NFC West Notebook with a Seattle Seahawks bias
Los Angeles Rams
Well, hey—at least the Rams won a game in the Coliseum, where they lost all six of their games last season. Even against a Dallas Cowboys team that left most of its flashier starters on the bench, that’s progress, right?
Progress is going to be the name of the game for the Los Angeles Rams in their second season in the Southland. For Jared Goff, that progress is going to have to be on an accelerated timetable now that he’s been upgraded to QB1. For Todd Gurley, the third year running back needs to show enough progress this season to prove he is the team’s answer at running back. Sean McVay may have the heaviest workload when it comes to progress. The youngest head coach in the modern NFL era needs to show the City of Angels that they have a solid team, and that with a little patience they might even have a great team in a few years. Los Angeles doesn’t handle losing well, as the Rams (and Raiders) know all too well already.
Where the team will continue to be a challenge for their NFC West rivals is on defense. Wade Phillips’ crew looked good against the Cowboys. In practice on Tuesday the defensive first-stringers made life difficult on Goff and Sean Manion, forcing two interceptions apiece.
The Rams have always been a tough nut to crack for the Seahawks, a role they often play against the 49ers and Arizona Cardinals as well.
This season, the Seahawks’ O-Line will have to improve over their inconsistent (and occasionally dreadful) performances last season to keep the Rams’ defensive line at bay long enough for Russell Wilson to get the ball in the hands of one of his myriad offensive weapons. While there will still be bumps in the road regarding the guards and tackles charged with Wilson’s protection and opening up holes for the Seahawks’ talented running backs (especially with Fant sustaining an injury in the preseason game against Minnesota), I’m not sure even a spirited defensive performance by the Rams’ defense would be enough. Even in a close game, I just can’t see the Rams’ offense doing enough against the Seahawks’ secondary to steal a win.
That said, the Seahawks are going to need to keep an eye on Gurley. As Ramblin’ Fan noted earlier this month, Gurley has set some lofty goals for himself—1,500 rushing yards along with 1,000 receiving yards. And apparently Gurley has emerged as a solid receiver in practice, so while those numbers may not transpire quite as the running back hopes, he could still be a serious problem.
And that’s to say nothing of Sammy Watkins’ arrival in Los Angeles, with many—including Ramblin’ Fan’s Steve Rivera—expecting that the veteran wide receiver will reveal what the Rams really have in Goff, for better or worse.