The Jared Goff era has not gotten off to a promising start. The Rams are now 0-4 in the games the No. 1 overall pick has started. They were thoroughly humiliated by the Atlanta Falcons, who showed no mercy with a 42-14 thrashing of LA on Sunday.
Goff went 24-of-41 for a career-high 236 yards against Atlanta, but most of that came during garbage time. The rookie has struggled despite going up against middling to poor pass defenses in the Dolphins, Saints, Patriots, and Falcons. Goff conspired to throw four touchdowns against five interceptions in those four games.
The Rams offense, the lowest-scoring attack in the NFL (15 ponts per game), remains hopeless as ever. They still can’t get anything on the ground with Todd Gurley, and they continue to turn the ball over. The Rams have nine giveaways in their last four games.
The Rams have been the Seahawks’ kryptonite over the past few years, though. They are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five meetings with Seattle. They’ve been able to be so successful because of their defensive line dominating their matchup with the Seahawks’ bad O-line.
However, pass rusher Robert Quinn has missed the past few games with a concussion, and without him the Rams will struggle to recreate the pressure which has seen them get the better of Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.
There’s also the not-so-small matter of head coach Jeff Fisher’s firing, which is hardly ideal preparation to face a Seahawks team in Seattle on a short week.
The Seattle Seahawks just suffered their worst loss of the Russell Wilson era, as they were humbled 31-10 by the Green Bay Packers. The loss drops Seattle to 8-4-1 (6-6-1 ATS) on the season.
The Seahawks were playing without star safety Earl Thomas, who suffered a broken leg last week. Aaron Rodgers was able to capitalize by going 18-of-23 for 246 yards and three touchdowns, but that wasn’t the sole reason they lost.
Wilson had easily the worst game of his career as he completed just 22-of-39 passes for 240 yards with a career-high five interceptions. He wasn’t helped by his receivers, who contributed to a couple of tipped picks. After an impressive three-game stretch where he looked like the Russell Wilson of old, the Seahawks QB has been a lot shakier in recent weeks. He has now thrown seven picks in the last three games.
It’s hard to see Wilson having back-to-back bad games, though, especially at home. The Seahawks are a perfect 6-0 (3-2-1 ATS) at home this season, and 16-4 (10-8-2 ATS) in their last 20 home games.
Meanwhile, the good news for the Seahawks defense is that Jared Goff isn’t likely to exploit their Thomas-less secondary like Rodgers did so expertly. The Rams’ rookie QB has looked shaky against even mediocre pass defenses, and the Seahawks D should be much better after their poor performance on the road. They should also be able to shut down the Rams’ pathetic running game, just like every team has this season.
Writer’s Prediction
The Seahawks (-14.5) bounce back and end their slump against the Rams with a 31-10 win.
