Welp. The Seahawks may have been eliminated from playoff contention last week, but there is still one last matchup to duke out to close out the 2024 campaign. There is also plenty of pride to play for, as well as (interesting for fans) plenty of points to prove and evaluations to be made. That goes for both organizations! In fact, the Rams will most likely be sitting a good portion of their starters. That will afford the Seahawks a chance to move to 10-7, one win better than last year.
Having the previous statements been said, nothing would please Rams coach Sean McVay more than thwarting the Hawks with backups to set the tone before the playoffs. That cannot happen.
Not only is a win on the line, but the Seattle Seahawks will be simultaneously evaluating the closing statements for why each player should or should not be a part of future iterations of the team. You'd think the powers that be want to see players that still bring a competitive fire, even this late in the season. Sofi Stadium will be the setting for a showcase game for a bunch of guys.
Three Seahawks players that must ball out to best the Rams in L.A.
The Rams' strategy is interesting, being willing to face a "tougher" team in order to rest before the carnage commences. Two of the biggest positions where there will be replacement players in Week 18 for the Rams are at QB and HB. Matt Stafford and Kyren Williams will be sitting this one out, hoping to take intact (and even improved) health into the Wild Card Round of the NFL Playoffs.
Both absences will be felt. Williams can potentially take advantage of teams that try to sell out to stop Stafford.
Ernest Jones IV - Seahawks linebacker
After trading for him from the Titans, Jones burst onto the scene as the 2024 Seattle Seahawks’ 3rd leading tackler. He has played seven fewer games than the two above him in tackles (Julian Love, Devon Witherspoon). But back to Ky(lo)ren Williams being gone... As the graphic above illustrates, Kyren faced the lightest boxes (fewer players walked up aligned against the line of scrimmage than there are blockers) in the NFL by far of any runner.
I’m not saying he’s a product of the system, but this year without Kupp and Nacua on the field consistently, his efficiency numbers took a hit. Some credit also has to go to McVay for his innovative offense in the ways that it creates space and necessitates the use of 5+ DBs on defense.
The fascinating piece to all of this is the variable that Blake Corum will be getting the start, sharing the backfield with Jimmy Garoppolo. Go get yo’ get-back Ernest! He’s made a difference in the middle of this defense.
Kenny McIntosh - Seahawks running back
This may be a bit of a bold take… but Seattle will need to run the ball to keep Los Rams from pinning their ears back and terrorizing the sad squad of underperforming Seahawks blockers. Kenny took less than half of the carries that Zach Charbonnet got last week but was much more efficient (6.6 yards per catch vs. 3.8 for Charbonnet).
He has been impressive with limited touches, recording a 5.1 yards per carry average that leads all Hawks halfbacks (4.2 for Charbonnet and 3.7 for Walker). Let’s make that sample size statistically more significant and see if he can jog a sometimes painfully stagnant run game.
Coby Bryant - Seahawks safety
A fourth-rounder in 2022, shoutout goes out to Bryant for taking advantage of the opportunity when it arrived. Bryant has wrangled the narrative around his career and bent it to his will. Former coach, Pete Carroll had him buried on the depth chart, even after leading the league in forced fumbles as a rookie! Pete seemed to not truly trust his coverage abilities… despite Bryant winning the Jim Thorpe award for the best DB in college (over teammate, Sauce Gardner).
Under Mike Macdonald, Bryant is not just surviving but thriving in a position change from cornerback to safety! The ball seems to find the safety's hands magnetically at times. How about this: he co-leads the Seahawks (with Woolen) in interceptions this season with three. There are only three Hawks with more solo tackles this year, and Coby didn’t pierce the starting lineup until Week 7.
At this point he is an inspirational story that we probably should be talking about more. Bryant's strong play also provides the Seahawks with some financial flexibility in being able to move on from Rayshawn Jenkins.
Coby, you just keep a lid on a Jimmy-G-led offense and be ready to come down and fit the run, and we'll see what we can do about that! Handling those tasks should go a long way in dropping the Rams to the fourth seed.