3 reasons why the upstart Rams will dethrone Seattle in NFC West
The Los Angeles Rams have been a thorn in the Seattle Seahawks' side for some time now.
Prior to this season and ever since Seattle kickstarted its dominant era by drafting Russell Wilson in 2012, the Rams have been as bad as the Seahawks have been great.
However, despite failing to produce a winning record from 2012-16, the Rams have also matched up well with the Seahawks and made their encounters far more competitive than they had any right to be.
In fact, since Wilson was drafted, the Seahawks have won just six of their 11 games against the Rams and lost three straight during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Now, the Seahawks are dealing with an all-new, revitalized Los Angeles team under the guidance of first-year head coach Sean McVay.
The division-leading 9-4 Rams will take on the 8-5 Seahawks in a pivotal NFC West matchup Sunday. Here are three reasons why L.A. is finally ready to dethrone Seattle:
The Legion of Gloom
The Seahawks have been without founding Legion of Boom members Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor since Week 10. Cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Shaquill Griffin and safety Bradley McDougald have stepped up admirably in their absence, but none are game-changers like Sherman and Chancellor.
Seattle's defensive play since Week 10 has been up and down. The Seahawks have won two of four games, including a masterclass performances against the high-flying Philadelphia Eagles offense in which they held them to just 10 points, but have also given up 34 points to the Atlanta Falcons and 30 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
And things are about to get worse.
Bobby Wagner - who's in contention for Defensive Player of the Year honors - reinjured his hamstring against the Jaguars and is questionable to play against the Rams after missing the entire week's practices. Meanwhile, fellow linebacker K.J. Wright, an underrated piece of the Seahawks' defense, is all but certain to miss the game due to a concussion.
Wilson's heroics have been keeping Seattle afloat, but there are only so many injuries one team can take - especially on one side of the ball - before succumbing to the inevitable.
Rams' red-hot weapons
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
And the injury-ravaged Seattle defense will have its hands full Sunday.
The man who should get the most attention is Todd Gurley, and rightfully so. The star running back is in the midst of a stellar campaign and is coming off one of his best performances of the year, averaging 7.4 yards per rush and scoring two touchdowns against the usually stingy Eagles run defense.
But the Rams' firepower is more than just Gurley. Their top target in the passing game, Robert Woods, is set to return after a three-game absence. Woods was leading the Rams with 47 receptions and 703 receiving yards before going down, and gives L.A. another big-play threat alongside Sammy Watkins.
In Woods' absence, rookie Cooper Kupp has stepped up in a big way. The third-round pick has averaged six catches and just over 100 yards per game in the past three games and has caught one touchdown.
Stopping just Gurley will be a huge task for the Seahawks. Trying to slow down all of the Rams' weapons will likely be impossible.
A fair fight on the sidelines
Sorry, Jeff Fisher, but the Rams have been hilariously outmatched in terms of coaching during this recent rivalry.
But finally, in McVay, the Rams have a head coach who's more than capable of going toe to toe with Pete Carroll, one of game's best.
According to headcoachingranking.com, which evaluates the in-game performances of coaches in five key areas, the Rams actually have the advantage based on this season.
The site has McVay edging Carroll in play-calling, personnel, game plan, and in-game adjustments (Carroll barely took the clock management category), and ranks McVay (fourth) far above Carroll (tied-19th) in overall performance.
Carroll's superior experience must be taken into account, but that's where veteran defensive coordinator Wade Phillips becomes a huge factor. The McVay-Phillips combination has the perfect blend of creativity, smarts, and leadership, and is more than capable of outmaneuvering the Seahawks' sideline staff.