Seahawks vs Rams: 5 Reasons Seattle Will Roll

As a young Seahawk fan I always had supreme confidence going into each and every game; even during the Stan Gelbaugh Year of 1992 I could convince myself they had a chance to win every week.

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But they only did that twice.

As I get older (and in my case MUCH older) I’m more realistic, and in some ways more cynical. I usually start out the week on the pessimistic side, but as the game draws closer and I start to analyze it more closely I gain confidence from that. This week has been no different.

In fact, the more I analyze the matchups in this game the more I think the Seahawks aren’t just going to win, but ultimately it’ll be an easier win than most are anticipating. And here’s why:

SEATTLE HAS THE BETTER QB:

So many times in the NFL this is the difference. Nick Foles burst on the scene with a promising year in 2013 playing in Chip Kelly’s offense, but crashed down to earth last year both statistically and physically, sporting a 13/10 TD/INT line before breaking his collarbone. He’s inaccurate, and not particularly athletic. The Rams thought they were upgrading at the position when they traded injury-prone, former first overall pick Sam Bradford to Philly in the offseason, but in the preseason Bradford looked ready for a breakout season while Foles struggled.

Wilson, meanwhile, has played in as many postseason games in his 3 year career as Foles played total games last season. He will clearly be the best quarterback on the field tomorrow.

THE SEAHAWKS HAVE MORE WEAPONS:

Aug 29, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) runs the ball before the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

No matter how you slice it, the Rams can’t even come close to matching the number of explosive weapons Wilson has at his disposal now. Who would you rather have, Jimmy Graham or Lance Kendricks at TE? Benny Cunningham or Marshawn Lynch at RB? Baldwin/Kearse/Matthews/Lockett or Quick/Austin/Bailey/Britt? (OK, the WR comparison may be close, but if the Rams have a better unit it’s by a hair.)

SEATTLE HAS THE BETTER OFFENSIVE LINE:

Yeah you heard me, I said it. For all the sweaty palms caused by the Seahawks rebuilt line this preseason, ask any Rams fan and they would probably trade theirs for ours straight up right now. St. Louis is starting a rookie at RT (Rob Havenstein), another one at LG (Jamon Brown), and a 2nd year LT who played like a bust last year after being selected 2nd overall (Greg Robinson). Furthermore, there are 3 more rookies listed on the 2nd team offensive line, according to the team’s official website.

The Seahawks line looked terrible in preseason game #1 vs. Denver, and those images are still stuck in everyone’s mind. Since moving RT Justin Britt to LG and inserting Garry Gilliam in his old spot, the Hawks are looking much better up front. Certainly the Rams defensive line is a tall task for any O-line, but my guess is that with Marshawn Lynch back to full time duty, we will see flashes of this configurations potential.

SEATTLE’S DEFENSE IS BETTER:

The Rams defensive line gets a lot of credit, and it’s much deserved, but Seattle’s may actually be just as dominant and a little deeper up front, and they’re superior to the Rams in their back 7. When looking at how each teams defense stacks up against the others offensive line, Seattle’s appears to have a much more obvious mismatch.

SEATTLE WILL HAVE “HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE:”

We’ve talked this week about the reports that there may only be 40,000 fans in the stands. Well, based on pictures and tweets I’ve seen it’s safe to assume a large contingent of Seahawk fans are once again going to represent in an opponents stadium.

It’s easy to get caught up in focusing too much on how poor the Seahawks offensive line looked early in camp, or the Kam Chancellor holdout, or how the Rams have given us fits in St. Louis the last 5 years. When you break this game down into matchups, Seattle is clearly has the advantage in nearly every single one.

It may be a sloppy, slugfest-type game early on, but in the end Seattle pulls away and wins it 31-13.

Next: Seahawks Roundtable: NFL Predictions

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