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December 15, 2016 at 9:55 am #61118
znModeratorRams hope they can put turmoil aside Thursday when they play the Seahawks in frigid Seattle
http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-sp-rams-seahawks-20161214-story.html
Talk about a cold business.
Three days after their coach was fired — and four days after suffering a humiliating defeat in front of booing home fans — the Rams will play Thursday night in 30-degree temperatures against a perennial playoff team on a mission to secure a first-round postseason bye.
And do it in the NFL’s loudest stadium.
It’s probably a fitting final trip for a team traveling 35,952 air miles this season.
But few could have predicted the Rams would reach this final destination with a special teams coordinator serving as interim coach, a rookie quarterback making his fifth start, a frustrated running back lamenting what he described as “a middle-school offense,” and rumors swirling about who will lead the franchise in 2017 going forward.
If nothing else, the Rams are once again the talk of the NFL.
Jeff Fisher’s firing put behind the Eric Dickerson sideline pass, Fisher contract-extension and reported infighting controversies that dogged the franchise the last few weeks.
John Fassel, appointed interim coach after Fisher was axed, sounded a bit overwhelmed at his introductory news conference Monday. A day later, he said he was still “learning on the fly” but that players would be prepared despite the circumstances.
“The guys will be ready to go,” he said.
The Rams are nothing if not familiar with their opponent: They have defeated the NFC West-leading Seahawks three times in a row.
“We know them,” Rams middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “We know what kind of game it’s going to be.”
In Week 2, after a season-opening shutout defeat by the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams beat the Seahawks, 9-3, at the Coliseum in an impressive if not exactly entertaining defensive performance. It was the first of three consecutive victories that put the Rams in first place in the NFC West.
The fast start spurred talk of a possible run to the postseason, something the Rams have not experienced since 2004.
But the Rams lost eight of their last nine games. Last week’s humiliating 42-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Coliseum dropped them to 4-9 and set the stage for Fisher’s dismissal.
One thing has not changed since the Sept. 18 victory over the Seahawks, which was achieved with three field goals: The Rams still have the NFL’s worst and lowest-scoring offense.
After the Atlanta loss, running back Todd Gurley could no longer contain his frustration. Along with his “middle-school” reference, he said some players were “just going through the motions.”
Gurley stood by his comments this week.
“It definitely should be taken to heart — the way we played,” he said. “Just way too many turnovers, way too many penalties, and we just can’t be doing that week after week.”
Quarterback Jared Goff, who was on the bench watching Case Keenum for the first game against the Seahawks, was responsible for several turnovers against the Falcons.
He had two passes intercepted, one that was returned for a touchdown, and also had a ball stripped and returned for a touchdown.
Fisher’s firing and the short turnaround to prepare for the Seahawks was “just a little bit of a distraction,” said Goff, who made previous road starts at New Orleans and New England.
“We need to find a way to move on and find a way to beat Seattle,” he said. “I know there will be no one rooting for us more than Coach Fish.”
Keenum, who also was under center when the Rams defeated the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field in late December last season, said the key for a quarterback was “poise in the noise.”
There should be plenty volume from Seahawks fans eager to see their team bounce back from Sunday’s 38-10 loss at snowy Green Bay.
It was the Seahawks’ second-worst loss since Pete Carroll became coach in 2010 and ended a streak of 95 games of not losing by more than 10 points.
“That was terrible game for us, and one that was well outside of the lines of what we’ve been doing over a lot of years,” said Carroll, who is under contract until 2019 and said that he should not be considered a candidate to succeed Fisher.
Super Bowl-winner Russell Wilson is the latest in a line of elite quarterbacks the Rams have faced the last four games, but he is coming off a five-interception game against the Packers.
Wilson, though, is in much better shape than he was the last time he played against the Rams. Wilson had suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener and “was kind of hobbling around” at the Coliseum.
“I feel 100 times better now,” he said.
After enduring a tumultuously short week, the Rams are aiming for a similar feeling.
