Seahawks’ keys vs. Rams: Russell Wilson adding to ‘best start ever,’ use of Todd Gurley
Even Pete Carroll is hinting this is larger than most early October games.
Carroll is a master at deflecting added importance from one game over any other. The 68-year-old coach professes “every week is a championship opportunity.”
All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner said this week one of the big reasons the Seahawks are an NFL-best 26-5-1 in prime-time games since Carroll arrived to coach them in 2010 has been their coach treats such games like any others. Seattle is 8-1 on Thursday night and 17-2 at home in prime-time games in Carroll’s time as coach.
But when the Seahawks (3-1) host the Los Angeles Rams (3-1) Thursday night in an NFC West showdown that begins at 5:20 p.m. at CenturyLink Field, there is no doubt in the added significance. A Seahawks win puts them ahead of the defending division conference Rams by one game in the standings and another in the head-to-head tiebreaker, pending their second meeting in California Dec. 8. A loss puts Seattle essentially two games behind the Rams and potentially San Francisco atop the division. The 49ers (3-0) play Cleveland (2-2) Monday night.
The result of Thursday’s game will determine whether the Seahawks will spend the rest of October as chasers or the chased in the NFC West.
Carroll acknowledged the increased importance in that this week—in his own way.
“This is as championship a game as we can get—just like it was last week,” he said Wednesday, trying to stay on message. “To us, we’re preparing like this is the only game, ever. Then, we’ll regroup next week and figure it out again (to play at Cleveland Oct. 13).
“We don’t look at any game like that. We don’t look at any challenge, or hype, or stature of the standings or any of that kind of stuff. We really don’t and we’re trying to be extremely disciplined about that. That’s what gives us a chance, I think, to be really consistent.”
But Carroll then said: “It’s a huge opportunity. It happens to be on Thursday night, which is cool, and it’ll be fun and all that.
“But, it’s as big a game as we can get.”
Here are the six key players in this showcase and showdown:
1. Russell Wilson has become so consistently brilliant it seems he’s sometimes taken for granted. Last weekend in Arizona: another 22-for-28 passing day with throws perfectly placed onto his receivers’ hands. Another 100-plus passer rating.
“I think he’s off to his best start ever,” Carroll said. “I don’t know what it looks like numbers-wise, but I think it is. I don’t think he’s ever been more accurate than he’s been, and more consistent, and in command of everything. I think he’s off to a great start. I don’t care how big the numbers are. I’m not talking about how many yards or whatever. Just his play has been really, really sharp.”
That’s why many Pacific Northwesterners want the Super Bowl champion, six-time Pro Bowl passer and $140 million quarterback to take over Thursday’s game by himself. But that’s now how Seattle’s offense works best. Last week’s win at Arizona reminded us what these Seahawks are built to be: grabbing an early lead with defense, Chris Carson running for 100 yards, Wilson’s decisive throws off that.
When that happens Seattle as constructed can beat anybody: including the defending NFC champion Rams.
2. The reason L.A. has won three in a row in this series and six of the last eight meetings: Look beyond newly minted quarterback Jared Goff.
It’s Todd Gurley.
The Seahawks’ defense has had no answers for Gurley’s running and catching that is the basis for all else the Rams do on offense. When Los Angeles won at Seattle 42-7 in December 2017 to seize the division from the Seahawks, Gurley had 144 yards rushing and three touchdowns. In the first half.
He’s averaging just 62 yards rushing and 15 yards receiving with just three total touchdowns so far this season. He has an arthritic knee, and Rams coach Sean McVay seems to be trying to preserve him for the long season.
If he stays limited Thursday, the Seahawks’ task will be a lot different—and potentially easier—this time.
But Wagner thinks the full Gurley is coming at Seattle.
“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.”
3. This hasn’t been the same Goff, either.
In the four games since he signed a new contract with an NFL-record $110 million guaranteed, he has thrown for six touchdowns with six interceptions and four fumbles. He threw for 32 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions all last season.
Tellingly, without Gurley consistently running to set up his passing, Goff has been hit 16 times already this season. That’s about half of his entire times hit last season, 34. Tampa Bay sacked him twice and hit him nine times while he committed four turnovers in the Buccaneers’ 55-40 win at Los Angeles last weekend.
Goff’s passer rating was 101.1 last season. It is 82.9 now.
“Ideally I’d never want to put him in as many stressful situations as he’s had to entail over the first quarter of the season,” McVay said. “But he’s done a good job. Each play really represents a different answer because that’s what’s so challenging about the quarterback position. There’s so many different things that goes on within the framework of a snap: a situation, sometimes you’re talking about batted balls, your hand gets hit. Certainly not every interception is credited to him.
“But we’ve got high expectations for him. I thought he did a lot of really good things last week (throwing 68 times for 520 yards). And we’re looking forward to the challenge against a great defense on Thursday night.”
4. and 5. These trends with Gurley and Goff suggest two Seahawks may have their biggest games yet Thursday night: Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah.
Clowney, in his fourth week with Seattle since his trade from Houston, changed last weekend’s game with his tipped-to-himself interception that put Seattle up 10-0 early.
Ansah played 39 of 63 snaps against the Cardinals. He hasn’t averaged more than 30 plays per game over an entire season since 2015. These are his first weeks playing in 10 months, since a season-ending shoulder injury in December that ended the 2015 Pro Bowl defensive end’s time with Detroit.
Can Ansah play that much again on the shortest preparation week this year? He was full go in practice this week, a good sign for the Seahawks that he can.
“I think it’s going to be a couple more weeks before they’re at their best,” Carroll said. “I hate to say that because we need them right now, but they’re going for it. We’ll use them more effectively when we know them an even better, so we’re working at that.
“They’re not playing exactly the way they were before, and they have to learn how to fit in, and we’re trying to learn how to fit them in at the best. That’s why I say it’s so important to for us to keep gathering information on those guys and learning and seeing them. It just doesn’t seem like we’ve had enough yet so I can nail it for you.
“I know I’m supposed to get it done faster than that, but it just takes time I think. We’ll hopefully get it right here soon.”
6. Can Rams two-time All-Pro left tackle Andrew Whitworth, who has played every snap so far this season at age 37, came back on four days rest since his last game and control Clowney, whom he hasn’t faced during L.A.’s recent dominance of this series?
That matchup may determine who wins Thursday.
“Well, he’s as savvy as you can get,” Carroll said of Whitworth. “He knows all the tricks. He’s such a long guy. His arm length and just his stature is very hard to get around. You can’t fool him with anything. You can’t beat him with stunts and games and all that because he is so experienced. He’s just as savvy a guy as you can get.
“He’s been terrific for a long time.”
