Rams at Seahawks Previews

[RamBill]

Early preview: Rams at Seahawks

• By Joe Lyons

The Rams (6-8) were officially eliminated from the playoffs when Seattle (9-5) beat visiting Cleveland 30-13 on Sunday to reach the postseason for the fourth consecutive season. The Rams, who beat Seattle 34-31 in overtime at the Edward Jones Dome to open this season, will meet the Seahawks in a 3:25 p.m. game Sunday at CenturyLink Field.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Wide receiver Doug Baldwin. One of the chief beneficiaries of QB Russell Wilson’s torrid recent play — he’s thrown 19 touchdowns passes with no interceptions and a 74 percent completion rate over his last five games — Baldwin has posted similarly impressive numbers over the last month or so. His two touchdown catches Sunday give him 10 over the last four games, a number rivaled only by the legendary Jerry Rice.

With 13 touchdowns this season, Baldwin has tied the franchise record set by Daryl Turner in 1985. And he joined Cris Carter (1995) and Calvin Johnson (2011) as the only players in the Super Bowl era with multiple touchdown receptions in four consecutive games.

Baldwin, an undrafted free agent from Stanford in his fifth NFL season, has 65 catches for 905 yards this season.

HE SAID IT

“You underestimate the heart of a champion, you are going to lose a lot of the time,” Seattle All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman said following Sunday’s 30-13 win over visiting Cleveland. “No matter what the record was, we understood who we were and what we needed to do.

“We were never deterred.”

The two-time defending NFC champions started the season 2-4 but have come on to win five in a row and seven of their last eight to wrap up their fifth playoff trip in six seasons under head coach Pete Carroll.

The Rams came out of Thursday’s 31-23 win over Tampa Bay relatively healthy and should benefit from a few extra weekend days off.

The Seahawks played Sunday without strong safety Kam Chancellor (pelvis), tight end Anthony McCoy (knee/ankle), defensive tackle Jordan Hill (toe) and running back Marshawn Lynch (abdomen). During the win over Cleveland, left tackle Russell Okung went down with a calf strain and cornerback DeShawn Shead left after aggravating an ankle injury.

SERIES HISTORY

Seattle leads the series 21-14 and has won 20 of 30 since the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995.

The Rams, who won the teams’ lone playoff meeting 27-20 in 2004, beat the visiting Seahawks 34-31 in overtime to open this season. After surrendering 18 fourth-quarter points, the Rams tied the game on a last-minute TD pass from Nick Foles to Lance Kendricks, took the lead on a Greg Zuerlein field goal and sealed the win when Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers combined to stop Lynch on a fourth-and-one play near midfield.

 

[RamBill]

Nick Wagoner on what the Rams must do in order to pull the upset in Seattle. He talks with Bernie.

Listen to Wagoner Talk Rams vs. Seahawks

 

[RamBill]

Game Notes for 12/27: Rams at Seahawks

Matt Segal--Web Site Coordinator

View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Game-Notes-for-1227-Rams-at-Seahawks/e616f48a-1a94-47f3-b2f4-a84e5e8b65c9

THE GAME
Who: St. Louis Rams (6-8) at Seattle Seahawks (9-5)
When: Sunday, Dec. 27 -- 3:25 p.m. CT
Where: CenturyLink Field / Seattle, Wash.

TELEVISION
Network: FOX
In St. Louis: KTVI-2
Talent: Chris Myers (pbp), Ronde Barber (analyst) and Holly Sonders (sidelines)

RADIO
Network: Rams Radio Network
In St. Louis: WXOS-101.1 FM
Talent: Steve Savard (pbp), D’Marco Farr (analyst) and Will Witherspoon (sidelines)

WATCH ON-LINE
NFL.com/GamePass

DIGITAL MEDIA
StLouisRams.com
Facebook.com/Rams
Instagram: @StLouisRams
Twitter: @StLouisRams, @MylesASimmons and @DaniKlup


THE LAST GAME
Score: St. Louis Rams 31, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23
Date: Thursday, Dec. 17
Location: Edward Jones Dome / St. Louis, Mo.

