By DKSB 

The Seahawks have a golden opportunity to take control of the NFC West this Sunday; A win at St. Louis would put them at 3-1 going into their bye week, and unless Arizona pulls a big upset in San Diego, Seattle would be a game clear of their divisional competition. The even better news? Seattle hasn’t lost a game to the Rams since the 2004 NFC Wild Card game. That’s a 10-game winning streak against a divisional opponent, which is a testament to how downtrodden the St. Louis franchise has become. Even when the Hawks were among the NFL’s worst teams in 2008-2009, they still won four games against the even more pathetic Rams. This is still a matchup the Seahawks should EXPECT to win, but it’s unlikely to be a nice, stress-free morning for the Twelve Army. 

Even during the 10-game Seattle winning streak, five games were decided by 6 points or less. In addition, the Rams look to be substantially improved in 2010- They dropped two close ones to the Cardinals and Raiders, then put the boots to DC medium-style last Sunday. One problem facing St. Louis is their distinct lack of a home-field advantage. Thousands of seats remain unsold for Sunday’s game, and a TV blackout in the STL area seems inevitable.

I attended a game at the Edward Jones Dome in 2007, and the experience of watching a game there was a bit boring. The fans rarely did more than clap politely, and the dome itself had the atmosphere of a comfortable, brand new Costco Warehouse rather than an NFL stadium. The stadium was only about 75% full, and most of those folks left with over 5 minutes left in the game. On the plus side, no one gave me any crap the whole day, and more than one person congratulated me on the Seahawks’ win after the final gun. The bottom line? While I don’t respect the Rams “faithful” as football fans, I do respect them as decent human beings.

The Seahawks have had terrible trouble winning on the road throughout their history, particularly during games with 10 am Pacific kickoffs. The lone exception to this trend is when the Hawks visit St. Louis, and while I expect the Rams to put up a fight, it won’t be enough to actually defeat Seattle. Look for Gus Bradley to throw a wide variety of blitzes at rookie QB Sam Bradford, and for the Seahawks to score at least one defensive touchdown (most likely in the 4th quarter to seal the deal for Seattle). The Hawks have relied on defense and special teams in their two wins thus far, and this week should follow the same pattern: Players like Earl Thomas and Leon Washington should consistently put the Seahawks in good field position, and unless Matt Hasselbeck plays like he did at Mile High two weeks ago, the offense should do just enough to ensure another win.

Prediction: Seahawks 28, Rams 17.

http://davekriegsstrikebeard.blogspot.com/