With the Los Angeles Rams coming to town for a game with huge NFC West implications, we reached out to TheRams.com team insider Myles Simmons to learn more about this week's opponent, which currently holds a one-game advantage over the Seahawks in the standings.
Q: The Rams have a chance to take control of the NFC West if they can beat Seattle. Is there a sense that this is a huge game down there, or are they taking the "treat every game the same" approach we hear from Pete Carroll so often?
Simmons: It's interesting, I'd say that the team has seemed to do a little bit of both. Sean McVay and the rest of the team has certainly acknowledged the opportunity that the Rams have in front of them—to establish a two-game lead in the NFC West with two games to go. But they've been clear that they're not trying to alter their approach to anything in terms of their weekly preparation.
I think it would be hard for a team that hadn't even had a season over .500 since many of these players were in grade school to not even acknowledge what's happening. But they're not making it any bigger than it is. I'm paraphrasing, but I feel like I've heard, "It's the biggest game of the season because it's the next one," more than a few times this week.
Q: Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'd guess most people would have called a 9-win season a huge success for the Rams heading into the season. Is there any sense of accomplishment with a winning season now secured, or did a fast start mean expectations have shifted?
Simmons: Oh no, you're definitely not wrong. The expectations within the building may have been different, but this is a team that had four wins last year and hired a first-time head coach. I think it's safe to say the Rams have exceeded everyone's expectations but their own.
And because of that, yes, I think the standards and the expectations have changed. This is now a team that can consistently score points in order to be competitive throughout a game. Teams talk about "expecting to win" all the time. This is now a team where I get the sense that everyone really feels like that's possible.
Q: It seems like every week the Rams are making a huge play on special teams and/or having Johnny Hekker control field position. Every team says special teams play matters, but just how important has that unit been to the Rams' success this season?
Simmons: Special teams has been huge. The Rams have scored three touchdowns off of special teams plays this season—two punt blocks and a kick return. And when a club gets that kind of lift from its special teams unit, that can often be the difference in a game.
One special teams element that's different from when the Rams and Seahawks met in Week 5 is that L.A. has Pharoh Cooper returning both kicks and punts now. With Tavon Austin having some trouble fielding punts cleanly—he did muff one against Seattle in that contest—Cooper got an opportunity and has made the most of it. He's had a return of at least 20 yards in four games this year. And that has certainly helped set up the Rams with good field position to score points.
Q: L.A.'s two lowest-scoring games this season came in losses in which Todd Gurley was held in check. Maybe this is a causation vs. correlation scenario, but how important is getting Gurley going for this offense?
Simmons: To me, it's been fair to say that the offense has run through Gurley all year. That's pretty clear since he's No. 2 in yards from scrimmage and is No. 3 in yards rushing. If he's on, usually the Rams are going to have a pretty good day offensively.
But I think part of the reason why L.A. is scoring 30.5 points per game is because Gurley isn't the only threat. In the past, that's been the case and Gurley has really shut down—that was the case for much of the 2016 season. Now the Rams have receiving threats like Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Sammy Watkins—all of whom can make a big play at any time.
That being said, Gurley's success has clearly been indicative of how the Rams' offense as a whole looks in each game.
Q: The Rams had a season-high five turnovers the last time these teams met. Safe to assume that's an area of emphasis this week, especially on the road and with rain in the forecast?
Simmons: Definitely an area of emphasis. It really has been all year, but especially since that five-giveaway game against Seattle. The Rams really haven't had a game like that since Week 5, which is somewhat of an indicator of how much emphasis has been placed on it.
But McVay also said this week that the Rams have done a bit of work with a wet ball. Quarterback Jared Goff didn't seem too concerned about wet conditions, though, mentioning that the Rams played in the rain against the Giants on the road and were still able to score a lot of points.
That doesn't quite account for the crowd noise, though. And a wet ball plus what is sure to be a raucous crowd will definitely pose challenges for L.A.
Take a look back through history at the Seahawks' matchups against the Rams as the two teams ready to face off during Week 15 at the CenturyLink Field.
