media sets up the Seattle game

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“….Left tackle Rees Odhiambo was released from the hospital Monday after staying there overnight for observation after having difficulty breathing after taking a hard hit to his chest area in the third quarter — he did not miss a snap. He was hurt on a hit from Indy’s Jabaal Sheard that Carroll said the team will send to the league office to get their view of if it should have been flagged.

While there was a report that Odhiambo had a bruised heart Carroll said emphatically that is not true.

“He does not have a bruised heart, which is out there — whatever, somebody made that up,’’ Carroll said. “That isn’t what he has. He’s got a bruised sternum.’’

Carroll didn’t rule out that Odhiambo could play Sunday against the Rams saying “we’re not sure what that means for this week but it’s nothing beyond that.’’

Carroll didn’t say who would step in for Odhiambo this week if he can’t play but his backup has been Matt Tobin. Tobin played the one play Odhiambo missed earlier when he hurt his ankle against Tennessee.

After finishing the game Odhiambo complained of breathing issues in the locker room after the game and was attended to by physicians with coaches and teammates huddled around.

Carroll said Odhiambo’s effort to continue playing was “more than we realized. He just sucked it up he was having trouble breathing and he just sucked it up and it kind of caught up with him after the game when he started to calm down, all the adrenaline wasn’t pumping and all. But it was a really good effort by him to hang tough and play a good football game. … (Quarterback) Russell (Wilson) said he would see in the hustle that he was struggling and didn’t know what it was all about. He was struggling to catch his breath. So it was gallant — a great effort.”

seattle:https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/seahawks-health-updates-no-timeline-for-cliff-avril-return-chris-carson-to-have-surgery-tuesday-rees-odhiambo-gets-good-news/

from Rams among teams with big Week 5 home games on the horizon

http://www.latimes.com/sports/nfl/la-sp-nfl-week-5-farmer-20171002-story.html

Jared Goff is rebooted.

Deshaun Watson is rolling.

Mitchell Trubisky is just getting started.

And Eli Manning is looking to finally get his team in gear.

Those are four of the quarterbacks preparing for big Week 5 home games as the NFL season heads into its second quarter.

The Rams head into a big divisional showdown with the Seattle Seahawks coming off a huge win at Dallas, in large part because of the play of Goff, who has been the best quarterback in the NFC West and among the best in the league. This comes after the top pick in the 2016 draft went 0-7 as a starter last fall.

PFT’s Week Five picks

Mike Florio

PFT’s Week Five picks

Seahawks at Rams

MDS’s take: The Seahawks just haven’t been a very good team on either side of the ball this season, and the Rams have. It’s surprising to say this, but I think the Rams are the best team in the NFC West — by far.

MDS’s pick: Rams 31, Seahawks 13.

Florio’s take: Since winning the Super Bowl, the Seahawks are 2-4 against the Rams. And that was before the Rams figured out how to play offense. In a game that should pack the Coliseum (but won’t), the Rams secure a lead in the Fight for L.A. that they may never lose.

Florio’s pick: Rams 27, Seahawks 20.

Saguaro wrote:

I actually got this from the Seahawks board. Interesting.

“since 1978, when the league moved to a 16-game schedule, 40 years of nfl football has come and gone with 1,201 teams taking the field.

of those 1,201 teams, only 16 have scored 142 or more points through the first 4 games of the season, including the 2017 rams – for those counting at home, that shakes out to just 1.3%.

moreover, only 33 have booked a qb rating of 112.2 or higher through the first 4 games of the season, including the 2017 rams – for those counting at home, that shakes out to just 2.8%.

so how has this microscopic number of teams that scored 142+ points through the first 4 games fared over the course of the season? 8 reached the super bowl, 2 reached the conference championship round, 3 reached the divisional round, 1 reached the wild card round, and only 1 failed to make the postseason”

New-look Rams can challenge Seahawks for NFC West supremacy

Jim Moore

link: http://sports.mynorthwest.com/349258/jim-moore-predicts-seahawks-rams/

Everyone knows how important Sunday’s game is for the Seahawks. Beat the Rams and both teams are 3-2 with the Seahawks holding the tiebreaker; lose to the Rams, and you’re probably not going to win the NFC West. The Rams would be 4-1, the Seahawks 2-3, and Pete Carroll’s team would basically be three games behind Sean McVay’s team if you consider the tiebreaker.

