Seahawks-Rams Preview: Rams Exactly What Seattle Needs for Week 12

Week 12 is upon us, and the struggling Seahawks have yet to win a game on the road.  Forget home and away games though; Seattle has only managed three wins all year!

Is there any good news? Actually, yes, Seattle is going on the road this week to play the Rams, one of the three teams they have managed to beat.

Seattle didn’t just beat St. Louis in the first game either; they shut them out, winning the game 28-0 at Qwest Field. Of course that would be a lot more impressive if the Rams had managed more than one win this season.

With the season going like it is, however, Seattle fans will take a victory in any way, shape, or form. Coming off a brutal loss to the Vikings, the Seahawks are in desperate need of a shot in the arm to finish out the season.

Coach Mora and the team still feel optimistic, but whether that optimism turns into wins is another story. They have been ‘optimistic’ all year long.

Granted, key injures have hurt quite a bit, but even then, the collapse over the last two years has been epic, and not just a sign of bad luck and injuries.

It is time to rebuild the offense, starting with the line. The line, which by NFL.com stats ranks 24th overall, is not getting it done this year.

Seattle is going into this game hoping to duplicate their last game against St. Louis, and finally get a win outside of the state of Washington.

Matt Hasselbeck had a solid game with 279 yards through the air. Julius Jones powered the run game with 117 yards on 19 carries.

The defense held Marc Bulger and the Rams’ air attack to 191 yards, and dangerous running back Steven Jackson to only 67 yards.

Going into this game the Seahawks are the statistically better team. Ranking 22nd in offense and putting up 19 points a game. That would not be so bad if the defense wasn’t giving up 24 points a game and ranking 20th in the NFL.

That has been the problem; however, the defense has been unable to step up to make up for the offense’s mishaps.

While the offense has been the trademark of the Seahawks during this decade, it was the defense that was supposed to step up this year and keep the Seahawks into games.

There have been a lot of draft picks and free agent invested into it, and with minimal results.

The offense was expected to be up and down this year, with the O-Line in its current shape, and a change in offense philosophy, that hasn’t always fit the personnel, has not helped matters either.

The Rams obviously share in the woes on both side of the ball with the Seahawks, but to an even more extreme extent.

With an offense only putting up 11 points a game, ranking 26th, and the defense giving up 27 points a game, it is no surprise the Rams are 1-9 going into this game.

With an overcast outlook to match the city they play in, Seattle has had a rough year. There have been some encouraging signs, but it has been hard to keep up the positives from week to week.

After an impressive rushing performance in a loss to Arizona, Seattle had their run game shut down by Minnesota. In the Hawks’ defense, the Vikings do have the third-ranked rush defense in the league.

Look for Seattle to get the run game rolling again this weekend, and to be able to pass all over the Rams.

Despite having started Julius Jones out, Justin Forsett has shown signs of being able to carry a heavy load. He is also looking to bounce back after that rough game against the Vikings.

They should be able to establish balance on offense, and will try to duplicate the success on defense from the first game. I expect Seattle to come away with its first road win of the year, and build off of that.

The season is lost in terms of playoffs, but it is far from lost in terms of judging the current talent and assessing the needs of the team for the upcoming draft.

Seahawks 28, Rams 3

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Limps into Week 11: Seahawks Run the Ball and Look Toward 2010

Nine games into the season and the Seahawks figured out how to run the ball. Losing their top rusher in Julius Jones early in the game led to a break out game for a player that had previously been on the waiver wire; Justin Forsett.

Forsett rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown. Despite a loss that put them three games back in the NFC West, coach Jim Mora and the Seahawks feel that there are reasons to be optimistic.

It is great that we are finally starting to see positive signs from this season, but it is getting dangerously late in the season to be optimistic. What the Seahawks need to be right now is confident. If anyone on the team understands this, it is brash wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who has been quoted as telling his coach, “We are not losing another game.”

You have to like that confidence coming from T.J., and hopefully the team can pick up on that as well. He has reason to feel a little more confident coming out of last week. Having only put up 169 yards and three touchdowns in the previous four games, he broke out against the Cardinals putting up 165 yards. It wasn’t a break out performance in the way that Forsett’s was though. This is expected of T.J., and was the reason he was a huge offseason acquisition.

The big story for the Seahawks, however, was their ability to get solid production on the ground. Coming into the season, it was a noted goal for the coaching staff to be a running team. With the talent at wide receiver and the offensive line having struggled, the team fell into its default passing attack.

