The Seattle Seahawks will try to get back on the winning track this Sunday against the longtime division rival Los Angeles Rams. The Rams will be well rested after their mini-bye and in good spirits after handing the Minnesota Vikings their second loss of the season last Thursday night.
The Rams are a tough out for any team. They are well-coached across the board. With their star receivers back in the lineup, the offense can put up a lot of points and the defense is getting better week by week. LA swept the Hawks in 2021 and 2023, but the Hawks pulled off a sweep in 2022. Let’s hope this Sunday is the first part of another Seahawks sweep in 2024.
Longtime Seahawks fans may not need much introduction to Sean McVay’s squad, but a few things have changed down in LA over the past year. So, let’s take a moment to check in with the Rams and see what kind of team Seattle will be welcoming to Lumen Field this week.
What Seahawks fans need to know about the Rams ahead of Week 9
Rams last season
Things were looking bad for the Los Angeles Rams by the middle of the 2023 season. In 2021, McVay and GM Les Snead had followed the adage “go big or go home” and had hit the jackpot. They invested heavily in a veteran team and came away with a Super Bowl championship for their efforts. Then the price tag came due.
The Rams crumbled in 2022, posting their first losing season under McVay. Age and injuries seemed to be turning 2023 into a carbon copy of ’22. They entered their bye week with a 3-6 record, having lost three straight games. Things were so bad that rumors began spreading about McVay. Though still just 37 years old, it was widely assumed that he might resign after the season. He could easily walk into a high-priced television job and take some time away from the coaching grind. There would be plenty of time for him to return at a time and place of his own choosing.
Then a funny thing happened. The Rams got a little healthier. Several of their young players began playing better. And they went on a tear, winning seven of their final eight games to return to the playoffs. Their only loss in the second half of the season came in overtime to the Baltimore Ravens. McVay announced that he wasn’t going anywhere.
Do I need to remind you who the Rams were playing when they began that turnaround? Matthew Stafford shook off an injury and led a frantic 4th quarter comeback against the Seahawks. Jason Myers missed a long field goal at the end of the game. The two teams began going in very different directions.
The Rams may have come up just short against the Detroit Lions in the first round of the playoffs, but things were suddenly looking rather bright down in SoCal.