Rams, Seahawks go at it again

(News4UsOnline) – The Thursday Night Football game for the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams are on the road playing the Seattle Seahawks for first place in the NFC West. More importantly, the two rivals are playing for the top spot in the NFC and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

At the moment, the Rams are in first place, but that is a very precarious position for head coach Sean McVay and his ballclub. The Rams have to win out in their games against the Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals to secure the homefield berth. 

The Rams defeated the Seahawks 21-19 at SoFi Stadium in Week 11. Both teams have identical records at 11-3. However, by virtue of that win against the Seahawks just weeks ago, the Rams currently have the tiebreaker over their NFC West rivals.

McVay knows what’s at stake in this game. What he has seen on film is a football team that has improved throughout the season and since that Week 11 defeat to the Rams, he said. 

“I see great ability to adjust, adapt and then continue to do things at a high level while they’ve still added new layers and wrinkles to the things that they’re doing, whether that be situationally or in some of the normal down and distances,” McVay said during a Zoom call with reporters. 

“Whether that be offensively, defensively or in the kicking game, I’ve just seen a team that’s gotten better throughout the season. They’ve added some wrinkles and layers, but it still is all geared around accentuating their players’ skill sets,” he said. 

In their Week 11 triumph against the Seahawks, the Rams flustered quarterback Sam Darnold into throwing four interceptions. Seattle actually outgained the Rams in total yards (414 to 249) and more than doubled the number of first downs (26 to 12) for LA. 

The Seahawks even converted better on third downs, making 7 of 16 attempts. The Rams converted just 2 of 11 of their third down attempts in the game. However, what proved to be the Rams’ saving grace was coming up with stops and big plays when they needed them the most.  

“Really hats off to our group for finding a way,” McVay remarked after that win. “Obviously, that’s an excellent football team. They get all the credit that they deserve. You could feel they were a physical, tough football team. I can’t say enough about what a great job our defense did to be able to get four interceptions.”

While celebrating the win, McVay went on to say that there were some things the team could learn from.  

“We had some things that we can really learn from in terms of early down efficiency. You get behind the sticks against a great defense like that… but we’re never going to apologize for finding ways to be able to win,” McVay said. “This is a resilient group.”