Bump & Stacy: 3 keys for Seahawks to beat the Rams

The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams are set for a titanic clash Thursday night at Lumen Field, where the two NFC West rivals will square off in a showdown with massive implications.

Breaking down everything at stake in Seahawks-Rams showdown

The Seahawks (11-3) and Rams (11-3) are tied for both the NFC West lead and the NFC’s best record, so the winner will gain the inside track to the division title and the conference’s No. 1 seed. And for the Seahawks – who are looking to avenge their 21-19 road loss to the Rams last month – it’s a virtual must-win to have any shot at the division crown.

How can Seattle emerge with its biggest victory in years? Former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus and Stacy Rost delved into three keys for the Seahawks during Wednesday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

Darnold needs to strike the right balance

The most obvious key is that Sam Darnold can’t throw four interceptions, like he did in Seattle’s narrow loss to the Rams last month. The Seahawks otherwise played well on both sides of the ball, outgaining L.A. 414-249 in total yardage. But that was all undone by Darnold’s four costly mistakes.

However, while Darnold certainly needs to take much better care of the ball this time around, the Seahawks still need him to be efficient and hit some explosive plays in the passing game.

That was a big part of Seattle’s offensive success earlier in the season, when Darnold averaged a league-high 9.9 yards per attempt over the first nine games. Beginning with the Week 11 loss to the Rams, Darnold’s yards per attempt dipped to 7.2 over the past five games.

Furthermore, as Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions just showed, there may be opportunities to exploit a Rams secondary that’s been a bit shaky at times this season. Goff threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns in Detroit’s 41-34 loss to L.A. on Sunday.

“You can’t throw four interceptions,” Rost said. “But (the key) is also Sam Darnold being more than a game manager. I don’t think you beat the Rams just playing safe and scoring 21 points.

“I think you need Sam Darnold to be the version of Sam we saw earlier this season, when this was an explosive pass game,” Rost added. “… That’s the version of Sam you need.”

Establish the run, and stop it on defense

Prior to this past Sunday, Seattle’s struggling ground attack had been making strides. The Seahawks had averaged 140.2 rushing yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry from Weeks 10-14, while topping 110 rushing yards in all five games during that stretch.

But Seattle took a big step back on Sunday, sputtering to a season-low 50 rushing yards and just 2.3 yards per carry in a grind-it-out 18-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Needless to say, the Seahawks’ run game needs to be much better on Thursday night. It certainly won’t be easy, though, as the Rams’ run defense ranks eighth in the NFL at 3.9 yards allowed per carry.

“If you really want to give Sam Darnold and this offense the best chance to win, that run (game) has to pop,” Bumpus said. “There needs to be three or four explosives by K9 (Kenneth Walker III). There needs to be one or two red-zone touchdowns by Zach Charbonnet.

“This is when they really have to show up, because without that, now you’re asking Sam Darnold to have all the pressure on him and to make every single throw. And (while) I think he is capable, he works better when he doesn’t have to do that.”

The run game also figures to be pivotal on the other side of the ball. Seattle’s suffocating run defense ranks second in the league at 3.8 yards allowed per carry, while the Rams’ physical rushing attack ranks eighth at 4.7 yards per carry.

In their matchup last month, the Rams gained 80 rushing yards on 10 carries in the first quarter. But the Seahawks completely bottled them up the rest of the way, limiting L.A. to just 39 rushing yards on 12 carries over the final three quarters.

And as a whole, Seattle’s defense held the Rams to just 105 total yards over their final eight drives, none of which spanned more than 25 yards.

“Stopping the run is a fundamental key for this one, because that’s how (Rams head coach) Sean McVay likes to get (his offense) going,” Rost said.

Win the special teams battle

The Seahawks have been exceptional on special teams this season, ranking No. 2 in special teams DVOA, according to FTN Fantasy. The Rams, meanwhile, rank 25th.

The Seahawks’ special teams success has included a punt return touchdown, a kick return touchdown, two blocked field goals, a blocked punt and even a rare end-zone kickoff recovery for a touchdown. They’ve also received lights-out kicking from Jason Myers, who has hit 24 of his past 25 field goals – including his game-winning 56-yarder in the closing seconds against the Colts.

“One of the strengths of this year’s Seahawks team, and one of the reasons they’ve felt like a Super Bowl team for so many weeks now, is that they’re good in all three phases,” Rost said. “And I think that third phase really needs to show up in this one.

“Whether it’s a return that puts them in great field position, whether it’s a blocked field goal attempt, … I think that’s going to be key.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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