SERIES NOTES
Regular Season: Seattle leads 21-14
Last Meeting: Rams 34, Seahawks 31 (OT) / Sept. 13, 2015 in St. Louis

DID YOU KNOW?
Punter Johnny Hekker, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and running back Todd Gurley are headed to the 2016 Pro Bowl on Jan. 31 in Hawaii. Hekker and Donald earn the honor for the second time in their careers, while Gurley picks up the nod in his rookie campaign.

OPPONENT SNAPSHOT
Primary Owner: Paul Allen
General Manager: John Schneider
Head Coach: Pete Carroll
Moved to Seattle: 1976
Super Bowl Titles: 1 (2013)
Playoff Appearances: 14
2014 Record: 12-4
2014 Playoffs: Lost to New England in the Super Bowl

FORMER SEAHAWKS IN ST. LOUIS
None

FORMER RAMS IN SEATTLE
Assistant Secondary/Safeties Coach Andre Curtis coached the Rams secondary from 2009-11.
Coaching Assistant Nick Sorensen played for the Rams from 2001-02.
CB Marcus Burley was on the Rams practice squad in 2013.

SEAHAWKS WITH ST. LOUIS AREA TIES
TE Chase Coffman played at the University of Missouri.
OL Justin Britt is from Lebanon, Mo., and played at Mizzou.

RAMS WITH SEATTLE AREA TIES
P Johnny Hekker is a native of Bothel, Wash.

 

[RamBill]

Rob Rang joined Nick and Mike to talk about the Seahawks recent success, Russell Wilson, the O-Line, the D, and ask which NFL QB fits the Rams draft need the most?

Listen to Rang Talk Rams

 

[Raptorman]

I would love to see the Rams take down the Seahawks in Seattle. Being 14 point underdogs is showing no respect.

 

[RamBill]

Improving Keenum braces for Seahawks, "12s"
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_7eef5386-33ff-5cdd-a3c3-7f2f95b8006f.html

Midway through the 2013 season, Case Keenum made his first NFL start in the Sea of Red, otherwise known as Arrowhead Stadium. So he knows what it’s like to play in one of the league’s loudest venues.

“They were going back and forth (with Seattle) on who was the loudest outdoor stadium,” Keenum said. “So I have an idea of what it’s like, but I’m sure it’s going to be really loud. It’s something we’re definitely going to have to deal with.”

Keenum did fairly well that day in Kansas City, completing 15 of 25 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown for Houston in a 17-16 loss to the Chiefs.

On Sunday, Keenum gets his first look at CenturyLink Field, home of those zany, over-caffeinated Seattle Seahawks fans known as the “12s.”

“This will be a big challenge for him,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “I mean, it’s not easy to go in there and play. But he’s got the personality that I think it takes to go in there and be successful.”

This will be Keenum’s third consecutive start and fourth overall for St. Louis. So far he has improved each time out. First came a poor outing Nov. 22 at Baltimore, a game that ended in the Keenum concussion controversy and a game-winning field goal by the Ravens.

After missing the next two contests while under the NFL’s concussion protocol, Keenum played pretty well in a Dec. 13 victory over Detroit and then was excellent in last week’s Thursday night triumph over Tampa Bay.

Now, if Keenum puts together something substantial against the surging Seahawks, who rank second in the league in total defense, he’ll give the Rams something to think about in terms of the quarterback position heading into 2016.

“I’ve said it before, anytime you step on the field, I think it’s a statement,” Keenum said. “You’re adding to your résumé anytime you step on the field. ... It’s what you put on film.”

Keenum, 27, had eight starts for Houston in 2013 and two more for the Texans last season. Sunday’s 3:25 p.m. (St. Louis time) kickoff in Seattle will mark Keenum’s 14th NFL start. By season’s end, he will have accumulated basically a full season’s worth of tape on his résumé. And he’ll have an expired contract.

