Seahawks host Rams in key NFC West matchup

Series record: Seahawks lead 27-26

Last meeting: Rams beat Seahawks 17-16 on Nov. 19, 2023 in Inglewood, Calif.

Last week: Rams beat Minnesota 30-20; Seahawks lost to Buffalo 31-10.

Against the spread: Rams 2-5, Seahawks 2-5-1

Rams offense: overall (20), rushing (26), passing (14), scoring (23)

Rams defense: overall (21), rushing (23), passing (16), scoring (22)

Seahawks offense: overall (T9), rushing (29), passing (1), scoring (13)

Seahawks defense: overall (22), rushing (29), passing (T13), scoring (T19)

Turnover differential: Rams: even, Seahawks minus-4

Rams player to watch

WR Puka Nacua returned against the Vikings after missing five games because of a knee injury and had seven receptions and 106 yards. A healthy one-two punch of Nacua and Cooper Kupp helped the Rams offense have its highest-scoring game of the season, putting Los Angeles in the mix for the NFC West.

Seahawks player to watch

WR DK Metcalf. The Seahawks star receiver missed last week’s blowout loss to the Bills. Metcalf missed the game with a grade one MCL sprain, only the second missed game in his six-year NFL career. Metcalf ranks eighth in the NFL with 568 receiving yards on 35 catches, for an average of 16.2 yards per reception, 11th most in the league.

Key matchup

Rams RB Kyren Williams vs. Seahawks run defense. Williams has eight rushing scores and two more as a receiver. The Rams as an offense have 15 total touchdowns through seven games, so keeping Williams in check has to be a priority for the Seahawks.

Through eight games, the Seahawks rank 29th in the NFL with 148.4 rushing yards per game allowed. They showed promise by allowing just 39 yards in the second half against the Falcons, but allowed 164 rushing yards last week against the Bills, with James Cook gaining 111 yards on 17 carries.

Key injuries

Metcalf (knee) did not practice on Wednesday after missing last week with an MCL sprain, but he could play on Sunday. … WR Laviska Shenault (knee) sat out Wednesday’s practice. … CB Devon Witherspoon (foot) sat out Wednesday’s practice. … CB Tre Brown (ankle) has missed the past two games, but was a healthy scratch against the Bills after not practicing all week. … WR Tyler Lockett (oblique) was a limited participant in Wednesday’s practice. … Rams swing OT Joe Noteboom (ankle) is on track to return after missing six games. … WR Jordan Whittington (shoulder) remained limited in practice on Wednesday.

Series notes

The Rams and Seahawks played for the first time on Halloween 1976. The Rams won, 45-6. … Los Angeles has won five of the past seven matchups, including each of the past two. … The Seahawks beat the Rams 10 consecutive times between 2005 and 2009. … Seattle is 6-11 against the Rams since the team moved back to Los Angeles from St. Louis. … The Seahawks won both games against the Rams in the 2022 season, but dropped both matchups in 2023. … In the previous meeting on Nov. 19, 2023, in Los Angeles, Jason Myers’ 55-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right with late in the 17-16 loss. … The Rams and Seahawks have played twice in the postseason: in the wild-card round in the 2004 and 2020 seasons. The Rams won both games.

Stats and stuff

The Seahawks need four more wins to reach 400. … LB Ernest Jones made 15 tackles last week in his Seahawks debut, matching his career high he set last year with the Rams. … P Michael Dickson set a franchise record last week with an average of 61.25 yards per punt against Buffalo. … CB Josh Jobe intercepted Bills QB Josh Allen last week, snapping Allen’s streak of 301 pass attempts without a pick. … QB Geno Smith needs one more 300-yard game to tie Matt Hasselbeck for second for most 300-yard games in a single-season in franchise history with four. … Smith also needs 45 attempts to pass Rick Mirer for fifth on Seattle’s passing attempts list with 1,524, and ranks in fifth in franchise history in completions, passing yards (10,838) and passing touchdowns (63). … RB Kenneth Walker III needs two touchdowns to pass Chris Carson for sixth on Seattle’s rushing touchdowns list with 25. … WR Tyler Lockett needs one 100-yard game to tie Darrell Jackson for second in franchise history with 19, and needs three touchdowns to pass Marshawn Lynch for third on Seattle’s touchdowns list with 67. … Metcalf needs 142 receiving yards to pass Largent for the most in a player’s first six seasons in franchise history with 6,042. … Metcalf also needs one receiving touchdown to pass Largent for the most in a player’s first six seasons in franchise history with 47 and ranks first in franchise history for the most receptions in a player’s first six seasons with 407. … Williams didn’t score a rushing touchdown for the Rams against Minnesota, ending a streak of nine regular-season games going back to last season. He did catch a touchdown, giving Williams a score from scrimmage in 10 consecutive games. … Rams rookie OLB Jared Verse had 1 1/2 sacks of the Vikings’ Sam Darnold for his first career multi-sack game. Verse ranks second in the league in pressure rate (22.3%), trailing only Houston’s Danielle Hunter (22.4%) among all defenders with at least 150 pass rush snaps according to NFL Next Gen Stats. … Rookie ILB Omar Speights made his first career start and had four tackles. … Los Angeles has tightened up in the red zone, allowing two touchdowns in six trips over its past two games. … QB Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes against Minnesota. It was his 16th game with four or more scoring throws in 213 appearances.

Fantasy tip

Kyren Williams has scored at least 15 fantasy points each of the past six weeks. As one of the most productive backs in the league, Williams could be in for a big game against a Seahawks defense that has struggled to stop the run.

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