presumed starting right tackle Abe Lucas, who has been practicing lately, is getting closer to being activated from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Otherwise, Jerrell will likely serve as the starting right tackle against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11 when the Seahawks return from their bye week.

Fant simply can’t be relied on.

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