LA Rams game day primer: What are Rams made of?

So close and yet so far

The LA Rams have plenty of offensive firepower on paper. But the Rams have not yet broken the thousand yard barrier with any receiver in 14 games this season. And the Rams have not broken even the 600 yards rushing barrier so far this season.  To be brutally honest, the Rams have only scored 39 offensive touchdowns so far this season. That is fewer than three touchdowns per game. That is the major reason why this Rams offense is ranked 17th in the NFL in scoring.

The Rams scored 42 offensive touchdowns in 2019.  But in 2018, the Rams scored a whopping 55 offensive touchdowns. While the Rams have fixed the offensive line this season, the ability to score points remains broken. The Rams need to change their offense drastically. How can the team do that? They have had tremenous success recently with 12-personnel packages. Look for the Rams to lean that way in this game

I expect the Seahawks will do things a bit differently on their offense as well. The Rams were vitally effective at getting to Wilson by containing the edges and collapsing the pocket. The Seahawks had to notice how effective the Jets were at attacking inside linebacker Troy Reeder with passing and running plays. So the Rams will need to have fixed that issue.

Winner take all?

The Rams must win this game to have any hope of earning a higher berth than the sixth or seventh seed as an NFC Wild Card team. And the Rams do have the knowledge that the two win one loss pattern that  doomed them in the New York Jets game now reverses the hex and will help the Rams to reclaim some vigor against a dangerous NFC West rival.

In terms of finality, a Seahawks win seals their fater as NFC West champion. There are no scenarios that will dethrone them. But if the LA Rams win, the Rams will tie the Seahawks at 10-5 and then the final game of the season becomes critical for both teams.

If both teams enter the final game of the year tied at 10-5, the Rams win the tiebreaker due to head-to-head competition. But if the Rams lose to the Arizona Cardinals at home, and the Seattle Seahawks defeat the San Francisco 49ers on the road, then the Rams will once again be a wild card, likely no better than the sixth seed.