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Prediction: Rams over Seahawks, 27-23

L.A. looks to improve to 4-0 at SoFi Stadium this season

With two weeks to prepare, the Los Angeles Rams should be healthy and well-rested heading into Sunday’s NFC West division contest against at home against the Seattle Seahawks.

After losing on the road against the Buffalo Bills, Pete Carroll’s Seahawks limp into SoFi Stadium, with 22 players showing up on the injury report this week. Carroll said one of the reasons his defense is giving up a league-high 362 passing yards a contest is because of new, inexperienced players in his scheme on the field defensively, leading to miscommunications on game days.

And the Rams will surely target and try to take advantage of some of those young players on defense.

“We do have some familiarity with the opponent and we know what a great challenge it will be because of playing these guys twice a year and (Head) Coach (Pete) Carroll and their players, they do as good of a job as anybody,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and I know our players feel the same way.”

Matchup microscope
Jared Goff looks to bounce back from a four-turnover performance against the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago. He faces a Seattle defensive front that has struggled to consistently generate pressure, but finished with seven sacks last week in a loss to Buffalo. Goff struggled against Miami’s pressure fronts, so expect Seattle to bring pressure and see if the Rams have figured things out this week, right? Per Next Gen Stats, Goff has completed 24-of-64 passes (37.5 percent) for 294 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions when pressured this season (defense bring at least five rushers). He’s been sacked 10 times, posting a 38.2 passer rating in those situations. Goff has to be better when pressured to take advantage of a Seattle secondary that has given up big plays. It takes all 11 to run the football, to throw the football, to execute consistently,” Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell said. “So that carries over obviously when things don’t go well. I think a lot of our guys would say that, but I also think Jared -- and I know myself personally -- that you immediately go back and self-reflect on the things you could do better. I know Jared and I have talked a lot about him individually, as well as our group, making sure that we’re ready to go the rest of the way.”

One to watch
Aaron Donald has a career-high 12 sacks against Russell Wilson. But he also understands the arduous task ahead in corralling one of the most elusive quarterbacks in the game. Even at 31 years old, Wilson still has good ability to get outside the pocket, and he usually makes defenses pay by keeping his eyes down field and creating explosive plays with deep throws on the run. It will be important for Donald and the rest of L.A.’s defensive front to stay in their rush lanes and not allow Wilson to get on the perimeter. Along with that, the Rams’ secondary has to follow their plaster rules and not allow Seattle’s playmakers to shake loose on second-reaction plays. Buffalo did a nice job of keeping the pressure on Wilson last week, so we’ll see if Donald and the Rams can follow the Bills’ blueprint.

Fun to watch
D.K. Metcalf has developed into a playmaking machine for the Seahawks in just his second season in the league. At 6-4 and 230 pounds, Metcalf has 43 receptions for 788 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in just eight games. Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is the likely matchup for Metcalf because of his speed, size and length. The two faced off last season and there was some trash talk. Watching these two go toe-to-toe should be entertaining on Sunday.


Key to the game

While I certainly understand if the Rams want to get into empty sets and test Seattle’s secondary, I think it would be wise to try and create some balance early by running the football on offense, controlling the clock and playing keep away from an explosive Seattle offense led by Wilson. Defensively, the Rams have to make Wilson uncomfortable by bringing pressure, generating a few turnovers to give L.A.’s offense a few more possessions. Sunday also will be a game where special teams comes into play. The Rams have to be better, with guys like kicker Kai Forbath and punter Johnny Hekker helping to control field position, along with the coverage units. If the game is close, Wilson’s late-game magic is definitely concerning. However, the Seahawks play a second straight game on the road and are pretty banged up. With two weeks to rest and prepare, the Rams should come through.

Prediction
Rams 27, Bears 23