Key Matchups to Watch as Seahawks Host Rams in Week 9

Without DK Metcalf, the Seahawks once again will hope to find a ground game, while their defensive line must step up against a battered Rams offensive line.

Sep 10, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) carries the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Looking to avoid a fourth straight loss on their home turf and stay atop the division standings, the Seattle Seahawks hope to play the role of rude hosts to the Los Angeles Rams when the two NFC West rivals meet up for a Week 9 clash at Lumen Field on Sunday.

With all four teams in the division within half a game of each other, the Seahawks and Rams find themselves trending in opposite directions. After a 3-0 start, Seattle has dropped four out of its past five games, while Los Angeles has rebounded from a dreadful 1-4 start to win its previous two contests and climb right back into the NFC West race.

Which matchups hold the key to whether the Seahawks or Rams will earn a critical win on Sunday? Here are six positional battles to watch in Week 9:

--Seahawks running backs Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet versus Rams linebackers Omar Speights and Christian Rozeboom: If there's anything that has consistently held the Seahawks back on offense, it has been the inability to consistently establish a complementary run game. In their past three losses, which all came at Lumen Field, Walker and Charbonnet were held under 52 combined rushing yards, relegated to non-factors with subpar blocking in front of them. In Seattle's four wins, however, Walker and Charbonnet had three games with 83 or more rushing yards, illustrating the value of a balanced attack.

Going into Sunday's game, the Seahawks will be facing a Rams team that has struggled mightily defending the run most of the season, and linebackers have been at the center of those problems. Troy Reeder, who now is on injured reserve, and Rozeboom have combined to miss eight tackles against the run this year, and neither player is in the top 30 for PFF's run defense grade. Speights has only played 22 regular season snaps after going undrafted out of LSU and while he's been better in a limited sample size, the jury is out on whether or not he will be an upgrade over Reeder. If Seattle can't get Walker and Charbonnet rolling against the 23rd ranked defense with backup linebackers in the lineup to complement the passing game and keep Matthew Stafford off the field, it could spell doom.

--Seahawks defensive tackles Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Byron Murphy II versus Rams center Beaux Limmer and guards Kevin Dodson, Justin Dedich: Neutralized by Buffalo's offensive line all afternoon, Seattle surprisingly didn't receive many positive contributions from Williams, Reed, and Murphy last weekend, as the trio combined for six tackles, six pressures, and no sacks or quarterback hits in the blowout loss. Prior to that point, the defensive line had been a strength for Macdonald's unit, and with Stafford humming the past two weeks with a healthier set of skill players around him, they will need to have a strong bounce back effort for a shot at a win.

If there's reason for optimism on that front, the Rams have been without starting center Steve Avila and starting left guard Jonah Jackson for more than a month and neither player will be back for Sunday's matchup. Minus those two starters, the offensive line has functioned like a sieve for most of the year, allowing at least eight quarterbacks hits and three sacks in three of the first five games. The group has been much better the last two weeks, however, allowing just one sack in wins over the Raiders and Vikings. The onus will fall on Williams, Reed, and Murphy to dominate an advantageous matchup from the outset against Limmer and Dedich, who both have pass blocking grades lower than 46.0.

--Seahawks tackles Charles Cross and George Fant/Mike Jerrell versus Rams edge rushers Jared Verse and Byron Young: For as poor as pass protection has been for the Seahawks for much of this season, Cross continues to enjoy a stellar third season, including allowing just one pressure against the Bills last week. Across from him, however, Jerrell looked more like a sixth-round rookie on Sunday than he did in his debut one week earlier, allowing four pressures and a sack while having issues blocking Greg Rousseau. Regardless of whether he starts again or Fant returns, both tackles will have their hands full against a surging defensive line.