Seattle Seahawks running back Ralph Nelson (44) runs upfield during an NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams in Los Angeles, Oct. 31, 1976. The Rams defeated the Seahawks 45-6. (AP Photo/NFL Photos)
Quarterback Dan McGwire (10) of the Seattle Seahawks manages to get the pass off in time to avoid the sack as Jim Skow (68) of the Los Angeles Rams applies the defensive rush during the fourth quarter of their pre-season NFL game, Aug. 7, 1992, in Seattle. Los Angeles beat Seattle, 21-7. (AP Photo/Bill Chan)
Saint Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk plays in an NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks at Husky Stadium in Seattle Washington on September 10, 2000 (AP Photo/Tom DiPace)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck makes a pass against the St. Louis Rams during the first half in Seattle, Sunday Dec. 22, 2002. Hasselbeck passed for 303 yards completing 20 in 32 attempts as the Seahawks win 30-10. Behind is Rams' Troyka Jackson and Seahawks' Walter Jones. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
Seattle Seahawks' Shaun Alexander carries the ball as he plows through St. Louis Rams' Aeneas Williams in second-half action Sunday, Sept. 21, 2003 in Seahawks Stadium in Seattle. Alexander entered the game in the middle of the second quarter after being with his wife Valerie for the birth of their daughter, Heaven Nashay Alexander earlier in the day. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
St. Louis Rams' Grant Wistrom sacks Seattle Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck in the second quarter Sunday, Dec. 14, 2003, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Ken Lucas intercepts a pass intended for St. Louis Rams wide receiver Torry Holt (81) in the first quarter Sunday, Oct. 10, 2004 at Qwest Field in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander runs for yardage against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri on November 14, 2004. The Rams won 23-12. (AP Photo/G. Newman Lowrance)
Seattle Seahawks defenders Kris Richard, left, and Ken Lucas, right, break up a pass intended for St. Louis Rams' Torry Holt in the third quarter of their NFC wild-card playoff game in Seattle, Saturday, Jan. 8, 2005. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Seattle Seahawks' Joe Jurevicius (87) looks for room to run against the St. Louis Rams defensive backs Corey Ivy (35) and Chris Johnson (37) following a pass reception during the second half Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005, in St. Louis. Jurevicius had nine catches for 137 yards in the Seahawks' 37-31 win. (AP Photo/James A. Finley)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, right, is sacked by Seattle Seahawks' Lofa Tatupu in the third quarter, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2005, in Seattle. The Seahawks won, 31-16. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks' Delon Branch, right, catches a touchdown pass in front of St. Louis Rams' Travis Fisher in the forth quarter in an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 15, 2006, in St. Louis. The Seahawks won 30-28. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)
Seattle Seahawks' Jerramy Stevens reaches for the ball as St. Louis Rams' Brandon Chillar defends in the first quarter of their NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 12, 2006, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Seattle Seahawks' Bobby Engram, left, runs up field as St. Louis Rams' Leonard Little moves in during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 33-6. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks' Nate Burleson sails through the air as he returns a kick during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Nov. 25, 2007, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Seattle Seahawks running back Julius Jones breaks away from a tackle attempt by St. Louis Rams safety Corey Chavous, lower left, to run for a touchdown in the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 21, 2008, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Seattle Seahawks' Rocky Bernard, right, sacks St. Louis Rams' Marc Bulger during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14. 2008, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Seattle Seahawks' Nate Burleson (81) catches a 12-yard pass-reception as St. Louis Rams' Ronald Bartell defends in the second quarter of an NFL football game on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks' Darryl Tapp tries to slow down St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Seattle Seahawks running back Justin Forsett (20) runs with the ball during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Seattle Seahawks' Golden Tate (81) runs with the ball as St. Louis Rams' Chris Long (72) closes in and Seahawks' John Carlson (89) blocks at right in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson throws under pressure from St. Louis Rams safety Quintin Mikell, right, during the first quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Seattle Seahawks defensive back Brandon Browner breaks up a pass intended for Brandon Lloyd of the St. Louis Rams during an NFL game in Seattle on Monday, Dec. 12, 2011. The Seahawks won the game, 30-13. (AP Photo/G. Newman Lowrance)
St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8) is sacked by Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Alan Branch during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 30, 2012, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) pushes past St. Louis Rams' Eugene Sims for a 15-yard run in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 20-13. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
St. Louis Rams wide receiver Austin Pettis (18) makes a reception against Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor (31) during the first half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Seattle Seahawks receiver Golden Tate runs with a reception during a NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams on Dec. 29, 2013 in Seattle. The Seahawks won the game, 27-9. (AP Photo/G. Newman Lowrance)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin, left, slips past St. Louis Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree after catching a pass for a 49-yard gain during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner tackles St. Louis Rams running back Benjamin Cunningham in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Scott Eklund)
Seattle Seahawks' Tyler Lockett, right, looks back at St. Louis Rams' Maurice Alexander while running a punt back 57 yards for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
Seattle Seahawks tight end Cooper Helfet (84) runs the ball during an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015 in Seattle. (Peter Read Miller via AP)
Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse (15) runs with the ball during an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2016, in Los Angeles. (Peter Read Miller via AP)
Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril Cliff Avril, right, pressures Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff in the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas, right, intercepts a pass intended for the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
