St. Louis Rams Vs. Seattle Seahawks: 5 Keys To Victory

Oct 19, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end William Hayes (95) and middle linebacker James Laurinaitis (55) get the crowd into the game during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Seattle 28-26. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

While the St. Louis Rams may be out of the hunt for a spot in the postseason, they still have an opportunity to play the spoiler role with a win this evening. The Seattle Seahawks are currently sitting atop the NFC rankings, drooling over the opportunity to clinch home field advantage throughout the playoffs. In their way is a Rams squad that regularly puts up good battles, even on the road, and bested the Seahawks in their Week 7 matchup this season. What does St. Louis need to do to sweep Seattle this year? Here are our five keys to victory.

1. Stop Slow Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle rushing attack

Any team that plays the Seattle Seahawks likely has this as their No.1 key to victory, defensively. Few have executed that plan successfully. In fact, the soft spoken running back is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and 3.0 yards after contact, all while amassing 12 rushing touchdowns and forcing 85 missed tackles this season. However, Jeff Fisher and the St. Louis Rams do seem to have the formula for slowing Seattle’s tank out of the backfield, holding him to only 53 yards on 18 carries in Week 7. The key? Lynch only managed one “missed tackle” in the game. Hopefully the Rams can repeat that performance this evening.

2. Spy Russell Wilson effectively

However, whatever “bonus points” the Rams got for slowing down Marshawn Lynch, they lost in effectively spying Russell Wilson. The pesky signal caller managed 106 rushing yards, primarily off broken plays, with James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree regularly getting beat on the ground. Now, nine games later, Alec Ogletree appears to have finally settled into his role in the defense, and seems to be in on nearly every tackle. He will need to be on his mark today, or Russell Wilson will taken over this game… again.

3. Get regular pressure with four-man front

Much like the St. Louis Rams offense, the Seattle Seahawks do not rely on any single offensive target in the passing game to move the ball down the field. In fact, the last time the two teams faced-off, the Seahawks had five players with at least three receptions. When you are facing a quarterback that can get rid of the ball quickly, being able to get to the passer without sacrificing bodies in the secondary is paramount. That shouldn’t be a problem for the Rams who a) have a history of sacking success against Seattle and b) will take on an injured Max Unger and Russell Okung, if they play at all.

4. Win the turnover game… or, at least, don’t lose is badly

When the St. Louis Rams win or tie in the turnover battle, they win the football game. Simple as that. Last matchup, neither the Rams nor the Seahawks allowed a turnover, despite the scare from Tre Mason at the end of the game. They will need to repeat that feat on Sunday if they want any chance at winning…

5. Establish the run, and stick with it, even if only moderately effective

The key to the Rams success in Week 7 was their offensive efficiency. Austin Davis only attempted 20 passed, but completed 17 of them for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the running backs were rewarded with 25 carries, including a 18 attempt performance from Tre Mason that resulted in 4.7 yards per touch and a touchdown. With Bobby Wagner back in the mix, it is doubtful Mason will repeat that kind of performance, particular up the middle. However, even if only moderately successful, the Rams need to stick with the run to control the clock and eliminate big play chanced for the Seattle secondary.