Thomas Rawls goes from healthy scratch to just plain healthy

I know things can change after the bye week next week, and the Seahawks’ history suggests that it will. They almost always play better in the second half of the season than the first, just like they do in games themselves. Against Indianapolis, the offense did next to nothing in the first half and scored more points (36) than any other team in franchise history in the second half.

But, I don’t see it turning around this year like it has in the past. The Seahawks look like a 9-7 team, maybe even an 8-8 team to me. Let me ask you something: if you can put subjectivity aside, given a choice between 8-8 and 11-5, which record do you truly think they’ll end up with? Don’t say 10-6 or 9-7, because I’m not offering those as options here. If you had to pick 8-8 or 11-5, which would it be?

That’s an easy answer for me based on what we’ve seen so far. For starters, at 2-2, they’re on a pace for 8-8. Their only two wins came over the 49ers and Colts, teams that have a combined 1-7 record. The only win by the Colts was over a Browns team that has lost 29 of its last 31 games.

I can see the offensive line and running game improving, but not dramatically. The O-line will continue to hold this team back, and I’m not as sold on the defense as I used to be, particularly with Cliff Avril out for what might be the rest of the season. The run defense has been surprisingly subpar.

Sunday’s matchup is one that features the old dog trying to retain its status in the NFC West against the new pup with a new coach that sits on Gatorade buckets and is 35 years younger than Carroll. McVay is 31-years-old and has inspired something into Jared Goff and the Rams’ offense, which was last in the NFL last year and first this year, averaging 35 points a game.

If I’m going to keep using my canine analogy, Sunday afternoon I think the pup is going to keep bothering the old dog, and the old dog will put up with him awhile and might even nip back to show the new pup who’s the boss, but in the second half, I’m pretty sure the old dog is going to head to another room to try and get away from the new pup because he can’t take it anymore.

There are two best hopes for the Seahawks, and the Groz offered one of them on the Show of Record. The Rams were a so-so team under Jeff Fisher — but whatever Fisher didn’t have against other teams, his Rams could beat the Seahawks. The formula of a bad offense, terrific defense and gimmick plays was enough to get it done against Carroll’s team.

But this new-look Rams’ team, even though it has mostly the same personnel on defense, is giving up 26 points a game under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who is supposed to be one of the best DC’s in the game. I suspect he still is, but the switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 will take some adjustment time. I’m merely guessing that to be the case, but when you give up 39 points to the 49ers, something’s amiss.

So Groz’s point — or at least, what I think his point is — is that the Rams have a different team and might be more susceptible to losing to the Seahawks than they were before. Certainly the Seahawks should be able to move the ball against this version of the Rams.

The other hope is that the Seahawks, who have no doubt heard Rams this and Rams that this week, could rightfully ask: “What about us?” They are still one of the Super Bowl favorites, and if I’m them, I’m thinking the road to the NFC West championship still goes through Seattle, even if this game is being played in L.A. I expect a great overall effort from the offense in particular; plus, Goff won’t put up the numbers like he did against the Colts, Niners and Cowboys.

A bonus reason for hope? The Redskins beat the Rams in L.A. If the Redskins can win there, certainly the Seahawks can too.

But for every reason why the Seahawks could win, I’ll call you and raise you several other reasons why the Rams will. Right now, at least, they have a better team based on the results thus far. Their offense is clearly better, and Goff has been sacked only four times to Wilson’s 10. Goff’s receivers are better, and so is his offensive line. With Todd Gurley, the Rams have a better running back, too. On special teams, I’d take Greg Zeurlien and Johnny Hekker over Blair Walsh and Jon Ryan.

Defensively you’d have to give the edge to the Seahawks, but it’s not big enough to turn the game in their favor. The Seahawks were slight underdogs to Green Bay and Tennessee and lost both games. It’s the same scenario here, and nothing’s changed as far as I can tell. In fact, it’s gotten slightly worse with the losses of Chris Carson and Avril and Jeremy Lane for this game, which is why I like the Rams in decisive fashion.

