| 11 December 2011
Seattle Seahawks (5-7) vs. St. Louis Rams (2-10)
When: Monday, 5:30 pm PT
Where: CenturyLink Field; Seattle, WA
TV: ESPN Channel 31 (Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Ron Jaworski)
Radio: 710 ESPN AM and 97.3 KIRO FM (Announcers: Steve Raible and Warren Moon)
Coming off a big win against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Seahawks now turn their sights to a match-up with their division rivals, the St. Louis Rams, on ESPN's "Monday Night Football". Seattle needs to win their remaining four games to have any opportunity at the postseason, so a win here against the Rams is a must. Marshawn Lynch will look to continue his recent stretch of dominance against one of the worst run defenses in the league.
Pete Carroll praised the effort of his team against the Eagles, and in this primetime matchup, he will hope for more of the same. The Seahawks know that their slim postseason chances hang in the balance, and they do not want to disappoint their home fans in a rare Monday night home game.
On paper, it appears the Seahawks have the decided advantage in all facets. On offense, Darrell Bevell and company have designed an effective game plan that focuses on the run. With Tarvaris Jackson's partially torn pectoral muscle, the coaching staff knows they cannot air it out all game. Against the Eagles, they orchestrated this perfectly, with Lynch leading the way. Against the Rams, this should be the emphasis once more.
St. Louis is porous against the run, as injuries have taken their toll on the defensive line. Lynch should have success, and if he does, that will make life much easier on Jackson.
Tarvaris Jackson looked as comfortable as he had all season under center against the Eagles, and that breeds confidence. Jackson should come into this game relaxed and ready to go, which should lead to offensive success.
They coped well with the season ending injury to Sidney Rice last time out, and Seattle will need consistent performances from the likes of Golden Tate and Ben Obomanu for the rest of the season. Mike Williams will also need to step up his game in the final weeks of this season to make up for a lackluster campaign so far.
Seattle's secondary was dominant against Philadelphia, as Vince Young threw four interceptions that helped lead Seattle to victory. Brandon Browner had his best performance of the season with two interceptions, and Pete Carroll praised his work ethic afterwards, liking how Browner has cut down on the penalties. As a whole, Seattle limited their number of penalties, and this needs to continue.
With Seattle's stout run defense, the Rams will have to take some chances through the air, and if Browner and company can lay off the penalties, the defense should be successful.
St. Louis' offense this season has regressed in Sam Bradford's second season, but nevertheless, the Seahawks need to come into this game knowing it is a must-win. Gus Bradley will have his defense prepared, and coupled with the crowd noise, the Rams should struggle putting up points.
"Monday Night Football" brings out the best in both teams, so Seattle cannot take this game for granted. The Seahawks should win this game easily, but the Rams will want to gain some confidence on a national spotlight going into next season.
In the end, Seattle is just a better team this season than the Rams. The Seahawks still have a possible playoff spot to play for, so they will be going all out. It is tough to imagine the Rams doing the same, especially if Seattle can take an early lead.
Through another strong game from Marshawn Lynch, an efficient day for Tarvaris Jackson and a couple of Rams turnovers, the Seahawks will improve their record to 6-7.
Seahawks 24-13
--Alex Gallant (@alex_gallant)
