LOS ANGELES_The Los Angeles Rams put their trust in Case Keenum, making him the starting quarterback despite the selection of Jared Goff with the No. 1 pick in the draft.
After playing poorly in a season-opening defeat against the San Francisco 49ers, Keenum said Wednesday that he needed to trust himself and not overthink decisions.
"I think I was seeing ghosts," Keenum said of his struggles against the 49ers. "I was seeing things that weren't there. I wasn't trusting myself and my abilities."
The Rams need Keenum to quickly right himself.
The Seattle Seahawks, fresh off a come-from-behind victory over the Miami Dolphins, are coming to the Coliseum for the Rams' home opener. Sunday's game marks Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll's return to the stadium where he led USC for nine seasons.
Keenum played efficiently during exhibitions, and he appeared to start off smoothly in the first few plays against the 49ers.
But the Rams' offense fell apart.
Keenum completed 17 of 35 passes for only 130 yards and had two passes intercepted on a night when the 49ers shut down running back Todd Gurley. Keenum was sacked twice and hit hard multiple times. "He made some plays and then missed some opportunities," Coach Jeff Fisher said. "We just have to make sure we take advantage of those opportunities when they're there."
Several of Keenum's passes were nowhere near their targets, which can sometimes indicate that receivers did not run the correct route. Keenum put the blame on himself.
"It was me overthinking it: 'Maybe they were going to this because of this, this and this,'" he said. "Just trust what you see and let it fly, and that's what I'm going to do."
The Seahawks gave up only 10 points in their opener and feature one of the NFL's most aggressive defenses.
Last season, Keenum helped lead the Rams to a 23-17 victory over the Seahawks at CenturyLink Stadium. He completed 14 of 23 passes for 103 yards as the Rams beat the Seahawks for the second time in 2015 and the third time in the last four games.
"I just have to let the game come to me," Keenum said. "Take what the defense gives me, trust my teammates ... and get the ball out of my hands to the right place."
Todd Gurley did not practice Wednesday _ "A coaches' decision," Fisher said _ but is expected to return Thursday.
The Rams need more production from Gurley, who rushed for only 47 yards in 17 carries, and receiver Tavon Austin, who caught four passes for 13 yards.
And Keenum must rebound from his performance.
"Everybody's always overexcited when you come in to the first game," receiver Kenny Britt said. "You overthink stuff because you don't want to miss stuff. ... I know things will calm down for him."
