–Losing Earl Thomas will be significant, but unlike past seasons, the Seahawks feel better prepared for life without the All-Pro safety thanks to the presence of second-year safety Tedric Thompson. Linebacker Bobby Wagner doesn’t see the Seahawks running the show defensively much different even without Thomas roaming center field.
“I think scheme-wise it doesn’t change, I think it’s more so just the player, ” Wagner articulated. “We’re extremely confident in T-2, Tedric Thompson. We were confident going into the season with him, with his ability and the things that he’s shown throughout the preseason and everything else.”
Before Thomas ended his holdout a few days prior to the season opener, Thompson was slated to start in his place at free safety. Carroll has spoke highly of his growth throughout the offseason and Wagner believes he’ll be “up for the challenge” while playing under the microscope against a dynamic Rams offense.
–For the first time since the 2015 playoffs, the Seahawks had a running back reach the 100-yard mark in back-to-back games as the team has rediscovered Carroll’s “formula” for winning football games. But as a consequence, Seattle hasn’t thrown the ball as frequently, limiting opportunities for quarterback Russell Wilson and his receiving corps.
During Seattle’s two-game winning streak, Wilson has thrown only 26 passes and been held under the 200-yard passing mark in both contests. Against a Rams defense that ranks fifth against the run, he’ll be expected to shoulder more of the load this weekend and will need his receivers to step up. Among those needing a big performance, 34-year-old Brandon Marshall will be looking to bounce back after struggling in recent weeks.
“We’ve just got to get him (Marshall) going. A couple of balls got away from him the last two weeks and he got a couple of passes broken up and had a drop last week,” Carroll said. “Potentially, in our scheme, we like what he does. We know what he can do and we want to make sure that he’s part of it.”
Marshall started the year with seven receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown in Seattle’s first two games, but he dropped multiple passes against the Cowboys and Cardinals and needs to get back into a groove. If he’s not able to contribute, second-year receiver David Moore will continue to cut more and more into his playing time and earn the larger share of the snaps moving forward.
–After taking a major leap forward in his first season playing for head coach Sean McVay, Goff has arguably taken an even bigger jump so far in his third NFL season, throwing for over 350 yards in each of the past three games. But Wagner still thinks the biggest key to Sunday’s game will be shutting down running back Todd Gurley II in an attempt to make the Rams one-dimensional in a tough road environment.
“You don’t want to give them both runs and (the pass) because once they run the ball, it opens up the passing game,” Wagner said. “Now you got to look in and worry about every single thing, but if you can stop the run, you kind of know what certain passes that they get into. I think that’s the game.”
Interestingly, the Rams didn’t make much of an effort to run the ball against the Vikings last week and still put up monster numbers, as Goff torched Minnesota’s secondary with four first-half touchdowns and 465 total passing yards. Regardless, Wagner thinks McVay’s offense flows through Gurley and hitting him early and often will remain a top priority.
He said, “We know they’re going to give him the ball. They’re going to get him with screens, they’re going to get him with runs – outside runs, inside runs. Our goal is to meet him everywhere. My goal is to meet him everywhere he goes.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 100.3 – Opposing passer rating during five games safety Earl Thomas missed with a broken leg during the 2016 season, nearly 30 points higher than the previous 11 games.
