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THE MIGHTY QUINN
In last year’s season finale at CenturyLink Field, the Rams clinched a share of the NFL’s team sack title with Denver by dropping QB Russell Wilson six times. This time around, they’re looking for their first individual sack title since Kevin Carter’s 17 in 1999. Robert Quinn (18) enters the day just one-half sack ahead of second-place Robert Mathis of Indianapolis, who was awarded an extra sack this week via league review, giving him 17½ entering the Colts’ regular-season finale against Jacksonville.
TAVON TIME?
Rookie wide receiver/return man Tavon Austin hadn’t missed a game in high school, college, or the NFL until Arizona LB Karlos Dansby fell on his ankle Dec. 8 at the end of a 56-yard reverse. Austin got a smidgen of work in practice Friday and is listed as questionable. Coach Jeff Fisher said it would be a game-day decision but said he’s optimistic about Austin’s availability. Austin didn’t sound as optimistic when quizzed by reporters, but even on a limited basis, he could cause problems for Seattle.
SLUMPING WILSON
Second-year Seattle QB Russell Wilson hasn’t played all that well lately. He completed only 11 of 27 passes last week against Arizona for a career low 108 yards and his lowest completion percentage of the season (40.7). Some of those inaccurate passes have led to trouble on third down. The Seahawks are only five for 26 on third-down conversions (19.2%) over their last two contests and were just two for 11 on third-down conversions in the first game against the Rams in late October.
WHERE’S MARSHAWN?
Marshawn Lynch has reached 1,000 yards rushing for the third season in a row, but the Seattle running back hasn’t been very productive lately. He hasn’t rushed for more than 72 yards in a game since Nov. 10, and is averaging just 58 yards per game and 3.3 yard per carry over his last five contests. Over a similar amount of time, the Rams have improved radically on run defense, moving up to No. 7 in the league. Even so, look for the Seahawks to try to get Lynch going early and often.
GROUND & POUND
If nothing else, the Seahawks won’t be surprised by Zac Stacy this time around. The rookie from Vanderbilt pounded them for a career-high 134 yards rushing on Oct. 28 in St. Louis, a game in which the Rams as a team rushed for 200 and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Despite Seattle’s No. 1 ranking in total defense, the Seahawks are a modest 13th in rushing defense. So the Rams need to keep pounding away, and along the way get Stacy the 42 yards he needs to reach 1,000 yards for the season.
PROTECT THE PIGSKIN
Last week the Rams faced the No. 2 defense in the NFL in terms of interceptions in Tampa Bay. This week, they move up in class. Seattle has a league-high 26 interceptions entering Sunday’s game. Throw in 11 recovered fumbles and they’re first in takeaways (37) and first in takeaway-giveaway differential (plus-18). In Kellen Clemens’ first start after Sam Bradford’s season-ending knee injury, he threw two INTs against Seattle in the October meeting. That simply can’t happen if the Rams are going to pull off an upset.
IT’S BEEN A WHILE
No one on the current Rams roster has defeated the Seahawks in Seattle while playing for the Rams. One must go back to 2004, a season in which the Rams played in Seattle both in the regular season and in the wild-card round, for the last triumph. (The Rams, in fact, won both those contests.) But since then it’s been nothing but the agony of defeat — eight losses in a row for the Rams in the Pacific Northwest, with six of the eight defeats coming by a margin of 10 points or more.
THE MIGHTY QUINN
In last year’s season finale at CenturyLink Field, the Rams clinched a share of the NFL’s team sack title with Denver by dropping QB Russell Wilson six times. This time around, they’re looking for their first individual sack title since Kevin Carter’s 17 in 1999. Robert Quinn (18) enters the day just one-half sack ahead of second-place Robert Mathis of Indianapolis, who was awarded an extra sack this week via league review, giving him 17½ entering the Colts’ regular-season finale against Jacksonville.
TAVON TIME?
Rookie wide receiver/return man Tavon Austin hadn’t missed a game in high school, college, or the NFL until Arizona LB Karlos Dansby fell on his ankle Dec. 8 at the end of a 56-yard reverse. Austin got a smidgen of work in practice Friday and is listed as questionable. Coach Jeff Fisher said it would be a game-day decision but said he’s optimistic about Austin’s availability. Austin didn’t sound as optimistic when quizzed by reporters, but even on a limited basis, he could cause problems for Seattle.
SLUMPING WILSON
Second-year Seattle QB Russell Wilson hasn’t played all that well lately. He completed only 11 of 27 passes last week against Arizona for a career low 108 yards and his lowest completion percentage of the season (40.7). Some of those inaccurate passes have led to trouble on third down. The Seahawks are only five for 26 on third-down conversions (19.2%) over their last two contests and were just two for 11 on third-down conversions in the first game against the Rams in late October.
WHERE’S MARSHAWN?
Marshawn Lynch has reached 1,000 yards rushing for the third season in a row, but the Seattle running back hasn’t been very productive lately. He hasn’t rushed for more than 72 yards in a game since Nov. 10, and is averaging just 58 yards per game and 3.3 yard per carry over his last five contests. Over a similar amount of time, the Rams have improved radically on run defense, moving up to No. 7 in the league. Even so, look for the Seahawks to try to get Lynch going early and often.
GROUND & POUND
If nothing else, the Seahawks won’t be surprised by Zac Stacy this time around. The rookie from Vanderbilt pounded them for a career-high 134 yards rushing on Oct. 28 in St. Louis, a game in which the Rams as a team rushed for 200 and averaged 5.4 yards per carry. Despite Seattle’s No. 1 ranking in total defense, the Seahawks are a modest 13th in rushing defense. So the Rams need to keep pounding away, and along the way get Stacy the 42 yards he needs to reach 1,000 yards for the season.
PROTECT THE PIGSKIN
Last week the Rams faced the No. 2 defense in the NFL in terms of interceptions in Tampa Bay. This week, they move up in class. Seattle has a league-high 26 interceptions entering Sunday’s game. Throw in 11 recovered fumbles and they’re first in takeaways (37) and first in takeaway-giveaway differential (plus-18). In Kellen Clemens’ first start after Sam Bradford’s season-ending knee injury, he threw two INTs against Seattle in the October meeting. That simply can’t happen if the Rams are going to pull off an upset.
IT’S BEEN A WHILE
No one on the current Rams roster has defeated the Seahawks in Seattle while playing for the Rams. One must go back to 2004, a season in which the Rams played in Seattle both in the regular season and in the wild-card round, for the last triumph. (The Rams, in fact, won both those contests.) But since then it’s been nothing but the agony of defeat — eight losses in a row for the Rams in the Pacific Northwest, with six of the eight defeats coming by a margin of 10 points or more.