Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams: Key Matchups to Watch

With NFC West bragging rights up for grabs, all eyes will be on skill players on the outside such as DK Metcalf and Cooper Kupp as the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams Duke it out at Sofi Stadium.

Looking to avenge a season-opening loss at home, the Seattle Seahawks will aim to even the score against a bitter division rival when they travel to Sofi Stadium for a Week 11 clash with the Los Angeles Rams.

Which matchups will dictate who snags a decisive NFC West victory? Here are six positional battles to monitor closely in Sunday's rematch:

*All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.

--Seahawks cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Tre Brown versus Rams receivers Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Tutu Atwell: When these two rivals tangled a couple of months ago, both teams were missing key pieces due to injury, as Kupp started the year on injured reserve for the Rams and Witherspoon missed the first game recovering from a hamstring injury that cost him most of training camp as well as the entire preseason. With those two players sidelined, Matthew Stafford didn't miss a beat thanks to a breakout debut from Nacua, who caught 10 passes for 119 yards in his return to the Pacific Northwest, and a 119-yard performance from Atwell. The Seahawks didn't have an answer for either player on that afternoon, struggling with Nacua's route running savvy and Atwell's blazing speed.

Entering Sunday's rematch, all eyes will be on Witherspoon, who has enjoyed a sensational rookie season since missing Week 1. Facing one of his toughest tasks yet, he will likely see extensive action in the slot matched up against a former Triple Crown winner in Kupp and Nacua, who offer similar skill sets as polished targets with soft hands and toughness reeling in contested catches. On the outside, along with seeing reps against the two aforementioned talents, Woolen and Brown will be tasked with preventing Atwell from beating them over the top as he did in the opener, including snatching a 44-yard bomb against Brown. This will truly be strength against strength in a matchup that could swing who snags the victory on Sunday.

--Seahawks guards Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes, center Evan Brown versus Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald: As is the case for any opponent playing against the Rams, trying to neutralize Donald remains priority one, two, and three. The future first ballot Hall of Fame game wrecker has historically been utterly dominant against the Seahawks, racking up 15.5 sacks and 42 quarterback hits in 17 career regular season games against them. By his standards, however, aside from the viral "Oh my god" commentary induced from Geno Smith on a pressure, he had a relatively quiet Week 1 with four tackles, half a sack, and one quarterback hit.

While Donald still had an impact in that game, Seattle will be looking to replicate that success against him with all three of its projected interior starters back in action for the third consecutive week. Lewis had the most trouble with No. 99 in Week 1, yielding five total pressures in pass protection with the majority of those coming on reps against the star defender. On the other hand, Haynes had a quality performance in that contest, giving up a pressure and a sack on 29 pass protection reps. Brown also had a spotless outing without yielding any pressures in the middle. If the Seahawks can come anywhere close to that production protecting Smith, they have to like their chances of leaving with a victory. If not, well, things could get ugly offensively, especially if Donald enters game takeover mode.

--Seahawks edge rushers Boye Mafe, Derick Hall, and Darrell Taylor versus Rams tackles Rob Havenstein and Alaric Jackson: Even with a healthy Uchenna Nwosu at the time, the Seahawks couldn't muster much of a pass rush against a vulnerable Rams offensive line in Week 1, generating only two hits on Matthew Stafford and no sacks. But since that opener, the team has racked up 30 sacks in the past eight games to vault into the top 10 in the NFL and ranks ninth in ESPN's Pass Rush Win rate. Meanwhile, Los Angeles has reverted to struggling to protect Stafford, ranking 27th in PFF's pass blocking grade and 27th in ESPN's Pass Block Win rate metric. This should, in theory, create a significant advantage for the road team in a stadium that isn't necessarily known for home field advantage.

