by Largent80 » Thu Oct 05, 2017 7:35 am
So everyone is an armchair coach so what would be your offensive game plan against the Lambs????
I'm going to use past strengths and go against trends.
Hopefully this strategy will keep us out of 3rd and long where we are dreadful and the Lambs excel. Wilson and Lockett are kryptonite to the Lambs, Lockett has been a Ram killer early in his career. His 18 receptions in 23 targets for 296 yards is the most against any opponent. That includes 4 catches in 4 targets for 99 yards in the game in Los Angeles last year and 7 catches in 8 targets for 130 yards against the Rams in Seattle. He is coming off his best game of 2017 where he flashed some of his big play ability. He will be a key in this game as Doug Baldwin is still recovering from a groin injury, and the Rams tend to struggle on Lockett’s side of the field. Exploit that matchup.
Run from play action if the passing game is working because Donald and co. will be looking for a typical rushing attack. This may not be the game to run the ball on first down. Seattle is likely to see the least aggressive Rams pass rush in those situations. Los Angeles has allowed a ton of explosive plays, ranking 26th in explosive passes allowed and dead last in explosive rushes. The Seahawks will attack the Rams with guys like Lockett and Paul Richardson deep, but don’t be surprised if lesser known guys like Amara Darboh and Tanner McEvoy get some chances to make big plays.
How the team decides to handle snaps with C.J. Prosise and J.D. McKissic is something to watch as well. Prosise did not play in either Rams game last year. I really like how Thomas Rawls could influence this game. He will be hungry to prove his worth on every snap. There was a time when he was the most explosive runner in the NFL during his rookie year. This would be a great game to revisit those days.
On defense. Gurley is the sheep's leading receiver. Keep a guy on Gurley. Jared Goff has yet to prove himself against a great defense. They have faced the 18th, 24th, 26th, and 32nd ranked defenses in points allowed, and the 14th, 19th, 20th ranked defenses in opponent passer rating.
Lastly....Goff and the Rams rely heavily on the clever schemes of new head coach Sean McVay to create open spaces for Goff to throw into. Seattle’s defense is tough to move around as they have a simple scheme that they play with great discipline. Goff and his receivers will be forced to win their matchups.
Goff prefers to throw down the right side of the field. That either means Richard Sherman will get more opportunities to make big plays or that Goff will need to go away from his comfort zone. This would be a great game for Shaquill Griffin to take the next step in his development and create a turnover. The Rams love to throw deep. They are tops in the NFL in yards per attempt. Seattle has been terrific at defending the deep ball.
The Seahawks also have excelled in the red zone, ranking 2nd in the NFL in that category. This game could come down to a few possessions where an offense has to settle for 3 points instead of a touchdown.
Seattle needs to protect the ball especially on the road to win, and it will help the ST with Thorpe coming back.