LA Rams’ secondary will square off against Seattle Seahawks’ receivers

The LA Rams’ secondary, led by Jalen Ramsey, squares off to face D.K. Metcalf and the Seattle Seahawks’ receivers

The LA Rams take the field to face the rival Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium. Whenever NFC West rivals square off, the ensuing game will either be a defensive contest, or a scoring shootout.  The LA Rams hope that it’s more of the first version, as they have a formidable defense that has been very effective so far this season. Of course, the NFL’s best offense of the Seahawks is hoping for the shootout.

The LA Rams secondary faces off with the Seattle Seahawks receiving corps on Sunday afternoon. This may be the most exciting position group matchup of the season, and we get to see at least twice. This wide receiver/ cornerback matchup has the feel of the unstoppable force and immovable object finally meeting. But something has got to give right?

Unstoppable Force

This group for the Seahawks is led by wide receiver D.K.Metcalf, who is having an extraordinary sophomore season. So far this season, he has racked up 43 catches for 788 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The yards and touchdowns are good enough to rank second in the National Football League for those categories.

To make matters even more complicated, his teammate wide receiver Tyler Lockett has caught 53 balls for 615 yards and seven touchdowns. And once opposing secondaries get locked in on the one-two punch, David Moore can get sneak in and do plenty of damage himself. Moore has 20 catches for 316 yards and four touchdowns. With so many weapons, it’s no wonder Russell Wilson has been in the Most Valuable Player conversation for most of the season.

Immovable Object

This group for the LA Rams is headlined by the highest-paid cornerback in the league, defensive back Jalen Ramsey. On the opposite side, defensive back Darious Williams remains a force to be reckoned with. Coincidently, they each have been targeted 30 times and have allowed 16 catches. Because they have been so dominant and the Rams like to move Ramsey into the slot occasionally, defensive back Troy Hill comes in and has been targeted 50 times and has allowed 37 catches. If there was a vulnerability it would be Hill, but he has yet to give up a touchdown.

Here’s the list of receivers they have played this season:

Week 1: Dallas Cowboys

• CeeDee Lamb, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup

Week 2: Philadelphia Eagles

• Desean Jackson, Jalen Reagor

Week 3: Buffalo Bills

• Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, John Brown

Week 4: New York Giants

• Darius Slayton, Golden Tate

Week 5: Washington Football Team

• Terry McLaurin

Week 6: San Francisco 49ers

• Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Kendrick Bourne

Week 7: Chicago Bears

• Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller

Week 8: Miami Dolphins

• DeVante Parker, Preston Williams

Respect is Earned

Coming into the game fresh off the bye week and just because the secondary of the Rams has been challenged all season, they aren’t taking the talent of the Seahawks receivers lightly. According to The Athlectic.com’s LA Rams correspondent Jourdan Rodrigue, Ramsey called Metcalf “an undeniable talent.” 

I expect to see the LA Rams continue displacing their cornerbacks to get the best matchups and try to prevent Wilson from establishing a rhythm with the defense. The best-case scenario would be the front seven getting to the quarterback and forcing him to get rid of the ball early, thus making it an easier day for this talented secondary. The worst-case scenario would be allowing Wilson to escape the pocket and pick apart the secondary on the run, which is one of his most admirable traits.