Top 3 Seattle Seahawks to watch against Los Angeles Rams in Week 1

The Seattle Seahawks are about to begin their 2023 season! Sweet! After months that feel like years of waiting, another season is upon us.

2022, of course, saw Seattle far exceed expectations which means expectations in 2023 are higher. This is especially true as Seattle appears to have chosen another good rookie class. Some of those players, such as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, should augment an already playoff-caliber team.

But which players need to ball out in Week 1 to get Seattle off to a good start? Seattle's Week 1 opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, might not have as much talent but their coach, Sean McVay, knows the Seahawks too well for LA not to be a dangerous team for Seattle. That said, here are three players that need to be great in Week 1 for Seattle to win.

Seahawks need Dre'Mont Jones big in Week 1

All right, Mr. Jones. Seahawks general manager John Schneider spent a lot of money on you thinking you could be a transformative player for the defensive line. Sure, you need to stop the run, but you need to chase down quarterbacks at an even higher clip than you have done in the past. But stopping the run might need to be your focus in Week 1.

Rams coach Sean McVay is no idiot, of course. He knows how to exploit any weaknesses in a defense, even if his offense doesn't have as many weapons as it has in previous seasons. Plus, there is a good chance that receiver Cooper Kupp doesn't play in Week 1. This will be a diminished Rams offense that can still probably do one thing well: Run the ball.

Have I mentioned Los Angeles will want to run the ball? Seattle was atrocious stopping the run last year, as 12s all know. And Jones didn't grade out all that well himself at run defense, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). But many Broncos watchers in 2022 have said Jones' grade was wrong and he can be a disruptor. He will need to prove he can be in Seattle's first game of 2023.