The Seahawks improved to 7-2 with a dominant win over the Cardinals in Week 10, their best nine-game start to a season since 2019. Next up is a big NFC West showdown with the Rams, who are also 7-2, and who, like Seattle, have also won four straight games. But before we fully turn our attention to that game in Los Angeles, it's time once again to open up the mailbag and answer some questions from you, the fans.

As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

@ThatWiiMaster asks, "With all the talk about the Rams offense, it's easy to forget they also have the second-best scoring defense. Which matchup do you think carries bigger importance: the Seahawks defense vs. the Rams offense, or the Rams defense vs. the Seahawks offense?"

A: The best answer here might be that little kid "why not both?" gif you've probably seen on social media over the years. It's hard to say which matchup will make the biggest difference because both of these teams are so good on offense and defense, which is what makes Sunday's game so compelling.

In addition to having matching 7-2 records, the Seahawks and Rams are also the only two teams in the league to rank in the top 5 in the NFL in both points scored and points allowed. Both are riding four-game winning streaks and are winning by large margins, with the Rams having outscored their last four opponents by 82 points and the Seahawks outscoring their last four by 62 points, and neither team has trailed in a game since early in their respective Week 6 victories. The Seahawks and Rams rank second and third, respectively, in the NFL in point differential, and if you're the nerdy, analytics type (I mean that in a good way), it's also worth noting that the Seahawks are the No. 1 team in the league by DVOA, while the Rams are No. 2.

So yes, any way you slice it, this is a really intriguing matchup between two of the best teams in the league. It should be a fun one.

@TheShizzNizz1 asks, "How do we feen about our defensive front against these Rams? We've been scary good, but their O-line has been pretty good too."

A: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been on a heater the past few weeks, throwing 13 touchdown passes with no interceptions over the past three games, and the protection has been good, with Stafford getting sacked only three times in those games.

The Seahawks will counter with a pass rush and a defensive front that has been one of the best in the NFL this season. And while the Seahawks had a lot of success with blitzes last week, including two Tyrice Knight forced fumbles that were returned for touchdowns by DeMarcus Lawrence, they may not choose to go that route against Stafford. This season, Stafford has thrown an NFL-leading 20 touchdown passes against blitzes with no interceptions, including all 13 touchdowns in the past three games, and against the 49ers last week he was 13 for 18 for 161 yards and four touchdowns against the blitz.

The good news for the Seahawks—if there's such thing as good news facing this version of Stafford and the Rams offense—is that they've been able to create pressure this season while only sending four rushers. The Seahawks are tied for second in the NFL with 32 sacks and, per NFL Next Gen Stats, have a pressure rate of 40.4 percent, but they're doing that while blitzing at the second-lowest rate in the league (19.4 percent). For perspective, the other three teams in the NFL with 30 or more sacks are blitzing at least 30 percent of the time, and the other four teams in the top five of pressure rate are also blitzing on more than 30 percent of opponent drop backs.

Segdeha.com on Bluesky asks, "Riq Woolen had an incredible game. Any sense he keeps his starting spot once Josh Jobe is back?"

A: You are correct in your assessment that Woolen played well on Sunday, and really he has strung three straight strong performances together since returning from a concussion. Woolen opened Seattle's game at Washington behind Jobe and Witherspoon on the depth chart, coming in when the Seahawks wanted all three corners on the field, but after Jobe left with a concussion, Woolen became an every-down corner, and held that role again with Jobe out last week. When Jobe returns, which very well could be this week, it will create a good problem for coaches. Woolen has played well enough in recent weeks to merit a starting role, but Jobe has also played well all season and done nothing to suggest he is in line for a demotion.

"He has stacked for about a month now," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of Woolen's recent play. "He's stacked a lot of great practices, all the preparation and all the steps. When you watch our practice, he's been incredibly productive in practice, making plays on the ball, and you're seeing that on tape. The way he finished plays in the past game yesterday was great."

In the past, all three corners would play a lot regardless of who was the starter in base defense, but with the Seahawks playing so much big nickel with Nick Emmanwori in the game instead of a third cornerback, there will likely be less playing time for one of those two. Whoever gets the start, Woolen's recent return to form is great news for the team's cornerback depth heading into the second half of the season.

"It's a process," Macdonald said of Woolen's improvement. "It's just the incremental gains every day. (He's) just been going to do the reps with the attention to detail, the preparation, the extra ball drills, and all those things that makes the ball come to life on Sunday."

@millermuze asks, "What needs to change offensively to keep these turnovers from happening?" While @jackboymarlo7 says, "No questions. STOP turning the ball over. We have 16 turnovers to the Rams' 7. We can't win like that."

A: So far, the Seahawks have been winning despite committing too many turnovers, a testament to the overall strength of the team, but to Jackboymarlo's point, that isn't a good formula for sustained success, especially against top opponents like the Rams. The Seahawks have done so many things well on offense, which his why they rank third in the league in scoring and ninth in total offense, but they've also committed 16 turnovers, which is tied for the second most in the league.

"The ball has been in jeopardy too often, offensively, and that's something we need to focus on moving forward," Macdonald said.

There have been a few odd/fluky turnovers with throws bouncing off of helmets, or a botched snap right after starting center Jalen Sundell left the game, but Sam Darnold, for as fantastic as he has been this season, would be the first to stay that, as the quarterback, he needs to take care of the ball better in some situations. In fact, he did make that point after Sunday's game, saying "I can always do better" when it comes to turnovers.

The Seahawks have gone long stretches taking care of the ball well, including a turnover-free game in Jacksonville against the team that at the time led the league in takeaways, but they know they'll need to be cleaner in that department overall if they're going to be able to win against top teams like this week's opponent.

@taran-tula17 asks, "Is Rashid Shaheed going to be more involved in the offense?" And @holliwinters57@blsky.social asks, "Will we see more of Rashid Shaheed on offense this Sunday?"

A: Shaheed, who joined the team in a trade last week, played 34 percent of Seattle's offensive snaps in his Seahawks debut while also handling kick and punt return duties, so he had a significant role. But Shaheed also only had three touches on offense, two rushes for 20 yards and one catch on one target for three yards, so it's safe to assume that, as he gets fully assimilated into the offense, Shaheed will see his role grow.

@randy35525 asks, "Will Sir Mix-a-Lot ever raise the 12 Flag at a home game?"

A: I don't know if there are plans to have Sir Mix-a-Lot, a Seattle hip hop legend, raise the 12 Flag again, but he actually has already done it in the past, doing so before Seattle's 2015 game against Carolina.

@zapzapbeep asks, "Who do we need to smack with a sock full of nickel to make the retro uniforms permanent?"

A: That level of violence seems like a good way to get myself fired, however, I do love the throwbacks, so if anyone in power to make such a change were to ever ask my opinion on the matter (doubtful) then I would definitely tell them I too am in favor of making the throwback look the team's primary uniform.