Make no mistake about it though; the Seahawks are still a team that favors the pass. The key going forward will be to balance that powerful passing attack with a resurgent running game. Forsett is an impressive young runner, who, while shorter in stature, gets the tough yardage and is showing durability. This could be huge over the next few weeks as Jones appears to be out, and to be honest has not lived up to expectations since arriving in Seattle.

Whether that is on him or the injuries around him is open to interpretation, but one must remember that Dallas drafted a replacement for him, showing that they didn’t have one hundred percent confidence he was the man for the future.

Speedy back in Louis Rankin will be the backup this week for the Seahawks as they put their growing running game to the test. Forsett will have ample chance to prove he is capable of being the every down NFL back I think he can be.

With all the optimism coming off the loss, which is tough to swallow for any fan anyway, the upcoming game does not look good on paper for the Seahawks. Going on the road, which is never friendly to the Hawks, they are facing up against a NFC power in the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings come into this game with an 8-1 record, boasting arguably the most talented running back the league in Adrian Peterson and a first ballot half of fame selection in Brett Farve. The Vikings are an immensely talented team who many had as a preseason pick to make it to the Super Bowl with the addition of Farve.

With the playoffs looking to be out of reach, the Seahawks need to build for the future and use the final stretch of the season to look at the strengths and weakness of the squad. Julius Jones injury may be a blessing in disguise as it gives the Hawks a chance to see if they are stocked well for their running game in the future.

There is little doubt the offensive line needs work, but now is the time to start looking at the future. It is too late in the season to be “optimistic” about this year, but we can build and look towards the future so next season is not spent home for the playoffs.

The Vikings on the other hand are rolling, and it doesn’t appear the Seahawks at this point will be able to pull off the upset. Still, I expect the Seahawks to play with fight and continue to look better as the season goes on. The Vikings are just too strong of a team this week however.

Vikings 35-Seahawks 21.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Seattle Seahawks-Detroit Lions Preview: Somebody Has to Win!

The past two years have not been kind to either of these teams. Detroit is coming off a winless 2008 campaign, and the Seahawks struggled to four wins. This year hasn’t looked all that much better.

The Lions were able to snap their losing streak against the mess that is the Washington Redskins this year, but then promptly went out and lost to the St. Louis Rams, who had been winless prior to their 17-10 win at Detroit.

Since then, the Lions have started another losing streak, which stands at four games coming into this weekend.

The Rams are one of the two teams that Seattle has managed to defeat this season. Since the Jacksonville win, the Seahawks have been disastrous, losing their last two games 65-20. Not exactly how the Seahawks were planning on following up their 41-0 win over Jacksonville.

For Sunday, the biggest question for the Lions is if star wide out Calvin Johnson, who is listed as probable at this point, and quarterback Matthew Stafford will be able to go.

Johnson, who missed the last three games, will prove important as the play of Stafford is dependent on Johnson and his big-play abilities. Stafford is coming off of a knee injury that cost him two games, and a poor performance against the Rams.

If Johnson is able to play it looks to improve upon Stafford’s performance last week of 14-for-33 for 168 yards. In the four games played with Johnson, Stafford is 79-for-139 for 894 yards.

Look for those two to try and re-establish a connection to improve upon the Lions woeful passing numbers. Detroit is averaging just 189 yards through the air this year. With Stafford and Johnson playing together, the passing game was an improved 223 yards per game.

In addition to Stafford and Johnson, starting running back Kevin Smith is also banged up. Smith re-aggravated a shoulder injury in the loss to the Rams. All three are expected to play come Sunday.

The Seahawks defense has been stronger against the run, 10th overall, than the pass, 18th, so it will be important for the Lions chances to have their passing game at full health.

The Seahawks are looking to get an offense going that has struggled all year, averaging only 19 points a game. Injuries across the offensive line have hindered Seattle’s ability to get a running game established, which was the coaching staff’s desire entering the season. It hasn’t worked out, as the Seahawks are ranked 29th in rushing offense.

A healthier Matt Hasselbeck and core of healthy wide outs will be what the Seahawks need to rely on to put points up. Free agent acquisition T.J. Houshmandzadeh has been disappointing by his own standards, but you can see his passion and desire for winning.

Like all good receivers, he believes he is open on every play, and wants to contribute as much as possible for the Seahawks.

Some have looked at this from the perspective that it can hurt team chemistry, but it doesn’t seem like it is bothering Hasselbeck. Everyone knows they have to start producing.