Seahawks (+1) at Rams: Rams 30, Seahawks 17

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-nfl-week-5-preview-seahawks-at-rams/

NFL Week 5 Preview: Seahawks at Rams
By PFF Analysis Team • Oct 7, 2017

The Rams are 3-1, first place in the NFC West, and host the 2-2 Seattle Seahawks tomorrow. A win would put Rams in command of division. Preview w/@LATimesklein. pic.twitter.com/pdJ7sPcU5w

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) October 7, 2017

seahawks to watch:https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/seahawks-to-watch-against-los-angeles-rams-frank-clark-tyler-lockett-j-d-mckissic-and-more/

By Bob Condotta
Seattle Times staff reporter

Here are five (well, six, actually) Seahawks particularly intriguing to watch against the Rams on Sunday.

DEFENSIVE END FRANK CLARK: Sunday will mark the first game the Seahawks will play without Cliff Avril since 2013 — he has started every game since the beginning of the 2014 season. Clark will start in his place. It’s not the first time Clark has had to start getting the call for five games at mid-season last year when Michael Bennett was out, playing 77 percent of the snaps or more in all five, making one sack in three of the games. So this isn’t a new thing for Clark. But Clark has been battling a slew of nagging injuries — a broken bone on one hand, a torn ligament on the other, a hamstring issue as well as cramping against Titans, something to watch with the temperatures expected in the high 80s Sunday (Clark said later he would review how he prepared hydrating for the Tennessee game). Clark will need to play well and play a lot as there is little depth behind him with Marcus Smith and Bennett the only other official defensive ends after an injury this week knocked out newly-reacquired Quinton Jefferson. Clark has a good history against the Rams, though — 3.5 of his 10 sacks last season came in the two games against Los Angeles.

OFFENSIVE TACKLES GERMAIN IFEDI AND REES ODHIAMBO: The punching bag that has been the Seahawks’ offensive line has to be given credit for playing better the last two weeks — no team in the NFL has gained more yards than the 910 of Seattle the last two games and the line has to have done something right, right? But the Rams have a better defensive front than the Titans or Colts and have always given the Seahawks fits. New Rams’ defensive coordinator Wade Phillips also continues to tinker with his front as he gets to know them — last week, the Rams moved tackle Michael Brockers to end which allowed rookie Tanzel Smart to start inside. Brockers responded with a key hit on Dak Prescott on a play that resulted in an interception as well as a sack. It hardly even needs to be said that Brockers and Robert Quinn — who has 10 career sacks of Russell Wilson — will provide a stiff test of Seattle’s tackles. Odhiambo is particularly worth watching early to see how he responds after the scary chest injury of last week. Matt Tobin is listed as his backup but the Seahawks also like the progress of Isaiah Battle — it’ll be interesting to see if Battle is active for the first time as a Seahawk. Battle has never played in an NFL game but spent his first two years on the Rams’ practice squad.

WIDE RECEIVER TYLER LOCKETT: If Lockett had to shake off any rust early in the year as he came back from the devastating broken leg of last Dec. 24, his 41-yard from Russell Wilson last week appears to show he’s back to his usual form. Now he faces a team against which he has had some of his biggest games — two of what are statistically the top three in his career, in fact. Lockett had four receptions for 99 yards in Los Angeles last season and then seven for a career-high 130 yards along with a career-long 57-yard touchdown in Seattle last December the week before he was injured.
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RUNNING BACK J.D. MCKISSIC: McKissic was one of the unexpected heroes of the win over the Colts when he had four carries for 38 yards, including a 30-yarder that helped break the game open, as well as a 27-yard TD catch that capped the second-half onslaught. If he might have caught the Colts by surprise, though, that won’t be the case with the Rams. And Seattle may again need him to play a significant role with C.J. Prosise again doubtful. McKissic’s game last week had some wondering if he’ll get a chance at helping replace Chris Carson as an early-down back. The Seahawks might work him in here and there in early downs but that role still appears likely to go to the duo of Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy with McKissic ticketed more for the third-down/two-minute back role. But that’s a big one in Seattle’s offense and with Prosise again unable to stay healthy, McKissic has a chance to show maybe it should be his full-time.

