DANNY AND GALLANT

Huard: Games against Rams will determine if Seahawks get No. 1 seed

Oct 13, 2020, 1:55 PM

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson...

Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is 7-9 in his career against the LA Rams. (Getty)

(Getty)

The Seahawks are 5-0 for the first time in franchise history and that will remain the case this weekend, as the team will use the bye week to rest up and get healthy before returning to action Week 7 in Arizona.

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When the Seahawks do return to play, they will have 11 regular season games left. At 5-0, Seattle not only has a great shot at tying or breaking the franchise’s record for wins in a season at 13, but the Seahawks also could capture the conference’s top seed, which would give them them the NFC’s lone playoff bye week.

Of the Seahawks’ 11 remaining games. which team is Seattle’s toughest remaining opponent? Former NFL quarterback and current NFL on FOX analyst Brock Huard said it’s one of Seattle’s divisional opponents.

“The Rams,” he said.

Currently, the Seahawks sit atop the NFC West at 5-0 while the Rams are in second place. Additionally, because the Seahawks have played five games already and the Green Bay Packers had a Week 5 bye and are 4-0, Seattle currently holds the top seed in the NFC. The Rams, meanwhile, own one of the three Wild Card spots, along with the Cardinals and Chicago Bears.

The Rams’ lone loss came to the Buffalo Bills, who the Seahawks play in Week 9, a week before Seattle and Los Angeles face off for the first time. Despite the Rams dropping that game, their current play as well as history leaves Huard picking them as the Seahawks’ toughest remaining opponent.

“Psychologically, the Rams are the one team that (quarterback Russell Wilson) is under .500 against,” Huard said, pointing to Wilson’s 7-9 record against the NFC West rival.

Huard said the Rams have excelled against the Seahawks in many ways since Wilson was a rookie in 2012 where other teams haven’t. Sean McVay took over as Rams head coach in 2017 and that year, the two teams split the matchup. The Rams in 2018, when they went to the Super Bowl, won both games and the two teams split again last season.

“The Rams are the one team, with (All-Pro defensive tackle) Aaron Donald, that has dominated the line of scrimmage (against Seattle),” he said. “The Rams are the one team who really, in this transition and all these adjustments that you’ve tried to do (on defense), the Seahawks have had such a hard time defending their run and their play-action and their movement and their condensed formations and everything they like to do. I think the Rams are going to be the most difficult of those matchups”

The Seahawks still have all their divisional games remaining, meaning they’ll be playing the Rams, Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers twice each. How does Huard see those games going, and what level of impact will that have on Seattle’s playoff seeding if they do indeed make the postseason again?

“They’ll probably split with Arizona and the wheels look like they’ve come off the wagon in San Francisco, so yeah, I think the Rams will probably determine whether you’re a 12- or 13-win team and whether you’re the No. 1 seed or the Green Bay Packers are the No. 1 seed in the NFC this year,” he said.

Follow Brock Huard on Twitter.

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Huard: Games against Rams will determine if Seahawks get No. 1 seed