Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
Sans Jeff Fisher for the first time in the 2016 NFL season, the Los Angeles Rams visit CenturyLink Field to battle Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football in NFL Week 15.
On Monday, the team fired Fisher and replaced him on an interim basis with special teams coach John Fassel. After starting 3-1 and beating the Seahawks in Week 2, the Rams have gone 1-8 and looked much worse than that at times.
Despite their record, the Rams have been a thorn in the Seahawks’ side the past two seasons. They are one of the few teams in the league that isn’t intimidated by playing in Seattle. In fact, the Rams beat the Seahawks twice last season. 34-31 in Seattle and 23-17 at home.
Here are the keys to the game for each team.
Rams Keys to Victory
1. Pass Protection: Jared Goff has been hit a lot in the past three games. If the Rams want him to improve the rest of this season or finish the season for that matter, they must do a better job of protecting him. That’s easier said than done with Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Frank Clark on the other side. Look for the Rams to use more max protections and release their running backs on check downs.
2. Get Gurley Going: Todd Gurley has had a disappointing sophomore season. The Rams coaching staff has three games left to get him going and help him build momentum going into 2017. There is a good chance Gurley gets 30 carries in this game.
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3. Generate Turnovers: The Rams have had success against the Seahawks the past two seasons because they force turnovers. The Rams offense needs all of the extra possessions they can get. Forcing turnovers is the only way the Rams can stay in this game.
Seahawks Keys to Victory
1. Protect the Football: Russell Wilson threw five interceptions last week. He needs to make better decisions with the ball in this game. Wilson cannot force the ball into coverage like he did last week. There is no doubt that Wilson is pressing and he is making mistakes as a result. He needs to do a much better job of taking care of the football.
2. Get Off to a Fast Start Offensively: The Seahawks are at their best offensively when they play at a fast pace out of the gate. It allows Wilson to get into a rhythm. The Seahawks need to spread the Rams out, put together a good opening drive, score first and force the Rams to play from behind. Los Angeles has really struggled on offense this season. A 10-point lead for the Seahawks might be too much for them to overcome.
3. Get the Swag Back: The Seahawks need to get their swagger back after ugly losses to the Buccaneers and Packers. Seattle is still a contender in the NFC but they need to run the table, and prove that they are still an NFC super power. A win against the hapless Rams would get them back on track.
Odds
Point Spread: Seattle -16
Moneyline: Seattle -1,000, Los Angeles +2,000
Over/Under: 39
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Prediction
The Rams have mailed it in by this point, so don’t look for an upset here. The Seahawks are angry and they know they need to run the table if they want to have any shot at a top-two seed in the NFC playoffs. Look for a focused effort from the Seahawks tonight as they roll a Rams team that is looking towards 2017.
Pick: Seattle Seahawks: 38, Los Angeles Rams: 14