Spotlight Game: St. Louis at Seattle

Joe Vitt has done well during his tenure as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. He has led them to a 2-1 record, including two straight home wins against New Orleans and Jacksonville. Coming off their bye week, however, the Rams will encounter a different beast. They face the Seattle Seahawks on the road, a team that beat them 37-31 in St. Louis earlier in the year. The Seahawks can all but wrap up the division in this game – they would open up a three game lead on the Rams with a win on Sunday. Will the return of Marc Bulger, Isaac Bruce (questionable), and Torry Holt be enough for the Rams to pull this game out?

St. Louis

Marc Bulger: In Bulger’s first game back, he should find himself in a position to produce. Assuming he is near 100 percent (and Bulger insists that he is), Vitt will let him air it out to all of his targets. I would start Bulger in all formats, especially since he has had success against Seattle in the past. Bulger will throw his interceptions, but it is a small price to pay considering his consistently high yardage and touchdown totals. Bulger should have an up-and-down game once again, but it will satisfy his owners. He will throw for 300 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Steven Jackson: Jackson has been very productive this year, especially now that Joe Vitt has taken the reigns. Vitt has decided to feed his workhorse the ball. Jackson, who rarely got more than 15 carries per game under Mike Martz, is now finding himself with 25-30 touches per game. However, many owners are wondering whether or not that will change now with Bulger, Holt, and possibly Bruce returning. In my opinion, Jackson will continue to see a heightened amount of touches, but through screens instead of rushes. Jackson was a presence in the passing game with Bulger in, but his receptions fell when Jamie Martin was forced to play. Sunday’s matchup is shaky for Jackson for two reasons. First, Seattle boasts a formidable rushing defense (12th in the league). Second, if St. Louis falls behind early, Jackson will see fewer carries. Despite this, I believe that he will have a productive day. He will have 18 carries for 75 yards and a TD, and he will tack on 35 yards on four receptions.

St. Louis WRs: There is a muddy situation at WR for St. Louis. With the possibility of both Holt and Bruce coming back, many questions arise. Is Bruce healthy enough to take his reps back from Curtis? Is Holt fully recovered? According to recent reports, Holt looks to be ready to go while Bruce’s availability is still in doubt. So, those owners that have had to use Curtis (due to injuries, byes, etc.) may get one more week out of him. I would expect to see him get many reps on Sunday until Bruce is 100%. It will be tough to predict which of these receivers will do well on Sunday, so we are forced to speculate about their playing time. I like Holt to bounce back nicely from his injury to make up for lost time. Chalk Holt down for 100 yards and a couple of scores. If Bruce plays, I think that he will be limited in his receiving duties and should struggle in his first game back. I would shy away from playing Bruce unless you have no other viable options. He should only have 40 yards on four grabs on Sunday. Curtis, on the other hand, should enjoy another productive day as long as he sees the time. He should add seven catches for 70 yards and a TD to his statistics. Lost in the mix is Shaun McDonald, who could easily see a couple of balls when St. Louis goes into four-wide sets. McDonald will add 30-40 yards as the fourth option.

Brandon Manumaleuna: Manumaleuna is St. Louis’ most productive tight end, but that’s not saying much. With the Rams’ loaded offensive arsenal, Manumaleuna is simply not called on to produce offensively. You will often find him in the box helping to block for Steven Jackson. He only has six catches for 41 yards all year, so he is obviously not an option. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends this game with zero offensive touches.

Defense: The Rams may be the worst start of the week. They have allowed over 20 points in six of their eight games this season. They also face the NFL’s best offense (on the road). I would expect only a couple of sacks from this unit. In addition, the Rams do not offer too many productive IDPs. Pisa Tinoisamoa is an average play at the outside linebacker position. He has 47 total tackles in eight games, so he should be good for another five or six on Sunday (maybe more if Seattle continuously pounds Shaun Alexander). The best option that the Rams offer, however, is probably Adam Archuleta. He is second on the team with 44 total tackles (first in solo tackles with 37), and he has added 3.5 sacks, an interception (which he returned for a TD), and a fumble recovery. Expect him to add six tackles, and he has a shot to get to Hasselbeck if he blitzes from the safety spot.

Seattle

Matt Hasselbeck: Hasselbeck should have the majority of his work done for him by Alexander. He will benefit from his running, allowing him to work play action into the game plan. Hasselbeck is usually very efficient (only five interceptions on the year), and he should have no problem dissecting the Rams when he has to throw. He is a solid start even though he may not throw very often. He should turn in a solid day of 200 yards passing and two TDs.

