The Seattle Seahawks are the defending champions, but they didn’t look like one when the Dallas Cowboys rolled over them in Week 6 at CenturyLink Field, where Seattle was previously deemed immortal. Can they bounce back and hand the St. Louis Rams another loss? Or will the Seahawks reach the nadir of their season by suffering a defeat at the hands of the NFC West’s whipping boys? Read on for a detailed breakdown of this contest, and once you’re done, you can check out other game previews, including that of the Bengals vs. Colts and Panthers vs. Packers.
[sc:Football ]Seattle Seahawks vs. St. Louis Rams Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
When: Sunday, October 19, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams – see all NFL lines
Betting on the Seattle Seahawks
[sc:NFL240banner ]Seattle’s defense that was hyped up to be the one that would stymie the charging Cowboys was absent. Even Marshawn Lynch, the unstoppable backfield force, was missing. If the Seahawks haven’t realized they got problems when they lost to the San Diego Chargers in Week 2, they should now after dropping their second game of the season.
The Seahawks can start over by giving Lynch more touches. Whenever Lynch gets a big chunk of workload, the Seahawks are near impossible to stop. Against the Cowboys, Lynch had 61 rushing yards on 10 carries, but was only given two touches in the first half, wherein he managed to gain just eight rushing yards. His performance in Week 6 was reminiscent of his underwhelming output versus San Diego, where Beast Mode only had six carries for 36 yards.
It would be utterly unacceptable for the Seahawks to underutilize Lynch next week against a St. Louis defense that has been generously allowing opponents to rush the ball for 139.8 yards per game, seventh worst in the NFL. Together with quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks are in line to rediscover their rushing prowess after putting up just 80 yards on the ground against Dallas. Despite the off night, the Seahawks still have an average of 149.8 rushing yards per game, good for second overall in the league.
Defensively, the Seahawks need to improve, particularly on opponents’ third-down attempts. The Cowboys converted on 10 of their 17 third-down opportunities, and St. Louis could see this as a blueprint to beat the Seahawks. After all, the Rams are 11th in the NFL with a 43.94 third down conversion percentage.
The Seahawks are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games.
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Betting on the St. Louis Rams
The Rams was a fun team to watch in their Week 6 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, but that was until Colin Kaepernick and crew decided that they’ve seen enough. Same as their game against Dallas, the Rams started the contest like a house on fire, grabbing an early 14-0 lead before collapsing to take a 31-17 loss – their fourth of the season.
So what now for the Rams? First, they have to find a sound solution to their amateurish pass rush that has so far recorded an embarrassing total of one (!) sack through six weeks of football. As slick as Russell Wilson is, the Rams have no choice but to keep a high-level of pressure on Seattle’s QB. St. Louis’ secondary has a propensity for getting blown out of the water by opposing receivers (see Brandon Lloyd’s 80-yard TD), putting the onus on the Rams’ front seven to hold the fort on defense as long as possible.
On offense, quarterback Austin Davis has done a terrific job for a third-string, second-year quarterback. Davis passed for 236 yards and one touchdown against San Francisco, but was sacked five times for 20 yards. Davis have shown he can make big passes and he has a chance to do it against Seattle’s secondary that has been exposed by the Chargers and the Cowboys. But then again, Davis isn’t a Philip Rivers nor a Tony Romo yet. That leaves a big responsibility on the Rams’ offensive line to keep Davis upright to give him enough time to eye his targets.
The over is 3-0 in the Rams’ last three games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Seahawks win and cover.
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