Thursday Night Preview: Rams @ Seahawks
Week 15 of the NFL season kicks off in Seattle on Thursday night, as the Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams in an NFC West showdown. Fresh off a 38-10 blowout loss to Green Bay, the 'Hawks return home to Centurylink looking to get back on track. The Rams suffered a similar crushing defeat, losing to the Falcons 42-14 in LA.
With the firing of Jeff Fisher on Monday, the Rams go into Seattle on a short week and with a new head coach. The Rams tabbed John Fassel, the special teams coordinator, the new head man in charge. He'll be under pressure to spark the LA offense, which ranks last in the NFL in average points per game. Just last week running back Todd Gurley was quoted saying they looked like a "middle school offense."
Star running back Todd Gurley says the Rams looked like a "middle school offense" in last weeks loss to Atlanta.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
It seems like the Seahawks have improved their ground game just as the playoffs are approaching. One positive to take away from last weeks loss is that Seattle had 136 rushing yards, and they average at least 120 yards in the last four games. Expect to see a lot of Thomas Rawls, as the Rams defense gives up 110 rushing yards per game so far this season.
Rookie quarterback Jared Goff makes his first start in Seattle, and he'll quickly learn just how loud it is and how hard it is to play there. The Seahawks are 6-0 at home this season, and will look to continue that on Thursday Night.
For the Rams to have any success, they have to keep their turnovers to a minimum. They've turned the ball over 24 times this season, so they'll need to protect the football to have any chance of winning on a short week with a new head coach.
