Rams at Seahawks Week 5 Preview: 3 Storylines to Follow

What are the main storylines ahead of the Rams at Seahawks Week 5 matchup?

MJ Hurley | Oct 5, 2021

Coming off of a rough loss to their NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams will look to bounce back from a 37-20 loss at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals. Facing the Seahawks on a short week, the Rams will have to travel to Seattle to try and maintain their second-place spot in the NFC West.

With all four NFC West teams clearly talented enough to make a playoff run, every single game matters, especially a divisional matchup. Stopping Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are no easy tasks, so Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald will have their work cut out for them on a short week.

Here are three storylines to follow ahead of the Rams' Week 5 matchup in Seattle:

1. Can the Rams rebound on a short week?

This is going to be a physical game. The Rams defensive line looked gassed on Sunday. Donald, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Leonard Floyd did not have the speed and fluidity they normally show. Donald only won 7.7% of his pass-rush snaps and no Rams pass rusher won more than 21.7% of their snaps.

In the secondary, cornerback David Long Jr. was picked apart by Kyler Murray and the impressive Cardinals' receiving core. Jalen Ramsey won the majority of his snaps against DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green, but the rest of the secondary struggled. The 'star' position that Ramsey thrives in only works if the Rams' other two outside corners can hold their own, allowing Ramsey to roam the field. With two extremely talented wide receivers lining up against L.A. on Thursday, the secondary will have to step up and shape up.

2. Run, run, run the football

Running back Darrell Henderson has been one of the most effective rushers in the NFL when healthy. Meanwhile, Sony Michel is a nice compliment. The Rams are averaging 93 rushing yards per game, and Henderson has made it look easy in his three games played this year. When coach Sean McVay prioritizes the running game, the Rams win. Even though it becomes difficult when Los Angeles gets behind, the entire McVay defense is based on RPOs, play-action and the running game. For some reason, McVay abandoned the running game in key moments against Arizona, and that limited their offense into being one-dimensional. Keep the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hands, keep the Seahawks defense on the field and run the ball will be the key for the Rams in this one.

3. How do you predict the NFC West?

The NFC West is every bit as good as every other division, if not the very best in football. The AFC West is the only other division where every single team is above .500 through four weeks. Even with quarterback issues in San Francisco, offensive line issues in Seattle and unexpected success in Arizona, the NFC West is loaded from top to bottom. The three NFC wildcard teams could all come from the NFC West, but the margin for error will be so razor-thin within the division. Every single game matters and every NFC West matchup is twice as important. In Seattle, with major ramifications, L.A. needs to win badly. Falling to 3-2 and creating a tie-breaker nightmare in this jam-packed division is not something the Rams can afford from a big-picture perspective.

Season Records: Rams (3-1), Seahawks (2-2)

Previous Meeting: Rams defeated Seahawks on January 6, 2021 in a 30-20 game.

Odds: Rams -2

Stat: DeSean Jackson is averaging 24.5 yards per reception

Keep An Eye On: How the Rams' defensive line looks to contain Wilson.

Rams' Key To Victory: Apply pressure on Wilson defensively, run the ball on offense and exploit the mismatches.

Date/Time: Thursday, October 7, 2021 at 5:20 p.m. PT

Location: Lumen Field (Seattle, Washington)

TV: FOX/NFL Network

Streaming: FuboTV

Radio: 93.1 JACK FM

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