Riding a four-game win streak, the Rams (7-2) set their sights toward a Week 11 home showdown against the Seahawks (7-2), with the winner of Sunday's game moving into first place in the NFC West. Kickoff at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. pacific time Sunday on FOX.
In advance of the contest, here is your First Look at Rams-Seahawks:
Notable Seahawks additions
- Acquired wide receiver Rashid Shaheed in a trade with the Saints on Nov. 4: Shaheed adds speed and big-play ability to what has been an already explosive Seahawks passing attack.
- Hired Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator on Jan. 26: Seattle ranks ninth in total yards per game and third in scoring offense through the first 10 weeks of the season.
Top performers in Week 10
Quarterback Sam Darnold completed 10 of 12 pass attempts for 178 yards and one touchdown against one interception in the Seahawks' 44-22 home win over the Cardinals last Sunday.
Running backs Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III split carries (14 each), but Charbonnet finished as the leading rusher with 83 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba led Seattle's receivers with five catches for 93 yards and one touchdown.
Linebacker Tyrice Knight paced the Seahawks defense with two sacks and eight total tackles (three for loss), while defensive end Demarcus Lawrence returned two fumbles for touchdowns.
On special teams, kicker Jason Myers made all three of his field goal attempts and all five of his extra point attempts. The Seahawks did not punt once last week.
Early storylines to watch, and what they mean for the Rams
As offenses across the league evolve, the philosophies of the Rams and the Seahawks are two getting a lot of attention.
Here's what FOX analyst Greg Olsen said about both teams last week during a recent appearance on the *Bussin' With The Boys* podcast:
"The conversation that needs to be had is, 'Why do the Rams play almost exclusively 11 (personnel), yet are very good at running the ball?' And the answer is because they build 11 personnel groupings," Olsen explained. "You play me nickel, I'm going to line up in tight, condensed splits with, in the old days, Cooper Kupp; nowadays, it's Puka Nacua and company, and those guys are good edge blockers. I'm going to add gaps to the run game that now all of these defensive backs – five, six defensive backs in nickel and dime – have to fit the run. And I'm going to get all those big bodies off the field, because you're going to match nickel against my 11, and I'm going to run the ball at you in first and second down, and then all of my play pass stuff looks exactly like that, because of the way McVay builds it. Now, flip it to last night with Seattle. They're doing the opposite. They're bringing big bodies onto the field under the assumption that you're going to match me with big bodies, and I'm going to make you go big to throw it, and L.A. is trying to make you go small to run it. And that's the starting point of everything they're trying to do. They are manipulating the personnel groupings you bring on the field, and then they are going to play the game accordingly."
It sets up a fascinating schematic chess match on Sunday, especially for a Rams offense against a Mike Macdonald-called Seahawks defense that has been one of the league's best this season despite not being at full strength for the majority of the season.
And of course, this week also marks the return of former Rams wide receiver Kupp, who signed with the Seahawks after the Rams released him this offseason. Los Angeles will also see another familiar face in linebacker Ernest Jones IV.
