8 stats and facts to know for Rams-Seahawks in Week 11

[theramswire.usatoday.com] stats and facts to know for Rams-Seahawks in Week 15


Cameron DaSilva
December 16, 2021 8:29 am PT

It’s been 10 weeks since the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks last met, which feels like ages ago. The Rams won that game 26-17 in Seattle, holding off a late charge by Geno Smith after Russell Wilson injured his finger.

The Seahawks were still seen as contenders at that point in the season, even after their slow start to the year, but the outlook has changed dramatically since then. The Seahawks are now 5-8 and desperately need a win to keep any chance of making the playoffs alive.


Here are eight facts and stats to know for this pivotal Week 15 game in Los Angeles.

1
Lowest-ranked Seahawks offense since 2011
It’s been a very rough year for the Seahawks offense – the worst since Russell Wilson became the starting quarterback in 2012. They rank 21st in points per game and 28th in yards, the first time they’ve ranked outside the top 20 in either category since 2011 when they were 23rd and 28th, respectively.

Russell Wilson is averaging 230 yards per game, which is slightly below his career mark, and his passer rating is still above 100, but he hasn’t gotten much help from the banged-up running game and he’s been sacked 26 times in 10 games.


2
No team allows more passing yards per game than Seattle
As bad as the offense has been, the pass defense has been even worse. Way worse. The Seahawks have allowed at least 300 yards passing in six of their 13 games this season, with two other teams throwing for 287 yards and 294 yards. They’re allowing a league-high 278.9 passing yards per game and also rank 26th in yards per attempt allowed (6.7). They’ve only allowed 18 touchdown passes, which is sixth-best in the NFL, but they’ve also picked off just seven passes (26th).

The first time around, Matthew Stafford threw for 365 yards, the most Seattle has allowed in a game this season. So he had very little trouble moving the ball down the field against this porous secondary.


3
Seahawks have fewest turnovers in NFL
If there’s one thing the Seahawks are still doing well, it’s protecting the football. They’ve turned it over only 10 times, which is the fewest in the league this season. Wilson has just four interceptions, Geno Smith threw one pick in his four games and the team as a whole has lost five fumbles, so taking the ball away from Seattle has been difficult.

Similarly, they also don’t force many turnovers, either. They’ve only taken it away 13 times in 13 games, eighth-fewest in the league. In their first meeting with the Rams, the Seahawks forced one turnover, an interception of Stafford.


4
Rams are 7-3 vs. Seahawks under Sean McVay
The Rams have played the Seahawks well even dating back to the pre-McVay era, going 5-5 against them from 2012-2016. But since McVay took over, they’ve more or less owned Seattle. They’ve won four of the last five games and seven of 10 overall since 2017, winning their last two games by a total of 19 points.

Few teams have had the Seahawks’ number the way the Rams have, and there’s a good chance they’ll improve to 8-3 against Seattle on Sunday.

5
Kupp has almost as many receptions and TDs as Lockett and Metcalf combined
It’s been a shockingly quiet season for DK Metcalf, and it’s not just because Wilson missed three games. He’s caught 56 passes for 753 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging only 58 yards per game, which is just higher than his average of 56 yards per game as a rookie.

Tyler Lockett has been more productive with 62 catches for 1,023 yards and five touchdowns. But combined, he and Metcalf have barely been better than Cooper Kupp on his own He has nearly as many receptions and touchdowns as the two put together, despite being targeted 34 fewer times.

Kupp: 151 targets, 113 catches, 1,489 yards, 12 TDs
Metcalf + Lockett: 185 targets, 118 catches, 1,776 yards, 13 TDs
6
Beckham Jr. averages 6.5 catches, 104.5 yards per game vs. Seattle
Beckham has played against the Seahawks twice in his career: once with the Giants and once with the Browns. In both games, he was productive, even if his team lost each time. In 2014, he caught seven passes for 108 yards and also had an 11-yard rush. In 2019 with the Browns, he caught six of 11 targets for 101 yards.

He’ll look to make it three 100-yard games against the Seahawks this Sunday, and will also try to extend his touchdown streak to four straight games this season, having scored in the Rams’ last three games.

7
Rams have most plays of 50-plus yards in NFL
No team has created more 50-yard plays than the Rams this season, though the Seahawks are a close second. The Rams have 10 plays of at least 50 yards, all of which have been passes. The Seahawks have eight such plays, with seven being passes and one being a rush. They’re first and second in the NFL and are the only two teams with more than seven 50-yard plays.

The Rams do a great job of limiting 50-yard plays, too, allowing just three all season. The Seahawks have given up five, which is tied for the seventh-most.

8
Wilson has thrown for fewer than 200 yards in 6 of 10 games vs. Rams since 2017
Wilson has not had much fun playing the Rams since McVay took over as the head coach. In 10 games against them, he’s only thrown for more than 200 yards four times and has never topped 268 yards passing. He’s been sacked 40 times in 10 games against the Rams since 2017 (including the playoffs) and only has four touchdown passes in his last five games against them.

The defense’s success against Wilson is a big reason the Rams are 7-3 against Seattle over the last four-plus years, and if they can manage to contain him on Sunday, they’ll probably improve to 8-3.