LA Rams know first place is on the line

The LA Rams know that first place in the NFC West is on the line today

The LA Rams may not have been the talk of the town coming into the week nine NFC West matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, but they are determined nevertheless. While the Seattle Seahawks have taken the high-scoring route to success in the NFL, the LA Rams have gone the other way. Defense.

And so, here we are, the confrontation to determine which path will continue from today, and which path will stop. These are familiar adversaries. And they’ve competed in some thrilling NFL games in the past. But this time it feels different. The Seattle Seahawks appear to be larger than life. The LA Rams appear to be fighting for recognition.

Tales of two cities

The Seattle Seahawks boast a very potent offense. They have one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL in Russell Wilson, and he’s throwing to one of the best NFL receiver duos in the game today in D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. But they are playing behind a poor offensive line, they are not running well. And they cannot defend the pass. Yet, despite all of these flaws, the Seahawks lead the NFC West.

On the other hand, the LA Rams appear to have a solid rushing attack on offense. The Rams boast one of the most complete defenses in the NFL. They struggle in other areas. They need to secure the football better. They need to score more often. And they need better production from special teams.

Second-half adjustments

The LA Rams have one five games, several have been possible by a defense that simply clamps down on the offense in the second half. Only the Buffalo Bills scored better than three points against the Rams in the second half. That type of performance simply means that if the Rams can stay close early, they can come back for a victory late in the game.

But any time Russell Wilson has the football in his hands, he is very dangerous. This game is one that the Rams need to come out firing and not stop scoring until the game is over.

Let’s be honest with ourselves. The Rams defense is statistically good but has yet to perform well against an offense as talented as that of the Seattle Seahawks. This is one game that the Rams must win. Not only to have a clear path to the NFL playoffs but to prove to themselves and to the NFL just how good this team can be.  The Rams need this win. Anything less will simply not do.