Mafe has been on a torrid, historic tear for Seattle, setting a new franchise record with a sack in seven consecutive games. The ascending star will likely see significant snaps working against Jackson, who has given up a team-high 24 quarterback pressures so far this season in his first year as a starter at left tackle. Havenstein's return from a calf injury will bolster Los Angeles' offensive line, but even he has had his share of struggles this year allowing 12 pressures and a sack, setting up opportunities for Hall, Taylor, and Frank Clark to potentially turn up the heat on Stafford. If they can generate significantly more pressure than they did in September, that will go a long way towards avenging that earlier defeat.

--Seahawks tight ends Noah Fant, Colby Parkinson, and Will Dissly versus Rams safety Jordan Fuller and Russ Yeast: It's been quite some time since a tight end had a big game in the receiving department for the Seahawks. Fant has only six catches in the past five games, Parkinson has had two or fewer receptions in four of his previous five games, and Dissly hasn't even hit double digit receptions halfway through the season in part due to the number of targets directed to a star-studded receiving corps. But if there's been a clear deficiency for the Rams on defense this year, it has been defending tight ends in the passing game, as they rank eighth in passing yards allowed to the position and tied for second in touchdown passes allowed.

Noah Fant hasn't scored a touchdown yet in 2023, but he did find the end zone for six points in the Seahawks road win over the Rams last year / © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Back in Week 1, Fant didn't register a catch and Parkinson and Dissly combined for three receptions for 25 yards, so tight ends weren't a factor for Seattle. With that said, Fant played a crucial role in the team's road win at SoFi Stadium in Week 13 last season, snagging four passes for 42 yards and a touchdown in a 27-23 victory. Dissly and Parkinson also combined to catch all three targets thrown their direction for 34 yards, proving to be effective security blankets for Smith. Heading into Sunday's rematch, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron would be wise to scheme ways to get all three players involved against a secondary that has had persistent issues covering tight ends most of the season.

--Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs versus Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford: Long-time teammates in Detroit, Diggs and Stafford remain close friends off the field and ardent competitors between the lines. In Stafford's first year with the Rams, Diggs got the better of him intercepting a pass in both matchups between the teams, including picking off an intended throwaway in the end zone at Lumen Field. Back in Week 1, however, while the veteran quarterback didn't complete either of his targets against the ball-hawking safety, he still torched the Seahawks' secondary with over 300 passing yards and averaged 8.8 yards per attempt.

Known for his big arm and aggressive nature, Stafford won't shy away from opportunities to test Diggs, especially with his full complement of receivers at his disposal this time around. So far, the Rams rank in the top 10 in the NFL with 37 pass plays netting at least 20 yards and they had seven such plays against the Seahawks in Week 1 even without Kupp. When the quarterback inevitably picks and chooses his shots on Sunday, Diggs will have to have his head on a swivel and make sure to keep receivers in front of him, as connecting on several chunk plays could be the difference between winning and losing for the home squad.

--Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba versus Rams cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon, Cobie Durant, and Quentin Lake: Since these two teams met more than two months ago, the Rams have undergone a bit of a transformation in the secondary. Witherspoon, who spent a cup of tea with the Seahawks in 2021 before being traded to the Steelers, remains a starter on the outside and leads the team with two interceptions. But across from him, Durant has slid from the slot outside to the boundary to replace a struggling Derion Kendrick, who had given up two touchdowns and a 102 passer rating in coverage. In the slot, Lake has been serviceable taking on an increased role, allowing 13 receptions on 20 targets from the slot for 95 yards and no touchdowns.

Individually, Metcalf battling against Witherspoon provides plenty of intrigue, as they have a history dating back to when the latter played for the 49ers and got into a tussle in Week 1. Assuming he can play through a hamstring issue, Lockett's speed and quickness will test Durant and Lake both inside and out, while a surging Smith-Njigba could be the X factor to watch working magic from the slot. Coming off a game where all three players surpassed 50 receiving yards for the first time, the Seahawks will look to keep that momentum going against a secondary that has been vulnerable to explosives.

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