Seahawks-Rams Thursday is big. But for K.J. Wright, it’s not old Seahawks-49ers big
Seahawks-Rams, alone in prime time, for a place at the top of the NFC West.
Yeah, this is big.
Even coach Pete Carroll, a devotee of “every week is a championship opportunity,” acknowledged Thursday’s showdown between Seattle (3-1) and Los Angeles (3-1) at CenturyLink Field is rather large for setting the shape of the division for 2019.
“This is a big deal,” Carroll said, before seeming to catch himself.
“Every one of them is. This is a championship match-up, and we’re going to try to rise to that and make sure that that’s where we are.
“Championship football.”
Following Wednesday’s practice, Carroll reiterated he has his players treat every game the same. He also said of Thursday night vs. L.A.: “This is a huge opportunity.”
But the longest-tenured Seahawk knows this is not as big a rivalry as what he joined in the division as a rookie nine seasons ago.
“Not even close,” linebacker K.J. Wright said, chuckling. “Not even close.”
To the Pro Bowl veteran linebacker, Seattle-Los Angeles falls far short of the epic Seattle-San Francisco alley fights at the beginning and middle of this decade. Wilson vs. Kaepernick. Sherman vs. Crabtree. Carroll vs. Harbaugh. Division and conference championships and trips to the Super Bowl to the winner.
“Man, it don’t get much better than the 49ers,” Wright said.
“The 49ers was just... it felt like a Super Bowl when we were playing during that time.
“This game does feel like it’s hard. It’s hard. And, you know, it’s high-scoring. Those other guys, it was low-scoring. It’s just pretty much been a shootout the last few times (with the Rams, such as 36-31 and 33-31 last season).
“I don’t look it like San Fran. At all.”
It’s not that Wright doesn’t respect the Rams. Just the opposite. L.A. has earned the Seahawks’ respect with three consecutive wins in the series, and six wins in the last eight meetings. They’ve undoubtedly seized superiority in the division from Seattle the last couple of years.
But to Wright, and others who have been around the Seahawks since the Rams were in St. Louis and Jeff Fisher was their coach, the throw-downs with the 49ers from 2011-14, now that was a rivalry.
“I haven’t felt anything (like that) since the San Fran days,” Wright said.
Todd Gurley has been the key to the Rams’ recent dominance in this series with the Seahawks, and he is the key to Thursday’s game.
The All-Pro running back had 273 total yards rushing and receiving with four touchdowns in Los Angeles’ two wins over Seattle last season. He had 144 yards rushing and three touchdowns against the Seahawks in December 2017. In the first half.
But then he oddly disappeared in the Rams’ conference-title win at New Orleans in January, and especially in L.A.’s 13-3 loss to New England in the Super Bowl.
The 25-year-old Gurley has an arthritic knee. He’s yet to have a 100-yard rushing day this season. He carried the ball just five times last weekend as the Rams fell behind 21-0 early in a wild, 55-40 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jared Goff threw 68 times for 520 yards but had four turnovers in the Rams’ first loss of the season.
“They are throwing it a whole lot more. Yeah, it’s not the whole 20-plus carries I’m used to seeing,” Wright said of Gurley. “When he does get the ball he looks good. But it’s just not as often as I’m used to seeing.”
Seahawks All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner has noticed the same thing. To Wagner and others in Seattle, Rams coach Sean McVay seems to be preserving Gurley and his knee for the long haul of this season. Number-two rusher Malcolm Brown has 25 carries in four games, with almost as many touchdowns as Gurley (two).
But Wagner thinks Thursday is the time for the Rams to end any saving of the dynamic Gurley.
“He may not be getting as many opportunities as he normally gets,” Wagner said, “but I wouldn’t be surprised if this game changes that.”
McVay says it’s not preservation of Gurley but down and distance, and score, early in games that have changed the Rams’ offense so far this season.
“(It’s about) just being efficient in early downs,” McVay said this week on a conference call with Seattle media. “Each week dictates a different response for us.
“We know we’ve got our hands full this week. Hopefully, we can find a way to be a little bit more productive early on in some of our drives that you don’t feel like you’re consistently in get-back-on-track mode.”
Less Gurley so far has meant more reliance on Goff. That hasn’t gone as well for the Rams.
Goff has six touchdowns, six interceptions and four fumbles in his first four games since signing a contract extension for a record $107 million guaranteed. He’s been hit 16 times already in four games, including nine times last week by the Buccaneers. The 16 hits are nearly half the 34 hits Goff took all of last season.
Goff’s passer rating was a career-high 101.1 last season. It is 82.9 now.
“It hasn’t been quite as explosive as it has been,” Carroll said.
“The numbers aren’t there in support of how he finished last year. He was over 100-plus-rated quarterback. It’s hard to get that done. Had a great couple years going into it. This year, they’re not quite there yet. But (a) very, very dangerous football team. He leads a big-time attack.”
The important matchup to watch along the line of scrimmage is Seahawks pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, coming off a game-changing interception of a screen pass in Seattle’s win at Arizona last weekend, against Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth.
Whitworth, a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl blocker, is 37 years old. He’s played every Rams offensive snap so far this season. Now his task is to recover in just four days to keep Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end, from adding to the hit and sack totals on Goff.
“This team is a tough opponent. We all know that you got to bring ‘A game’ with them,” Wright said.
“But that rivalry, old-school, dog feeling? You don’t feel that.”
Part of that could be the Seahawks haven’t made this a rivalry with the Rams lately. Los Angeles’ 42-7 win in Seattle in December 2017 was the Seahawks’ worst loss of the 10 years Carroll’s been their coach. It signaled the end to Seattle’s reign in the NFC West and the Rams ascendance to the throne.
“Hands down, the worst game I’ve been a part of since I’ve been a Seahawk,” Wright said. “I don’t ever like being blown out like that.
“But I don’t expect that to happen this year.
“I think it’s going to be a different result.”
This story was originally published October 2, 2019 at 2:44 PM.