“I’ve always concentrated on getting better,” Keenum said. “If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse — somebody told me that. And so I take every experience I get, every game experience, every practice experience, and I put it in a database and I try to learn from it, try to grow from it.”

“That’s what being a veteran is about, is accumulating experience. And experience is priceless. It’s just a matter of keep battling through the tough times and enjoying the good times.”

The Rams’ 31-23 victory over Tampa Bay definitely falls into the “good times” category. Keenum threw just 17 passes, but he completed 14 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. His passer rating of 158.0 was just shy of the NFL “perfect” QB rating of 158.3.

“Case played outstanding,” offensive coordinator Rob Boras said. “Really, the whole offense across the board, guys stepped up and it’s been that way really for the last two weeks.”

Against the Buccaneers, Keenum was quick, decisive and accurate with his throws. In jumping to a 28-6 lead, the Rams’ offense showed a focus and efficiency rarely seen this season.

“When it wasn’t there, he was smart and didn’t force it,” Boras said. “On a team coached by Lovie Smith, if you don’t turn the ball over, you have a chance to win. That defense has always been built on creating turnovers and scoring. That was a challenge to all of our guys that had the ball.”

Sometimes the best throws are the ones you don’t make. Taking a sack is better than throwing an interception. And so far, one of the distinguishing characteristics of Keenum at quarterback for the Rams is a minimum of turnovers.

The Rams didn’t have a turnover against Tampa Bay — only the fourth time that’s happened all season. Keenum threw his only interception of the season just 13 seconds before halftime against Detroit, so it had no impact on the game.

He did lose two fumbles against Baltimore. But the first came on a botched handoff that seemed as much Todd Gurley’s fault as Keenum’s. The second came on the second of two plays Keenum participated in after suffering his concussion, on a strip-sack by Courtney Upshaw.

Keenum looked comfortable against the Bucs, a sign that he could be settling into the starting quarterback role.

“He just believed what he saw,” Boras said. “That’s what he kept telling himself: ‘I’m not going to over-think it. I’m going to see what I see and I’m going to believe it and let it go.’ He did that.”

Even with Keenum’s overall quick decision-making, sometimes that involved hanging in the pocket and having the patience to work through his reads, something that didn’t always seem to be the case with Nick Foles at quarterback.

“A couple of those catches that Jared (Cook) made, he wasn’t first in the progression,” Boras said. “It was Case trusting it and working through it, and the ball got to him.”

Easier said than done against Seattle, especially when playing the Seahawks in the Pacific Northwest. “They’re real talented as we know,” Boras said. “D-line, linebackers, secondary — I mean, they’re the real deal.

“They know exactly what they’re supposed to do. It’s hard to get them out of position.”

 

[Roman Snow]

Big win here boys. The keys will be:

• Getting pressure on Wilson. We have to have someone besides Donald, an edge guy (Hayes? I love Long. Hope he is playing hurt because he looks so ordinary) we may get some Barron or Alexander pressures land here or there.
• Another efficient game by Keenum. Hopefully Cook continues to forget that he is a wuss and plays well again. Kendricks played well too. Maybe Britt can get loose too. Quick? Bueller?...Bueller?
• Spring. Todd. Early!! A first possession TD would go a long ways toward confidence and a quiet stadium. Well, relatively speaking.
• Plug up our run woes. We cannot get gashed against these guys. Let's flip the switch and win the line battles.

That's it for me boys. Oh yeah and also a couple pick6's and no injuries. ball:

 

[BriansRams]

Check out the Rams Seahawks video preview on nfl.com, 3 of the guys are picking on the one guy just for THINKING the rams might play well.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/20151...ameinfo|contentId:0ap3000000607581&tab=videos

What do you think?

 

[dieterbrock]

Rams are going to win, and the Sheattle fans are goingto say they had nothing to play for.