The Seattle Seahawks have their first primetime game of the year on the docket Thursday evening, where they will take on the Los Angeles Rams at 5:20 p.m.
Both teams are 3-1 and will look to gain an advantage over one another in the hyper-competitive NFC West.
Seattle dropped both regular season games to the Rams last season, and they will be looking for revenge against a team that found themselves in the Super Bowl a year ago.
As you can see, there are already plenty of storylines to pay attention to in this Thursday night battle.
However, here are three more than fans should be keeping a close eye on during the contest.
Can Seattle do anything to stop Aaron Donald?
Russell Wilson called Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald the toughest player he’s ever faced, and it’s not hard to see why. Donald racked up a ridiculous 20.5 sacks last year, and now has 60.5 career sacks just four games into his sixth NFL season.
The Seahawks struggled to prevent pressure in the first two games of the season, although they improved in Week’s 3 and 4 – thanks in part to a new game plan that had Wilson getting rid of the ball in under two seconds as often as possible.
While it sacrificed many of the big plays the Seahawks are accustomed to, it allowed them to move the ball more efficiently and avoid getting sacked for big losses by the opponent.
With Duane Brown nursing a bicep injury, don’t be surprised to see the Seahawks employ a similar strategy to try to limit Donald’s effectiveness against them on Thursday night.
Will Jared Goff’s turnover streak continue?
Rams quarterback Jared Goff has done plenty of damage against the Seahawks in recent seasons, although his play this year doesn’t preclude a dominant performance in primetime.
Goff has thrown for 1,254 yards with a 64.2 completion percentage in 2019, but his six touchdowns and six interceptions is not an ideal ratio, and his fumbling issues have been a big problem.
Goff has fumbled the football 14 times in his last 13 games, dating back to Week 11 against the Chiefs last season.
The Seahawks have struggled to generate turnovers this year, but perhaps a date with Goff will allow them to grab an interception or recover a fumble, which might be all they need to squeeze past Los Angeles and move to 4-1 on the year.
Will David Moore return punts?
The Seattle Seahawks spent a good chunk of the offseason trying to find someone to replace Tyler Lockett as the team’s primary punt returner.
Lockett is a former Pro Bowl return man, but his role as the team’s No. 1 wideout has made him too valuable to risk injury on the special teams.
Despite using multiple players as returners in the preseason, the Seahawks have stuck with Lockett so far this year.
The return of receiver David Moore from a shoulder injury could change that however, as he was one of their most involved returners before going down with an injury.
Coach Pete Carroll played coy when asked on Wednesday if they were considering Moore as a potential returner, simply answering, “Yes. Yes, we have,” and smiling.
So, that doesn’t mean any changes are happening this week – or at all necessarily – but it is something to keep an eye on.
