The Seattle Seahawks are gearing up for their 2019 debut on “Sunday Night Football” when they have their rematch with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks have had one of the most difficult remaining schedules and it does not get any easier against a talented and desperate division rival hungry for revenge. Seattle battled Los Angeles earlier this year in Week 5, and while the Seahawks ultimately won, the Rams most likely feel they should have emerged victorious.
The Rams left CenturyLink Field in defeat only because their game-winning field goal attempt missed wide right by the skin of its teeth.
Since their Thursday night showdown, the Rams have been somewhat listless, struggling mightily – especially in November, when they lost two out of three games, including their 45-6 shellacking at home on “Monday Night Football.” However, perhaps the Rams have turned a corner.
The Rams absolutely embarrassed the mostly competent Cardinals on the road in Week 13 to the tune of 34-7. It appears Los Angeles’ offense could be back on track after a brutal month stretch, which is bad news for the Seahawks.
Prediction: Rams over Seahawks 31-27
There are not many teams that hold a historical edge over Russell Wilson, but the Rams are one of them. With a career record of only 7-8 against the Rams, no other team has more wins over Wilson.
Not only does Wilson have a career losing record overall against the Rams, but his numbers on the road are even worse with only two wins against five losses.
Rams coach Sean McVay has had little difficulty against Pete Carroll’s defenses as well. Since scoring only 10 points in his first meeting, McVay’s unit has gone on to score 42, 33, 36, and 29 against Seattle. The driving force in all those games has been running back Todd Gurley, who has been Seattle’s kryptonite and scored multiple times in each of those contests.
Part of Seattle’s victory over Los Angeles in Week 5 was taking advantage of a leaky secondary, which the Rams promptly addressed by acquiring All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey from the Jaguars. It will be far more difficult for Seattle’s receivers to get open, especially with reigning Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald terrorizing a suspect Seahawks’ offensive line.
The last time the Seahawks beat the Rams on the road was in October of 2017 when Seattle needed five total turnovers from Los Angeles to steal a 16-10 win, and it still came down to a goal-line stand. If the Seahawks want a similar result, they will have to find a way to keep their ball-hawking turnover streak going against a quarterback who is prone to giving it to opposing defenses.