The passing game has been more effective than running (ranked 17th), but the Hawks need more production out of their running game if they want to turn around the season.

Despite the struggles the last few weeks, this sets up well for a Seahawks victory. For the first time this year, every active Seahawk on the roster was able to practice.

After traveling to Dallas and enduring another rough game, a game at home against the struggling Lions is exactly what Jim Mora and the Seahawks need.

Even with the return of Johnson, and the probability that Stafford and Smith are playing, the Lions will continue to struggle to put up points facing off against a Seattle D that has either looked great or terrible.

The two shutouts against the Rams and Jaguars were impressive, but otherwise they are giving up 29 points per game. However, this is one of those games they have a chance to perform well.

Look for the Seahawks to continue to play Jekyll and Hyde as they should take it to the Lions. But the question is; will they be able to build on it, or fall apart like they did after Jacksonville?

Seahawks 28, Lions 7.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Seahawks-Cowboys Preview

The last thing the struggling 2-4 Seahawks need is to head on the road, where they have yet to win a game this season, against a resurgent team.

That is exactly what is waiting for them at Cowboy Stadium as they travel to Dallas to face a Cowboy team that is 4-2, and the Seahawks needing a win to right the ship.

The Cowboys are coming off a dominating win against Atlanta, in which quarterback Tony Romo and the offense aired it out for over 300 yards, putting up an impressive 37 points and giving the Cowboys their first consecutive wins of the season. Wide receiver Miles Austin stepped up big time for the injured Roy Williams, and Romo has thrown for over 600 yards and zero interceptions in the last two wins, giving the Cowboys an offensive identity.

An offensive identity is something the Seahawks are sorely lacking this year. A team that was supposed to focus on the run this year has struggled with an injured offensive line, most notably missing all-everything left tackle Walter Jones who was placed on the injured reserve officially this week, ending hopes of a return.

In addition to the offensive line woes, the Seahawks have dealt with a banged up Matt Hasselbeck who has missed two games due to injury. On the year Hasselbeck has 729 yards passing, with a 7-3 TD-INT ratio.

With Hasselbeck expected to play, look for the Seahawks to continue to air it out on offense. Although the coaching staff was adamant in the preseason about establishing the run, the Seahawks have relied on the passing game so far.The Hawks have thrown 226 times for 1,416 yards, compared to the 542 yards totaled up on the ground during 155 rushing attempts.

Combined with the struggle to form a strong identify on offense, is a defense that has been up and down all year. The only two wins for Seattle came against the woeful Rams and the struggling Jaguars, and they are coming off a pathetic offensive and defensive performance against the Cardinals in a 27-3 loss at home last week.

The defense was impressive in the two wins, and the return of defensive back Marcus Trufant, at least in passing formations, should bolster a defense that is looking to lead the way to a turnaround for the Hawks.

Like with all news regarding the Seahawks this year, it is a good and bad situation as Trufant’s return is countered by the news that linebacker Lofa Tatupu will be out for the season. The silver lining with the Tatupu injury is the return of Leroy Hill, so the defense retains two out of its three starting linebackers from the beginning of the year.

The Seahawks pass defense will need all the help it can get against a Cowboys team boasting the No. 2 ranked offense. While the Seahawks defense is statistically impressive, they are ranked eighth overall in total team defense with numbers improved due to the two shut outs, the unit has been struggling. It will be a huge challenge to match up with the powerful passing offense of the Cowboys, especially if Dallas can continue to find balance in the running game.

From the Cowboys perspective, it hinges on the pressure the Dallas front seven can provide. The defense is talented and has the ability to hold the Seahawks offense in check, but they will have to combat what is potentially a potent pass offense with a healthy group of receivers for the Seahawks. While the loss of Allen Rossum will hurt, the Cowboy secondary is still talented enough to play well.

Look for both teams to try to take advantage through the air, while trying to establish the run for balance. The key will be which secondary can step up and force the other team to find production on the ground.

For the Seahawks it will be important to establish the quick strike passing game to balance what has been a porous offensive line thus far. With the two teams going in seemingly opposite directions, look for the Cowboys to take advantage and improve to 5-2 on the year.

For the Seahawks, the season is far from over. After a humiliating loss to the divisional rival Cardinals, however, it is going to take a lot of work to regain the top spot in the NFC West that they held up until last season. The defense needs to step up and lead this team in the right direction, and a good showing on the road against Dallas could potentially be a big turning point in the season. I just don’t see it happening in this game.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010