setting up the Seattle game

It sure sounds like Sean McVay has some regret over the terrible Ernest Jones trade

Cameron DaSilva

• https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2024/10/31/rams-seahawks-ernest-jones-trade-sean-mcvay-regret/

As good a tandem as Sean McVay and Les Snead are in Los Angeles, they haven’t exactly gotten the greatest returns when it comes to trading players like Jalen Ramsey, Marcus Peters and now Ernest Jones.

At the time, the decision to trade away Jones just before Week 1 was a curious one. What they got in return was even more shocking. Along with Jones, the Rams traded a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Titans for a 2026 fifth-rounder – essentially moving up just one round in exchange for one of the team’s best defenders.

We haven’t gotten the full story on the reasoning behind that puzzling deal, but it sure sounds like McVay has some regrets about it. With Jones now in Seattle after the Titans traded him to the Seahawks last week – for more than the Rams got in their trade, mind you – McVay was asked about the trade and how it’s worked out.

“I think I’ve been pleased with some of the things that guys have done. It’d be hard to deny the production that he’s had when you look at what he’s done at Tennessee and even just in his first week (in Seattle) last week,” McVay said. “He’s a great player and he did a lot of good things for us. I think all the decisions that we make in the moment we feel like are in the best interest. I’m not going to pretend and act like every decision is accurate. You try to be able to learn from it and apply it moving forward, but you know that you’re playing against a really well-respected player, mentally and physically tough. Seems like he’s always around the football. I wish him well and it’s going to be a great challenge going against him.”

Jones seemed to be playing well for the Titans before they surprisingly traded him to the Seahawks for Jerome Baker and a fourth-round pick, but he’s already had a positive impact on the Seahawks.

In his first game with Seattle just four days after being traded to the Seahawks, he had 15 tackles and played every single snap. He’s always been a dynamic playmaker in the middle of the defense, particularly against the run and as a blitzer, and there’s no question the Rams could use him right about now.

Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom have not played well, and now Reeder is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. Omar Speights has a promising future but he’s not close to where Jones currently is as a player.

Don’t be surprised if Jones has a big game against his former team on Sunday, reminding them what they traded away for a bag of peanuts.

wv wrote:

rams v seahawks at the 1:14 mark

They’re not very up to date on the Rams defense, which has been coming on since the bye. That’s partly (I think) getting D.Williams back in the secondary, partly some self-scouting and adjustment during the bye (a Rams coaching staff speciality), and partly the youngsters just improving.

1976 – the first time the rams and the newly formed seahawks ever played each other: pic.twitter.com/7qDWLPf7jU

— roberto clemente (@rclemente2121) October 31, 2024

#Seahawks WR DK Metcalf (MCL sprain) has been ruled out for Sunday.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 1, 2024

Battle in Seattle: Rams hit the road for NFC West tilt against Seahawks | Game Preview

J.B. Long

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-seahawks-game-preview-battle-iseattle-hit-road-nfc-west-week-9

Every season in the NFL, a team goes worst to first.

But on the first Sunday of November, the Los Angeles Rams can do it in a day.

The NFC West is the only division in the league that has all four teams stacked within a single game, and we’ll talk about the schedule and playoff picture at the end of this column.

For now, just know that after starting 1-4 and being written off, the Rams can fly home from Seattle on Sunday night atop the West with a bit of help from the Chicago Bears. But it all starts with finding the first road win of 2024 against the Seahawks.

Can you believe the last time the Rams touched down in the Pacific Northwest, Kyren Williams had yet to score an NFL touchdown?

14 months later, he now has 25, more than anyone else in the league. Williams has missed five games in that span, too!

As for Puka Nacua, what more can we add? Only a select few Rams fans had him on their fantasy teams going into Week 1 of 2023. After a debut for the ages – 10 catches, 119 yards – he was an overnight sensation and owners were rapidly changing their team names (Puka Shells had a great 2023).

On the defensive side, Kobie Turner and Byron Young combined on their first professional sack, dragging down Geno Smith. That duo would go on to lead all NFL rookies with nine and eight sacks, respectively.

As they go back to Lumen Field in 2024, they bring with them another rookie class full of difference-makers working to shift the balance of power within the division.

With or Without You (Coop and Puka)

And just as importantly, this time they’ll have Cooper Kupp.

I knew it to be true, but was nonetheless gobsmacked to see it in print this week: Eastern Washington’s favorite son has played just 18 offensive snaps against the Seahawks since 2022, according to NFL Research.

He did not play in either matchup in 2022 (ankle), was on injured reserve for Week 1 2023 (hamstring), and was just getting started in Week 11 before leaving that game in the second quarter.

Not since Week 15 2021, the closing stretch of his Triple Crown surge, has Kupp played a full game against the franchise he grew up watching. He caught nine passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns that day.

You don’t need me to tell you how important his presence has been to Matthew Stafford and the Rams success. But let’s detail it anyway, in conjunction with Nacua.

Stafford has 26 passing scores against only eight interceptions in 13 games when both Kupp and Nacua play. Compare those totals to five passing touchdowns and eight picks when either or both are missing.

That’s how NFL Research frames it. ESPN paints the same picture with a different brush: Stafford’s QBR improves by over 25 points when both Kupp and Nacua are available.

Here’s how we frame it internally: When Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua are in the lineup, it’s hard to argue that the Rams are anything other than elite offensively. With that nucleus intact, they rank first in the NFL in offensive EPA and yards gained, plus top five in the league in scoring and yards per play.

wv wrote:

Seattle’s defense has had its problems this year, i guess.

Seattle’s defense

Points: 19th
Opponent Red Zone Scoring Percentage (TD only): 15th
Yards: 22nd
YPA pass: 15th
Opponent Average Team Passer Rating: 20th
YPA run: 28th
Opponent Third Down Conversions per Game: 22nd