3 'Best-Case Scenarios' For Seahawks in Thursday Night Battle With New-Look Rams

Reporter Ty Dane Gonzalez breaks down three "best-case scenarios" for the Seahawks to exact revenge on the Rams under the Thursday night lights.

It's been a long 10 months since the Seahawks and Rams last met. Both teams have undergone significant change in that time, with the latter eliminating the former on a crisp January afternoon at Lumen Field. Now, the two reunite on the same battlefield for a Thursday night bout in primetime. 

Naturally, storylines will be aplenty. New Seattle offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will get his first shot at his former team, while the defense gets its first look at Matthew Stafford in the blue and gold. 

Can the Seahawks avoid falling back under .500? Here are three "best-case scenarios" for them to do so. 

1. Sidney Jones, D.J. Reed build on new roles against dangerous Rams aerial attack

Rams head coach Sean McVay is a mastermind when it comes to scheming against—and exposing—shaky secondaries, and the Seahawks are still trying to figure out their groove at the cornerback position. Supplanting Tre Flowers in the starting lineup versus the 49ers on Sunday, Jones got off to a rough start in his Seattle career but improved as the day went along. As a result of Jones' promotion, Reed was moved back to right cornerback—the spot he played most of 2020 at—and looked far more comfortable than he has on the left side. Perhaps they've found a fix, but a high-powered quartet of Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, DeSean Jackson and Van Jefferson await. This may be where the game is won or lost for Seattle. 

2. Alex Collins, Chris Carson keep Seahawks in driver's seat

On the way to their first loss of the year on Sunday, the Rams were gashed for 216 yards and two scores on the ground by the Cardinals. The unrelenting rushing attack most importantly kept Stafford and L.A.'s offense off the field for 35 minutes and 10 seconds, limiting it to just three drives in the entire second half. Though the Seahawks are unlikely to follow that blueprint to a tee, getting Collins and Carson going in this one—and committing to them—will be huge on Thursday night. Shorten the field and chew up as much clock as possible and you give yourself the best chance to walk away from this one 3-2. 

3. Kyle Fuller survives Aaron Donald

Fuller's presence in the heart of Seattle's offensive line has been an issue this year, but he was solid against the 49ers in Week 4. Nevertheless, it's hard to feel too enthused when a matchup with Aaron Donald is right around the corner. Filling in for an injured Ethan Pocic in Week 10 last year, Fuller allowed a whopping five interior pressures to Donald and company. If this goes in a similar fashion, the Seahawks are going to have an incredibly hard time moving the football.