5 Storylines to Watch in Seahawks' Week 9 Game vs. Rams

Coming off their most lopsided defeat of the season, the Seattle Seahawks desperately need a divisional win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Connor Benintendi | Nov 2, 2024

Nov 19, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) runs against Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake (37) in the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have lost four of their last five games, most recently falling to the Buffalo Bills in their most lopsided defeat of the 2024 season. Now, remaining home for a second straight week Seattle has a date with the Los Angeles Rams.

Seattle (4-4, 0-1 NFC West) is playing just its second division game of the season, beginning a five-game stretch that includes four divisional contests. The Rams (3-4, 1-1 NFC West), who are winners of two in a row, have a chance to send Seattle to the bottom of the division standings.

Something will have to give. The Seahawks are 2-3 at home this season and have now lost three in a row at Lumen Field. Los Angeles is 0-3 on the road this season.

The Seahawks and Rams kick off at 1:25 p.m. on Sunday. Here are five storylines to watch in Seattle’s Week 9 home game versus Los Angeles.

1. Can the offense get rolling without DK Metcalf, Noah Fant?

Against the Bills, we saw for the first time what Ryan Grubb’s Seahawks offense looks like without their premier deep threat. It wasn’t pretty, as Seattle scored a season-low 10 points with the run game continuing to be stuck in the mud and Geno Smith’s pass-catching options being limited. Now, in addition to DK Metcalf, tight end Noah Fant is out with a groin injury.

Fant is on pace for his best season with the Seahawks, having accumulated 27 receptions for 285 yards in eight games. He has never surpassed 500 yards receiving with Seattle. Metcalf, before spraining his MCL in Week 7, was nearly matching his career-high yards per game average of 81.4 set in 2020. He was racking up 81.1 yards per game and was the fourth-leading receiver in the league.

While Metcalf’s sheer production fueled the offense, his impact as a decoy is equally important. The Bills had much less respect for the verticality of Seattle’s offense with Metcalf out, and rightfully so. If the run game struggles once again versus the Rams, the Seahawks offense will have a tough time getting untracked.

2. Seattle needs an effective run game.

Metcalf’s absence amplifies this fact even more. Seattle is 29th in rush yards per game (89.3) and coming off a season-low 32 team rushing yards versus Buffalo. It was the least total rushing yards since the Seahawks lost 37-3 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9 of last season.

If Smith is forced to carry the load, the lack of balance makes Seattle’s offense far easier to defend. The offensive line struggles have only made things worse once pass-rushers can pin their ears back and sell out on the rush. We saw that versus the Bills and at various points during the season even with Metcalf on the field.

The Seahawks' running back room is too talented to be struggling this much eight games into the season. Grubb and the offensive coaching staff are aware of that, but they have yet to find a solution. That fix must be found soon if this offense is going to realize its potential.

3. The Seahawks need a big game out of Geno Smith.

This is especially true if the run game can’t get rolling. Smith’s up-and-down year had another bad day in Week 8, as he completed 21 of 29 passes for 212 yards and an interception. Center Connor Williams didn’t help his cause on multiple occasions, but Smith ultimately has to be better — regardless of the state of his porous offensive line.

Early on, Smith was one of the primary catalysts for the team’s 3-0 start. Now, as Seattle has dropped four of their last five games, he’s had some of his worst performances since donning a Seahawks uniform in key losses for the team.

Smith only has eight touchdown passes (seven interceptions) on the season, which is tied for 16th in the league. He has to start putting points on the board, even though forces are working against him. Seattle needs Smith at his best if this team is going to get back on track.

Nov 19, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) looks to pass against the Los Angeles Rams in the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

4. Will Ernest Jones IV make a leap?

The Seahawks’ new linebacker had a solid start in Week 8, recording a team-high 15 tackles. But he’d only been with the team for four days before game day. Ernest Jones IV has a chance to be even better versus the Rams — his former team — with a full week of practice under his belt.

The revenge side of it can’t be avoided either. Los Angeles opted to trade Jones to the Tennessee Titans for peanuts rather than give him a second contract. Then he got traded again to the Seahawks.

“I was definitely surprised,” Jones said Thursday of the Rams trading him. “The word I used, definitely was shocked about the decisions that they made but they taught me a lot in that process. Taught me a lot about the business — you’re never secure, no matter what you’ve done. So that’s kind of what I’ve learned in that position.”

5. How does the team respond to their worst loss of the season?

Veteran defensive tackle Jarran Reed said on Wednesday the Seahawks are “pissed off but even-keeled.” They will need that energy on Sunday as the team tries to avoid dropping below .500 for the first time this season.

The offense has its issues, but the defense must be better with Mike Macdonald helming the unit. They have to stop Rams running back Kyren Williams so they can get after Matthew Stafford. Coupled with the offense’s needs, those will be the keys to victory versus Los Angeles.