CORNERBACK JUSTIN COLEMAN: Coleman was one of the other breakout stars of last week with an early pick six after stepping into a regular role in the nickel package with Jeremy Lane sidelined. Lane is likely again out meaning Coleman will again play the nickel. One of the keys to the Rams’ early success has been the play of slot receivers Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, the latter a rookie from Eastern Washington who has two touchdown catches, one last week at Dallas. Woods has the best came of his six-year career last year against the Seahawks when he was with Buffalo catching 10 passes for 162 yards.

Slow Starts Are The Norm For 2017 Seattle Seahawks

Julian Rogers

http://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/seattle-seahawks/slow-starts-are-norm-2017-seattle-seahawks

That won’t get it done against the NFL’s highest scoring offense in week 5

Slow start #4? No worries. The Seattle Seahawks limped to a 10–15 halftime deficit at home against the Indianapolis Colts, then exploded for 36 second-half points in an eventual route on Sunday night. Problem solved. Ship righted. Right?

Slow start #3? Some worries. The Seahawks managed only seven first-half points at the Tennessee Titans (week three) and ended up losing 33–27 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated.

Slow start #2? Yes, worries. The Seahawks, in their second outing and first home game, managed only six first-half points against the (still) winless San Francisco 49ers. They amassed 12 points on four field goals to get their first win of the season.

Slow start #1? Serious worries. The Seahawks could only muster three first-half points in a week one loss (9–17) at Green Bay. They did not score their first offensive touchdown until the second quarter of week three at the Titans.

Getting better

At least the trend is going up (ish) for the Seattle Seahawks. After only three first-half points against the Packers, they got six points in week two, seven in week three and cracked double digits in week four. At that pace, they’ll get maybe 12 first-half points against the Los Angeles Rams.

Anyone feeling good about Seattle’s chances if this trend continues?

You might feel good about it, depending on whether or not the Seahawks can convince the Rams to start the game in the third quarter. Since that seems unlikely, the blue birds need to find a way to get their offensive engine jump-started earlier in the contest. Since the Sean McVay-led Rams of 2017 are averaging a league-best 35.5 points per game, the Seahawks must counter with nine points or more per quarter to keep pace.

This is the very definition of a tall task. In their 16 quarters of play, the 2017 Seahawks have scored nine or more points in a quarter three times; two of which were in Q3 and Q4 against the Colts. The 12s had better hope the latter half Seahawks are the new Seahawks for the rest of the season.

And they might be. There were definite signs of life as the Colts faded from competitiveness in the latter half of the game.

Tomorrow never knows

Time and again, we’ve learned that how a team plays in the first quarter of the season bears little resemblance to how they play in November, December and (hopefully) January. The Seahawks, by dint of their 2–2 record, combined with the 3–1 record of the NFC West Division-leading Rams, are essentially starting the season over, one-quarter of the way in.

The winner of this game will have early (for what it’s worth) control of the division. The Seahawks are right there, and have determined what works — and perhaps more significantly, what doesn’t work — on offense.

We’ve seen what the Seahawks are now: a sketchy passing attack for most of their 2017 possessions. Poor run-blocking that’s getting worse. Russell Wilson running for his life on almost every down. The Seahawks consistently move the ball when they spread defenses out and go up-tempo. The results say: Do more of that.

Despite the two-halvesness nature of the Seahawks’ offense, a quick examination of the team’s offensive statistics does reveal a remarkable symmetry in the Colts game. Three different receivers totaled more than 60 yards in receptions; none as much as 70. In total, eight different receivers caught passes, including four receivers, two running backs and two tight ends. Quarterback Russell Wilson is a master at running Darrell Bevell’s offense and remains willing and able to target any individual based on matchups and opportunities on any given play.

His trustiest target, No. 1 receiver Doug Baldwin, was not among the top three receivers in the Colts game, with only 35 receiving yards. No matter. Given favorable field position, thanks to a highly effective defensive performance, Wilson was able to find all of his receiving weapons when he needed to, despite tossing two interceptions (21/26, 295 yards, 2 passing TDs, 1 rushing TD, 2 INTs, 1 safety).

