The Seattle Seahawks have an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football.
With an extremely tight race in the crowded NFC, every game will be crucial for Seattle to win if they want to secure a top-two seed and avoid having to play in the wildcard game on the road for the second year in a row.
That alone makes this game must-watch TV for Seahawks, and football, fans. everywhere.
In addition to those factors, and the recent rivalry between Seattle and Los Angeles, there are plenty of key things for fans to watch for in this game.
Here are three things, one on offense, one on defense, and one on the special teams, for Seahawks fans to be watching for on Sunday night.
How does Seattle defend Cooper Kupp?
Notably, this decision will come down to the health of linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report.
Assuming he does not play, the Seahawks will plug rookie Cody Barton into the starting lineup in their base 4-3 defense. Seattle has relied on their base defense nearly 70 percent of the time this year, but against a team with an elite slot receiver and without Kendricks, it’s almost a guarantee that they will play far more nickel coverage against LA.
That means Seahawks fans will see a lot more of either Akeem King or Ugo Amadi. King has played nickel the last two games, against Philadelphia and Minnesota, but that was in part due to their reliance on using two-tight end sets.
The Rams have a true weapon in the slot, and are without Gerald Everett, their No. 2 tight end, so all signs point to a heavy dose of the rookie Amadi on Sunday night.
Defending Kupp is a tall order for a rookie with so little experience on defense, so expect Seattle to find other schematic ways to handle the dynamic receiving threat.
Will the two-headed RB monster be back?
All season long, the Seahawks have been waiting for a game where both Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny excelled together, giving them the two-headed monster in the backfield they craved.
That finally happened on Monday against the Vikings, with Carson and Penny combining for 176 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and 40 yards and a touchdown through the air.
“When those two guys are feeling it like that, it’s very energetic,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said on Thursday. “The guys feel the energy. It’s truly tangible. You can just feel it like there’s no question. We’re running the ball. We’re doing it well.”
The Rams, like the Vikings, have a stout defensive line – but if Seattle can attack the defense with their pair of running backs, it will open up the passing game and allow Russell Wilson to continue thriving in his MVP campaign.
Los Angeles has had Seattle’s number in the past, but Sean McVay and the Rams will have a hard time defending the Seahawks if they have both their running backs functioning at 100 percent.
Does Tyler Lockett return kicks and/or punts?
The last two weeks have been rough on receiver Tyler Lockett. A lower leg injury suffered in Week 10 against the 49ers limited Lockett against Philadelphia in Week 12, and a bout with the flu took its toll on him in Week 13.
Lockett is expected to be 100 percent recovered from both ailments on Sunday night against Los Angeles, and should be a big part of the team’s offensive attack.
However – the big question is if he will be involved on the special teams.
For the last half decade, Lockett has been Seattle’s primary kick and punt returner, even getting named an All-Pro special teamer back in 2016.
His recent ailments allowed rookie Travis Homer and receiver David Moore to handle kicks and punts, respectively, and the duo looked excellent in his absence.
So the question becomes, with a healthy Lockett, will Seattle put him back in those roles or will they stick with the youngsters? After all, both Moore and Homer have had as much, if not more, success in their respective duties than Lockett has this season, and risking injury for your team’s best receiver seems silly when you have two players capable of doing the work themselves.