Shaun Alexander: Alexander should run all over the Rams this week. The stars are aligned for him to continue his monster season. He is at home, and in a big divisional matchup against a weak run defense (that he was successful against earlier in the year). His owners should be salivating at the thought of his possible numbers this week. His numbers will only increase if Seattle can jump out to an early lead. He will be employed throughout the game to not only keep the Rams defense on the field, but also to prevent the Rams offense from being on it. Alexander will rush 30-32 times for 150 yards and two to three touchdowns.

Seattle WRs: With Darrell Jackson sidelined for at least a few more weeks, Joe Jurevicius and Bobby Engram will take the reins for the second straight week. Engram was unspectacular in his return last week (three receptions for 24 yards), but expect Hasselbeck to work him back into the fray this week. Engram should be good for about 65 yards on six grabs. Joe Jurevicius has been the biggest beneficiary of Jackson’s absence. While he’s not particularly fast, he is a tall, precise route runner with good hands (a rarity in Seattle in past years). Therefore, he is more fit for the red zone than Engram, who has yet to score this year. Jurevicius should use his size on his way to a score along with 70 yards on six catches. Jerheme Urban, who has made a couple of big plays out of the #3 and #4 WR spots this year, should add 20 yards receiving.

Jerramy Stevens: Stevens has been a solid option at TE this year. While he only has two touchdowns, he has been very consistent, securing about three to five catches in most of his games this year. He is not one to break out for 100 yards, but you know what he will give you. Like Daniel Graham last week, I see Stevens as a sneaky play this Sunday. He is a middle-of-the-road TE, but he is a big target that can exploit the middle of the Rams secondary. Play Stevens in this spot if you do not have great options. I like him to hit pay dirt on his way to 40 yards receiving on four or five grabs.

Defense: Seattle’s defense has improved with the addition of names like Jamie Sharper and DD Lewis. However, Sharper is out and Lewis is questionable this week along with Michael Boulware and Marcus Tubbs. This leaves some holes in a defense that already was a shaky play against a prolific Rams offense. They may get a couple of turnovers due to Bulger’s erratic style, but the Rams will put up enough points to make you look elsewhere for a defense. With a couple of their starters sidelined, Seattle is thin on quality IDP starts. Lofa Tatupu is the team’s best option, as he has 52 total tackles (first on the team) and two sacks. Kelly Herndon is a stretch in the secondary, but he is second on the team with 40 tackles.

Sleeper

Bryce Fisher: Who? Fisher, a fifth-year man out of Air Force, has been spending most of his time around the quarterback this year. He is a 6’3”, 268-pound DE that is part of the revolution of today’s quick and agile defensive ends. In four years with Buffalo and St. Louis, Fisher had a total of 13.5 sacks and never totaled more than 48 total tackles in one season. In his first year with Seattle, however, Fisher has contributed 30 total tackles and 6.5 sacks through just eight games. There is no better time for Fisher to continue his banner season than against the team that let him go last year. The Rams give up an average of three sacks per game, and Fisher should have at least one of them.

Matchup to Watch

Shaun Alexander vs. St. Louis’ front seven: Alexander rushed for 119 yards and two TDs in the first meeting between these teams. If he puts up a similar performance on Sunday, I don’t expect the Rams to win this game. If the Seahawks can run, they can accomplish several things. They can control the clock (keeping the ball away from the Rams offense), grab a lead, and force the Rams to become one-dimensional (Bulger will have to throw, keeping the ball out of Steven Jackson’s hands). If the Rams’ 25th ranked rushing defense doesn’t contain Alexander, the Rams will be in trouble.

Prediction

The Rams are well rested and reloaded for this divisional matchup, but they have notoriously struggled on the road. This year has been no different, as they have posted a 1-3 road mark (including an opening day loss at San Francisco). The Rams are a different team at home, and I do not think that they can keep up with the Seahawks at Qwest Field. On the other side, the Seahawks are 4-0 at home this year, and 17-3 in their last 20 home games under Mike Holmgren. These teams have the #1 (Seahawks) and #2 (Rams) offenses in the NFL; so do not be surprised to see a shootout. However, Seattle has the advantage here, boasting an improved defense (14th in the league) while the Rams have been lackluster in this department (30th). Alexander’s legs and Hasselbeck’s arm should be enough to beat the Rams on Sunday. Seattle 38, St. Louis 28.

 
Dave McGrath hopes to eventually turn his Communication major into a full-time sportwriting career. He can be found posting as dave416 in the Cafe forums.

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