Rams-Seahawks: Can the Rams spoil the Seahawks playoff chances with a win?

2022 Los Angeles Coaches The season has been disappointing to say the least. Nobody popping out of a Tremendous Bowl championship anticipated the Rams to be 5-11 with nothing to play as they head into the ultimate week of the season.

Whereas chants of ‘run again’ could have been unrealistic as no workforce had finished it since 2003-04, nobody might have foreseen it. This season included a Rams offense that was closed on 4 separate events within the second half.

The accidents had been devastating. The offensive line began the primary 12 video games of the season with 12 totally different mixtures. Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and Aaron Donald have all been positioned on injured reserves. In fact, we won’t neglect the Cam Akers drama earlier than the commerce interval expires.

This season has been tiring. Much more so than final yr, which lasted 22 weeks and ended with the Rams lifting the Lombardi trophy.

The hand the Rams have dealt this season is not a hand anybody desires, but it surely’s the hand they’re caught with. In the event that they study from this and get better in 2023, the 2022 season won’t be wasted.

Nevertheless, this season shouldn’t be over and there’s yet one more recreation to be performed. No, the Rams won’t struggle for a playoff spot. There isn’t any incentive to lose on Sunday as there isn’t a first-round choose.

Regardless of having nearly nothing to play on Sunday, the Rams may very well be at their greatest. They’ve the chance to utterly exclude a league opponent from the playoffs. With a win on Sunday, the Rams Seattle Sea Falcons out of the playoffs and go away the door open Detroit Lions To sneak into Sunday Night time Soccer.

Would not it’s good to see Bobby Wagner reject his former workforce for a playoff spherical after which present Jared Goff within the highlight what he might do to the NFL?

Let’s clear one thing up now. As Rams followers, san francisco 49ers Positively the workforce’s primary competitor. That was one of many good issues about transferring to Los Angeles. The rivalry between the Rams and the 49ers has reignited.

Rising up as a Louis Rams fan, the Seahawks had been the workforce I despised probably the most. The rivalry between the Rams and 49ers misplaced its air outdoors of California, and the Seahawks stepped in and changed them. I am certain many different youthful era Rams followers really feel the identical means.

Watching as a sixth grader in 2006, I watched the 4-1 Rams workforce led by new head coach Scott Lineman take a 21-7 first-half lead on the Edward Jones Dome. Behind two Matt Hasselbeck landing passes, the Seahawks scored 20 missed factors to take a 27-21 lead.

As so many instances earlier than, Marc Bulger attached with Torry Holt, who had probably the greatest catches of his profession, and the Rams had been as soon as once more main 28-27. Nevertheless, even in 2006 the Rams protection was giving up late rides. At 1:38, Seattle walked the sphere and Josh Brown shot for 54 yards because the Rams had been defeated 30-28.

This Rams workforce by no means appeared to get better as they marked the primary of 5 consecutive losses and completed 8-8. This match was additionally the third of ten consecutive losses to the Seahawks.

The next yr, my dad and mom despatched me to St. Petersburg to observe the Rams play the Seahawks. Took it to Louis. I used to be left heartbroken as Gus Frerotte scored fourth from the one-yard line and Steven Jackson waited to attain the purpose that continued proper behind him. The Rams misplaced 24-19.

Quick ahead to 2010 and with new rookie level guard Sam Bradford taking the league by storm (in all probability an exaggeration), the Rams ended this dropping streak with a 20-3 win. To say I used to be assured could be an understatement as I entered the Week 17 ‘win or go house’ recreation with the Seahawks’ Clipboard Jesus aka Charlie Whitehurst. There was no means SJ39 might let the Rams lose this recreation.

The Rams misplaced 16-6 and missed the playoffs as soon as once more. They might solely win two video games the next season.

In 2013, one recreation after Bradford tore his ACL towards the Panthers, I watched the Rams play the Seahawks at Monday Night time Soccer in my school dorm. Zac Stacy placed on an unimaginable 134 yards. Nevertheless, within the match on the road, at 4th and purpose, Brian Schottenheimer opted for Kellen Clemens’ move to Brian Fast, behind the top zone. Quick ran the mistaken route.

It simply would not finish. Earlier this season, the Rams went forward 23-20, scoring a purpose with 2:56 left. After scoring simply two area objectives in your complete second half, Geno Smith swept the Seahawks off the sphere to attain the game-winning purpose with 36 seconds left.

Yep, the Rams have had the most effective of the Seahawks occasionally. The latest, in fact, was the 2020 playoff recreation in Seattle, the place Goff took management and gained with a damaged thumb. The cherry on high was that Jeff Fisher’s Rams did particular workforce methods and gained in 2014.

In my thoughts, the Seahawks in some way ruined part of my childhood. I used to be hurting with Green Bay wrappers Followers with an offside kick from Brandon Bostick bouncing off their chest.

The Seahawks enter this week as favourites. Smith has performed within the high 10 this season, and at 6-3 at one level earlier this yr, Seattle would possibly even qualify for its last playoff spot. Pete Carroll did a implausible job with a workforce that many do not assume has gained greater than 5 video games.

No, the Rams haven’t got a lot to play after they get to Seattle on Sunday. Nevertheless, it might actually be a beacon of hope to smash an opponent’s playoff probabilities in an over-achieving division in a misplaced season.