While the Seahawks have churned their way through running backs (as has become their recent custom) due to injury (Thomas Rawls, C.J. Prosise, Chris Carson) ineffectiveness (Eddie Lacy; all of the others, at times) and inexperience (J.D. McKissic), they may have just found the right combination against the Colts.

Now that Carson is out long-term with a nasty lower leg injury, Eddie Lacy looks to be the current workhorse back, with McKissic providing the occasional big-play spark. Lacy’s most recent stat line: (11 rushes for 52 yards) combined with McKissic’s (4 rushes, 38 yards and 1 reception for a 27-yard touchdown) are a more than solid combination.

They’ll need it to keep pace with the NFL’s second-leading running back (to rookie phenom Kareem Hunt), dual threat Todd Gurley (86 carries, 362 yards [4.2 YPC], 4 TDs and 3 receiving TDs).

What the Seahawks have known about Gurley since his rookie season of 2015 is that he is the whole deal for the Rams offense. So far in 2017, he’s the real deal — and a complement to the blossoming second-year quarterback Jared Goff’s suddenly potent passing attack.

Goff, whose trajectory has spiked upward, has been (I’ll say it) surprisingly aided by the addition of two former Buffalo Bills receivers, Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, and Eastern Washington rookie Cooper Kupp. Not only are the Rams the highest scoring offense, they also own the fifth-ranked passing offense and the 15th-ranked rushing offense. The Seahawks, after the second-half outpouring against the Colts, are 13th and 11th, respectively.

The biggest difference: In Los Angeles, the sexy yards come from Gurley. In Seattle, they come from Wilson.

Good day sunshine

It’s a new day in the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams leading the division with the league’s highest flying offense. It’s a new opportunity for the Seahawks, who have managed to stay within a game of the Rams while sorting through their offensive slow starts and injury woes. Could this week five matchup be a defining moment in not only the 2017 season, but the course of both franchises going forward?

Regardless of records, recent history tells us that the Seahawks have a hard time against the Rams, whether in Seattle, Los Angeles or St. Louis. The Seahawks are 2–4 against the Rams since the 2014 season. The Seahawks were a playoff team in those years; the Rams were also-rans.

Whoever triumphs on Sunday will own the division now that the preliminary month has concluded. This is no “must win,” but it will be a determinant win — for one franchise.

Game Preview: Rams Gear Up for an NFC West Matchup with Seattle

Kristen Lago

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Game-Preview-Rams-Gear-Up-for-an-NFC-West-Matchup-with-Seattle/2e4b5334-b4ff-413f-aba2-5f37b735452a

The Rams will be back home at the Coliseum in Week 5 to face their second divisional opponent of the season in the Seahawks. After two consecutive road victories, a win on Sunday afternoon would put Los Angeles in command of the NFC West.

On Sunday the Rams will be looking for their fourth consecutive victory over the Seahawks at home. Recently in the series between the two teams, the Rams have commanded their home turf — including a 9-3 victory over Seattle in Los Angeles’ home opener last season. In all, Seattle has won 22 of the 35 games between the two teams, though the Rams have taken the last four of six contests.

But, this season’s matchup will feature the Rams’ revamped offense led by first-year head coach Sean McVay and a new defensive scheme under coordinator Wade Phillips.

“He’s off to a great start,” Seahawk’s head coach Pete Carroll said of McVay. “They’ve totally turned around their style. The scoring and offense and the ability just to control the football and it’s just really a clear distinction from what it was a year ago. [And] Wade is always going to put together a good defense, so they’ve got a really good thing going.”

But a victory this week will not be easy.

Despite the Seahawks’ early road losses to the Packers and Titans, this weekend’s West Coast matchup will present the Rams with perhaps their toughest challenge yet.

“It’s a great task,” McVay said. “This is an excellent defense. I think you look at the history of what they’ve done over the handful of years — they’ve got All-Pro players really on all three levels: up front, at the linebacker spot and on the back end. They play hard, they’re fundamentally sound, and they’re very well coached.”

