After several weeks of playing the league’s heavy hitters such as Dallas, Indianapolis, Minnesota and Arizona, the NFL schedule finally turns in the Seahawks’ favor beginning Sunday with a trip to St. Louis.
The record of the Seahawks’ final six opponents is a combined 21-39, with only one of those teams having a winning record (Green Bay is 6-4). Seattle’s opponents in the first 10 games had a combined record of 50-40.
At 3-7, the Seahawks could use a reprieve. General manager Tim Ruskell is in the final year of his contract and looking to prove that he is the man to steer Seattle out the two-year funk the team is mired in. Some wins in the final weeks of the season could go a long way in helping Ruskell do that.
Coach Jim Mora also is looking for some stability and consistency from a team that has been up and down all season. Stringing together a few victories could help Mora begin to build some momentum for 2010.
However, the Rams are not the same team the Seahawks thumped 28-0 in the regular-season opener. Although St. Louis is 1-9 for the season, the Rams have competed in four of their last five games. St. Louis beat Detroit three games ago, and most recently lost close games at home to talented teams in New Orleans (28-23) and Arizona (21-13).
Seattle tight end John Carlson understands that the Seahawks can’t take St. Louis lightly.
“Every team in this league is so talented, so well-coached and so well-prepared that anyone can beat anyone on any given Sunday,” Carlson said. “I know that is a cliché.
“Things haven’t gone the way we’ve wanted them to go. That’s obvious. We’re all disappointed. We’re all frustrated. But all we can do is work and prepare this week for this upcoming game. That’s all we can control right now.”
The Seahawks will be seeking their first road win since Seattle beat – you guessed it – the Rams, 23-20, last year at the Edwards Jones Dome. Since then, Seattle has lost five straight on the road by an average of 17.6 points.
eric.williams@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks
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