Field Gulls
It’s here! It’s the day Seattle Seahawks fans have all been waiting for ever since that tough loss back in November.
Week 16 kicks off with the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams squaring off for top spot in the NFC West. Both teams are 11-3 and the winner has the clear path to the No. 1 seed; LA has a much easier path given its final two games of the season. Lumen Field should be rocking even with the continued terrible, rainy, stormy weather that has had a devastating impact throughout Western Washington. There has not been a night game of this magnitude since 2019, which didn’t end well for the Seahawks against the San Francisco 49ers. That is, coincidentally, the last time the Seahawks beat the Rams on a Thursday night. Could history repeat itself and have fans believing this is a true Super Bowl contender?
Let’s get to this week’s predictions, but let’s first revisit how last week’s predictions went for the Indianapolis Colts game.
Bold prediction: Seahawks force an opening drive turnover
Punt, no turnover. Maybe I meant they end the game with a turnover forced.
Seahawks offense prediction: At least 5 explosive pass plays
Despite the struggles, the Seahawks still had three pass plays of 20+ yards. Three is less than five so forget that.
Seahawks defense prediction: Seattle keeps the “No 100-yard rushers allowed” streak alive
The streak continues!
Colts prediction: Philip Rivers doesn’t finish the game
Damn right he finished the game. I was wrong.
Game prediction: The Seahawks win, obviously
They did win, but not in blowout fashion.
This is a double bold prediction. I think there will only be one touchdown thrown by either Sam Darnold or Matthew Stafford, and that touchdown will be caught in a classic revenge game situation. Cooper Kupp has only caught two touchdowns all season, both on the road, and he was mostly a non-factor against the Rams in his first meeting. Kupp is coming off five catches against the Indianapolis Colts, his highest total since Week 5, and may be relied upon a little more often knowing how much the Rams will look to take away Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed.
Remember those tunnel screens the Rams used to run with Kupp? The Seahawks defenses were destroyed by that repeatedly. Why can’t Klint Kubiak get Kupp some easy touches and some yards after the catch that way? Maybe that’ll be how he scores his first (and only?) Lumen Field touchdown in a Seahawks uniform.
I could’ve just as much argued for this as the bold prediction than my actual bold prediction, but maybe I’m giving you a double dose of boldness. Darnold’s last two games against the Rams have been horror shows; two brutal turnovers with the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs, then four interceptions with the Seahawks. Sam...