“We know these guys and we know what type of game this is,” middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said. “We have to bring a great defense against this team. They have a very talented offense and we have an opportunity on our hands to go out and put up a good show.”

Defensively, the Rams’ main priority will be to contain three-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champion Russell Wilson. Wilson is widely known for his mobility outside of the pocket, as well as his ability to extend plays by evading defenders.

“He can throw the ball, he can run and really do whatever,” Ogletree said of Wilson. “He’s definitely an elusive guy that can get outside the pocket. It’s going to take everybody sticking with their man and upfront just keeping him contained in the pocket.”

Fortunately for Los Angeles, its defense boasts a loaded front seven led by linemen Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers — who recently made the switch to a 3-4 defensive end in Week 4’s contest against the Cowboys.

Expect outside linebacker Robert Quinn to match up well against left tackle Rees Odhiambo who will play on Sunday despite suffering from a bruised sternum this past week. Quinn has had some of his best games of his career against Seattle and has recorded 11 sacks on the Seahawks throughout six seasons in the league.

Seattle’s leading rusher, Chris Carson will not participate in Sunday’s contest after being placed on injured reserve, but the Seahawks still have a lot of depth at the position. Running backs Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy should split the load on the ground this week.

Overall, the Rams defense will need to carry the same performance it showcased in Week 4’s second half against Dallas — where the team held the Cowboys to just six points — into this week’s matchup against the Seahawks.

“We’re going to try to play the second half defense that we played last weekend from now on,” Phillips said with a chuckle this week. “I was pleased with the way we played in the second half. We did learn something about a scrambling quarterback and I think hopefully that will carry over.”

“I thought our team, defensively, has really played well under pressure in those situations — two-point plays that won games and things like that,” he continued. “So, I think things are coming together that way, but like I said, this is one of the top offenses in the league with an elite quarterback, so it’ll be a big challenge.”

Offensively, the Rams enter Week 5 as the league’s No. 1 scoring offense. Quarterback Jared Goff has completed 66.7 percent of his passes, for 1,072 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017. The Seahawks’ defense, however, will challenge the young quarterback.

“I think you look at when they get into those known passing situations, they can come with four-man rushes, they play great coverage on the back end, and they’ve got elite players all over the place,” McVay said of the Seattle defense. “It’s an excellent challenge and I’ve got a whole lot of respect for this defense. We certainly have to be at our best if we’re going to give ourselves a chance to compete.”

On the ground, running back Todd Gurley is coming off of two consecutive 100-yard performances and currently leads the NFL with seven total touchdowns. But this week, running lanes at the second level should be a bit more challenging for Gurley as he goes head-to-head with middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.

In order for the Rams to be successful, the team will need to present Seattle with a balanced ground and passing attack, beginning with the offensive line. Though the O-line has been impressive through four games, it will be tested against a strong Seahawks’ front seven.

“They’re a bunch of really good players,” right tackle Rob Havenstein said. “I think any time you get a bunch of really good football players on one team, it’s going to be a great challenge. They’re a very stingy defense, so we want to go ahead and be as good as we can in all phases run, pass, and whatever else we got. We want to be consistent.”

Sunday will also present a challenge for the Rams’ receiving corps as they face off against Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” led by cornerback Richard Sherman. But Los Angeles will benefit from their versatile group of receivers, including Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, and Cooper Kupp — who is coming off a solid performance last week against the Cowboys.

“Once again, it’s another challenge,” Kupp said. “We’re really taking a look at Seattle and they have a great, great defense. If we’re going to be able to score points, then we’re going to have to be effective with everybody on field and minimize mistakes with no penalties — just all of the basic things that you’re supposed to do as an offense.”

If the Rams can be efficient in all three phases, they should fare well against the Seahawks on Sunday.

Damn. Bonsignore dont like Fish.

“Amazing what happens when stubbornness and mulishness and staleness is replaced by creativity and open-mindedness and vibrancy.”

Goff:http://www.ocregister.com/2017/10/07/bonsignore-jared-goff-remembers-the-richard-shermans-knockout-blow/

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