3 bold predictions for Rams-Seahawks

Jared Verse leads strong defensive charge and

The Los Angels Rams have an opportunity to move up in the NFC West this Sunday if they can take out their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks—here are my three bold predictions for this week’s matchup.

The defense doesn’t allow a 100-yard receiver OR rusher

LA’s defense has begun to find their identity after a concerning start to the season. They truly came to life against a high-flying Minnesota Vikings offense that they kept to just 20 points on the day. Jared Verse had the breakout game the league was waiting for with five pressures and one-and-a-half sacks while also looking strong against the run. Since benching Tre’Davious White their backfield has been much improved with Darious Williams, Akhello Witherspoon, and Cobie Durant playing great football the last couple of weeks.

The Seahawks will be without DK Metcalf and Kenneth Walker III finished last week’s blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills with just 12-yards on the ground. Chris Shula’s unit pairs up quite well against Seattle’s offense line who have allowed the sixth most sacks this season with 21 while Geno Smith has the second most passing attempts with 308 on the season.

The offense has shown a huge improvement with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back into the fold (duh) which hopefully means Seattle will be playing from behind and forced to abandon the run early. I believe that will be the case this Sunday—there will not be a single player on Seattle’s offense that will go over 100-yards passing/rushing.

No Punter? No Problem!

Ethan Evans was an absolute weapon last week against the Vikings. His final punt of the game pinned Minnesota within the 5-yard line which lead to Byron Young’s game-clenching safety. He will unfortunately be out of the game due to an illness—but that won’t be a problem because the Rams will not punt a single time on Sunday.

Even with a questionable designated star receiver, Matthew Stafford showed the world what he can do when he is surrounded by some of his talent. He finished last week with four touchdowns, 279 yards passing, and a passer-rating of 124.5.

The years of the legion of boom are long gone and it has been yet another disappointing year for Seattle’s defense. They are currently ranked 14th in the league in scoring allowed (195 points), and have allowed the 10th most yards (2,852 total yards).

Last week the Bills controlled time of possession with 38:03 minutes to Seahawk’s 21:57 thanks to a big game from running back James Cook. This week they will have to stop Kyren Williams who now has two of the best run-blocking receivers back in the lineup—good luck.

LA should be able to move the ball with ease on Sunday and will not need to punt a single time.

Ernest Jones sacks Matthew Stafford

Ernest Jones is questionable to play this weekend, but if he does then he might have revenge on his mind.

While the Ram’s linebackers have struggled all season long, Ernest Jones finds himself on his third team in less than nine weeks. Although he has not played like the star he was made out to be when he was with LA, he has been a solid contributor this season with 36 combined tackles, three tackles-for-a-loss, and a QB hit.

He will get his first shot at revenge this Sunday. With the offensive line looking improved against the Vikings last week it would be a shock to see Stafford on the ground much on Sunday. Jones may have something extra for his former team who let him go without much explanation. Just from a pure poetic-justice standpoint, I believe Jones will find a way to sack Stafford and remind LA of what they moved on from.