The Opposing View: An Insider’s Look At The Seahawks’ Week 11 Opponent, the L.A. Rams
Following a Week 10 win over Washington, The Seahawks head to Los Angeles this weekend looking for another victory as well as a chance to show that they’re a lot better than the team that lost to the Rams in Week 1. To get you ready for this week’s game, Seahawks.com reached out to the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue with five questions about Seattle’s Week 11 opponent, the Los Angeles Rams:
The Rams have lost three in a row but are getting their quarterback back coming off their bye; what’s the outlook for this team midway through the season with a 3-6 record?
Rodrigue: From the outside, it looks like the Rams are setting up a decent draft position for themselves this spring. From the inside, this is a ‘never say die’ group that knows it has been a score away from winning in most of these losses, and a lot of those margins have been self-inflicted. As long as Matthew Stafford (UCL sprain in thumb) can play, and Sean McVay says Stafford is expected to start on Sunday, this team will be in games. If he’s not able to play, or he’s clearly hindered…well, check back on that Packers game.
Seattle fans saw firsthand in Week 1 what kind of damage Puka Nacua can do, but how in the world is the fifth-round pick having such a big impact as a rookie?
Rodrigue: Nacua immediately came across to this staff like a veteran player, not a fifth-round rookie. He took on Stafford’s first reads against zone coverage when Cooper Kupp was out, and then settled very well into the “Robert Woods”-circa-2017/18 role when Kupp returned. He plays much more physically and confidently than his age and draft status would indicate, and he’s extremely bright and motivated to activate however he can in the run and pass game so he doesn’t have to come off the field. But further than that, the Rams understand Nacua’s skill set because it’s one they’ve maximized over and over again in their offense over the years under McVay. He can do all the things asked of him, which is a credit to him, and they’re asking a lot. To have a player who has achieved what he has at such a pace and so early in his career is literally historic, but Nacua also did the work behind the scenes to understand exactly what Stafford needed of him on every play — and then doing those things. Sometimes that can make the biggest difference for a young receiver, in working with a veteran quarterback. Nacua has plenty of talent and even more long-term potential than he’s displayed so far, so matching that with specific asks and details from the quarterback made their connection sing in the early weeks of the season.
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