Why LA Rams WR Robert Woods shows up big against Seattle

LA Rams WR Robert Woods waits for his breakout game in 2020. He’ll find it against Seattle

The LA Rams have one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. While the pair has had some flashes of brilliance, their 2020 performance has been a bit underwhelming.  Robert Woods has enjoyed two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, but this year he is behind the pace.

He’s improved dramatically on touchdown catches, as he is on pace to set a career-high. But he is seeing too few targets, and his 11.8 yards-per-reception is the lowest he’s seen since arriving at the Rams from the Buffalo Bills. While he has been less active in the passing game in recent years, he’s been very effective at the running game, already converting 16 carries in eight games into 108 yards and two touchdowns.

Why Woods works against Seattle

The Rams take on the porous pass-defense of the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday. While NFL teams have varying degrees of defending the pass, the Seahawks appear to struggle at it from many aspects.  Pass defenses sometimes struggle in matchups against one receiver who lines up against a weaker defensive back. But the Seahawks so far have been equally inept on defending the pass against the top receiver, the secondary receiver, and even the third receiver on their routes.

The Rams consider both Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to be similar in their decision tree. That means that Woods will get plenty of looks, and that spells lots of trouble for the Seahawks secondary.  Even if the Seahawks get close, Woods is very good at catching contested balls in the air.  In the past four games, Woods has averaged five catches for over 80 yards. That will likely improve in this game.

When the Rams need offense, they turn to Woods. In two high scoring games last year, Woods caught 26 of 33 passes for 236 yards.  Heading into the first meeting against the Seattle Seahawks, the Rams have to believe that they are in for a high scoring contest.  Rams WR Woods is due for a huge game, and the Seahawks defense appears very vulnerable to the Rams passing offense. Look for Woods to break 100 yards receiving in this one.