Emerging as one of the top young pass rushers in the NFL, Verse, a first-round pick out of Florida State, currently ranks 10th in the NFL with 32 pressures and he's tied with All-Pro Nick Bosa for the second-most quarterback hits (10) so far. Across from him, the twitchy Young has been dynamite off the edge as well with 22 pressures and 3.5 sacks, giving the Rams a fun one-two punch to hunt down quarterbacks. Against the run, however, Verse has missed six tackles this year and Young has been bullied at times as an undersized 3-4 outside linebacker, so the Seahawks may be able to attack them with the ground game to help neutralize their rushing abilities.

--Seahawks cornerbacks Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and Tre Brown versus Rams receivers Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Demarcus Robinson: Injuries have prevented the Seahawks from playing all three of their projected starting cornerbacks together since early October, but Woolen, Witherspoon, and Brown should all be back in the lineup just in time to face a fully healthy Rams receiving corps that ranks among the NFL's best at full strength. So far, a much-hyped cornerback group hasn't played quite to expectations for Seattle, though Woolen only has given up nine receptions for 65 yards on 17 targets, as Witherspoon has only generated one pass breakup and the duo has combined for one interception.

Coming back from injury last week, Kupp and Nacua wasted little time immediately making a dramatic difference for Los Angeles' offense, combining for 12 receptions, 157 yards, and a touchdown. Interestingly, Sunday will mark the first time that the two star wideouts will square off against Woolen and Witherspoon, as at least one of those four players missed each of the two contests between these rivals last year. Witherspoon allowed one yard on three catches in a Week 11 loss last November, while Woolen gave up a 32-yard catch to Nacua and only one catch for five yards in Week 1. Stafford and the Rams picked on Brown the most in the two wins, as he allowed four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in coverage, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they used the same strategy in Sunday's rematch.

--Seahawks receivers Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Jake Bobo versus Rams cornerbacks Darious Williams, Cobie Durant, and Josh Wallace: The Seahawks undoubtedly will miss DK Metcalf, who has caught five touchdowns in his past six games against the Rams and has nearly 700 receiving yards in his career against them. But while his absence will be felt with him sidelined again by a knee injury, Lockett has had plenty of success against the NFC West rivals over the years, including posting 128 receiving yards and a touchdown in a win at SoFi Stadium in 2022. Smith-Njigba also had a spectacular 32-yard catch in last year's Week 11 loss.

Statistically, opponents have attacked the Rams consistently downfield, as the average depth of target against their defense of eight yards, which ranks 12th out of 32 teams. Those numbers have improved significantly over the past couple games, however, coinciding with Williams' return from injured reserve. Since then, opposing quarterbacks have thrown for just 203 yards per game, four touchdowns, and four interceptions with the secondary playing much better ball thanks in part to a surging pass rush up front. Emphasizing the intermediate level may be the Seahawks best course of action without Metcalf, maximizing on Smith-Njigba and Bobo's size and skill sets on digs, crossers, curls, and out routes against smaller corners.

--Seahawks linebackers Ernest Jones/Tyrice Knight and Tyrel Dodson versus Rams running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum: As has been the case since the early stages of the season, the Seahawks have yet to find a solution to their run defense woes. Even after acquiring Jones from the Titans last week, while the fourth-year linebacker made a team-leading 15 tackles, the Bills grounded and pounded Macdonald's defense again with more than 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns by James Cook, the fourth time in five games they had allowed that many yards. A full week of practice should help Jones from a comfort standpoint in a new defense, but he may not be available to play now due to a neck injury that cropped up on Friday.

With Jones potentially unable to suit up against his former team, whether he plays or not, Seattle should expect a steady dose of Williams, who has received the third-most carries in the NFL through eight weeks. Though he's averaged under four yards per carry, Williams has found the end zone 10 total times as a runner and receiver and currently ranks 13th in yards after contact, presenting another difficult all-around back for Macdonald's defense to deal with. Corum has largely been a non-factor as a rookie, but the former Michigan star offers a punishing downhill style that the Seahawks have had trouble with all season and he's an X-factor to watch heading into Sunday, especially if Jones can't go and Knight or Drake Thomas starts.

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