December 15, 2016 at 1:47 pm #61128znModeratorWho has the edge? Rams (4-9) at Seahawks (8-4-1)
Rich Hammond
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20161214/who-has-the-edge-rams-4-9-at-seahawks-8-4-1
RAMS OFFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS DEFENSE
Disaster hit the Seahawks this month when five-time Pro-Bowl safety Earl Thomas suffered a broken leg. Last week, in their first game without Thomas, the Seahawks allowed 38 points to Green Bay. In their previous three games, the Seahawks had allowed a combined total of 34 points. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns against a Seattle defense that had allowed only 11 passing touchdowns in its previous 12 games. Will the Seahawks be able to adjust to the loss of Thomas, or is this a game-changer for the Rams? There’s little to suggest the latter. Last Sunday, against a mediocre Atlanta defense, the Rams could not consistently move the ball in the air or on the ground. The Rams abandoned the run early because they trailed by double digits in the first quarter, and quarterback Jared Goff looked shaky for much of the game. Now, the Rams have to face a Seattle defense that ranks in the top third of the NFL with 32 sacks. Defensive end Cliff Avril has a team-high 10 sacks this year. EDGE: SEAHAWKS
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE VS. RAMS DEFENSE
Don’t look back to September for any guidance here. The Rams won the first matchup between these teams, 9-3 at the Coliseum, but the Seahawks had a hobbled quarterback in Russell Wilson — who played through an ankle injury — and an unsettled run game. Now, Wilson is healthy and has thrown at least one touchdown in five of his last six game — although he had a dreadful five-interception game last Sunday — and running back Thomas Rawls is two weeks removed from a 106-yard, two-touchdown game against Carolina. Seattle’s offense hasn’t exactly been dynamic — the Seahawks have topped 31 points only twice this season — but it has been fairly efficient. The Seahawks rank ninth in the league with an average of 5.7 yards per play, and Wilson is sixth in the league with 7.7 yards per pass attempt. Things haven’t exactly been trending in the right direction for the Rams’ offense, and now the secondary is hobbled, with both cornerback E.J. Gaines and safety Maurice Alexander dealing with injury. EDGE: SEAHAWKS
SPECIAL TEAMS
When the highlight of a team’s season is the success of its punter, well, that’s not good, but that should not diminish how terrific the Rams’ Johnny Hekker has been this season. Hekker has tied Arizona’s Dave Zastudil for most punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line in one season, and Hekker has three more games to set the record. It’s been a while since anyone has seen Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein, since the offense is so brutal. Zuerlein has attempted only one field goal in the last three games. After a tough midseason stretch, Seattle kicker Steven Hauschka has made six consecutive field-goal attempts and five consecutive extra points. The Rams’ return units should get a boost from the return of Tavon Austin, although it will be interesting to see if the Rams still trust rookie Michael Thomas to return kickoffs in the absence of Benny Cunningham, after Thomas’ awful opening-kickoff fumble last week. EDGE: RAMS
COACHING
The resume of Seattle’s Pete Carroll includes a Super Bowl victory and two national championships at USC. The resume of Rams interim coach John Fassel includes two seasons at Div. II New Mexico Highlands University. This is no fault of Fassel, who has had a wide-eyed week after the Rams tabbed him to take over for fired coach Jeff Fisher. Fassel hasn’t been a head coach in 12 years and clearly knows he’s going to need a lot of help from his assistants. That said, Fassel was chosen — over assistant head coach Dave McGinnis or defensive coordinator Gregg Williams — because of his great enthusiasm and earnestness. Rams players respect Fassel, and the thought is that they will want to play well for him, even though the final three games essentially are meaningless. Still, Carroll is Carroll, and this is a big home game for the Seahawks so it’s tough to imagine them being unprepared. EDGE: SEAHAWKS
INTANGIBLES
What sent Fisher packing on Monday? It wasn’t simply the margin of a dreadful 42-14 loss to Atlanta, but the fact that he couldn’t fix problems. The Rams had season-highs in turnovers (five) and penalties (11) against the Falcons. The Rams failed to force a turnover for the second consecutive game, and their turnover margin is minus-15 during their last nine games (and they’ve won one of them). Seattle also failed to force a turnover in last week’s loss to Green Bay, but the Seahawks have only a minus-1 turnover margin in their last five games even though Wilson threw five interceptions last week. The Rams now have 104 penalties and 909 penalty yards, fourth-most in each category. EDGE: SEAHAWKS
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Rams CB Troy Hill vs. Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett: Seattle loves to spread around the ball. Two weeks ago against Carolina, four receivers each had between 5 to 7 catches and 63 to 68 yards. Doug Baldwin remains the Seahawks’ most consistent receiver, so chances are he will be matched against Trumaine Johnson, the Rams’ top cornerback. That means Hill could draw Lockett, who had something of a slow start to the season but has been targeted 18 times in Seattle’s last three games. Is Hill ready? He hasn’t played since Nov. 13, a week before his arrest on suspicion of DUI. Hill has been a capable cornerback for the Rams this season, but if there’s any rust in his game, Seattle figures to find it early and often.
PREDICTION: SEAHAWKS 31, RAMS 13
Yes, this could be one of those emotional, rally-the-troops victories for the Rams, and given how tough they’ve played Seattle in recent seasons, it wouldn’t be totally shocking. All evidence goes against that, though. The Rams just lost their coach, they’re coming off consecutive miserable losses and their defense is banged up. Plus, they can’t score. That’s sort of a bad combination, particularly against a Seattle team that will be motivated after last week’s poor loss to Green Bay (and by the September loss to the Rams). The Seahawks have the NFC West title all but wrapped up, but they’re in a tight battle for a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and they won’t take this game lightly. That’s bad news for the Rams.
December 15, 2016 at 2:00 pm #61129
ZooeyModeratorBiggest mismatch of the year according to Vegas.
Seattle -16.
December 15, 2016 at 4:28 pm #61146
AgamemnonParticipantBut, all are guys will be playing for the memory of Fisher and his legacy.
AgamemnonDecember 15, 2016 at 5:34 pm #61147
wvParticipantBut, all are guys will be playing for the memory of Fisher and his legacy.<;
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True, but without a healthy-Quinn, its a middle-school-Defense.
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