By: Scott Kacsmar
The NFL picked a strong matchup for Thursday night when the Seattle Seahawks (2-2) host the Los Angeles Rams (3-1) in another important NFC West battle. The Seahawks beat the 49ers in San Francisco on Sunday while the Rams fell hard, 37-20 at home, to the Arizona Cardinals in their first loss of the season.
All Odds for this Matchup
The Rams are a 1-point favorite at many of the top sportsbooks. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is 8-11 as a starter against the Rams in his career, including a 30-20 loss in the playoffs last January. The Rams have sacked him 77 times in those games and have won six of the last eight in this rivalry. Can they rebound from the loss, or will Seattle start another winning streak?
The problem is Stafford is no longer in Detroit. Big games can pop up multiple times a season when you are trying to secure a first-round bye and be the best in your conference like the Rams are. On Sunday, the Rams were home for another big matchup and their first division game of the year against the 3-0 Cardinals, a team that McVay was 8-0 against in his career since 2017. The Rams have historically dominated Arizona, including the recent matchups with Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray, but Sunday was a no contest the other way.
Stafford had his least effective game yet for the Rams, who were stuck on 13 points until a garbage-time drive in the final minutes produced a 37-20 final. Stafford was intercepted on his second drive, running back Sony Michel fumbled a handoff in the second quarter, kicker Matt Gay missed a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Stafford was stopped on two plays at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
There was enough blame to go around for the loss, but the defense was especially bad in allowing 37 points and 465 yards of offense to the Cardinals, including 216 rushing yards as Arizona basically did what it wanted without any turnovers.
Despite the short week, the Rams are very experienced at playing this team and quarterback. Wilson has been sacked at least five times in the last four meetings with the Rams, and Seattle has failed to score more than 20 points in any of those games. Seattle blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to the Titans in Week 2, the team’s only home game so far this season.
Despite Sunday’s win, Seattle’s offense was not firing on all cylinders. The run game was not efficient, Wilson’s 16-yard scramble touchdown was the best run of the day, and Wilson failed to hit a pass thrown over 20 yards in the air, which has been a staple of the offense’s success this year. Wide receiver Tyler Lockett was not 100% on Sunday but played and finished with just 24 yards on four catches. DK Metcalf had 65 yards and his third touchdown of the season, but he has yet to break 100 yards in five career games against the Rams.
No defense has allowed more yards or first downs than the Seahawks through four games this year. The Seahawks are also allowing opponents to score on 50% of drives, tied for the second-worst in the league. Seattle left Deebo Samuel completely uncovered for a 76-yard touchdown on Sunday. The days of the Legion of Boom are long gone. This team is basically Wilson hitting enough rainbows to his two wideouts while hoping the lead holds up. The Rams bring a bit more to the table, though Sunday’s loss was unusually ugly, and this is the first real moment of adversity with Stafford at quarterback.
NFL Pick: Rams -1 (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
The NFL picked a strong matchup for Thursday night when the Seattle Seahawks (2-2) host the Los Angeles Rams (3-1) in another important NFC West battle. The Seahawks beat the 49ers in San Francisco on Sunday while the Rams fell hard, 37-20 at home, to the Arizona Cardinals in their first loss of the season.
Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks
Thursday, October 7, 2021 – 08:20 PM EDT at Lumen FieldAll Odds for this Matchup
The Rams are a 1-point favorite at many of the top sportsbooks. Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson is 8-11 as a starter against the Rams in his career, including a 30-20 loss in the playoffs last January. The Rams have sacked him 77 times in those games and have won six of the last eight in this rivalry. Can they rebound from the loss, or will Seattle start another winning streak?
Rams: Sunday’s Letdown
There is no denying that the Rams had the most impressive win of September when they beat Tampa Bay, the defending champions, 34-24 in Week 3. It was also clear that Sean McVay and company understood the importance of that matchup and the perception it would have on how much of a contender this team is with Matthew Stafford at quarterback.The problem is Stafford is no longer in Detroit. Big games can pop up multiple times a season when you are trying to secure a first-round bye and be the best in your conference like the Rams are. On Sunday, the Rams were home for another big matchup and their first division game of the year against the 3-0 Cardinals, a team that McVay was 8-0 against in his career since 2017. The Rams have historically dominated Arizona, including the recent matchups with Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray, but Sunday was a no contest the other way.
Stafford had his least effective game yet for the Rams, who were stuck on 13 points until a garbage-time drive in the final minutes produced a 37-20 final. Stafford was intercepted on his second drive, running back Sony Michel fumbled a handoff in the second quarter, kicker Matt Gay missed a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter, and Stafford was stopped on two plays at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
There was enough blame to go around for the loss, but the defense was especially bad in allowing 37 points and 465 yards of offense to the Cardinals, including 216 rushing yards as Arizona basically did what it wanted without any turnovers.
Despite the short week, the Rams are very experienced at playing this team and quarterback. Wilson has been sacked at least five times in the last four meetings with the Rams, and Seattle has failed to score more than 20 points in any of those games. Seattle blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to the Titans in Week 2, the team’s only home game so far this season.
Seahawks: Still the Team to Beat?
While the Seahawks were a slight underdog to the 49ers, they have plenty of experience in beating that team. The general NFC West dynamics have been that the Seahawks own the 49ers but struggle with the Rams, while the Rams have owned Arizona (except for Sunday) and struggle with the 49ers. It remains to be seen how adding Stafford to this mix changes things over Jared Goff, who was the quarterback for most of these wins over Seattle in recent years.Despite Sunday’s win, Seattle’s offense was not firing on all cylinders. The run game was not efficient, Wilson’s 16-yard scramble touchdown was the best run of the day, and Wilson failed to hit a pass thrown over 20 yards in the air, which has been a staple of the offense’s success this year. Wide receiver Tyler Lockett was not 100% on Sunday but played and finished with just 24 yards on four catches. DK Metcalf had 65 yards and his third touchdown of the season, but he has yet to break 100 yards in five career games against the Rams.
No defense has allowed more yards or first downs than the Seahawks through four games this year. The Seahawks are also allowing opponents to score on 50% of drives, tied for the second-worst in the league. Seattle left Deebo Samuel completely uncovered for a 76-yard touchdown on Sunday. The days of the Legion of Boom are long gone. This team is basically Wilson hitting enough rainbows to his two wideouts while hoping the lead holds up. The Rams bring a bit more to the table, though Sunday’s loss was unusually ugly, and this is the first real moment of adversity with Stafford at quarterback.
Prediction
In his career, McVay is 15-6 SU and 13-7-1 ATS following a loss. He knows how to make quick corrections. Since 2006, home teams playing a divisional opponent on a Thursday night are 58-60-2 ATS, which is nothing special. While the Seahawks are still a team worthy of respect, I think the Rams continue to match up well with them and they should play a much better game on Thursday. I am going with the road team to cover for your NFL picks this Thursday.NFL Pick: Rams -1 (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
