On Sunday afternoon the Seattle Seahawks will be hosting the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field in their first game of the 2023 NFL season.
Here are eight things to know heading into the matchup.
Last year's two head-to-head wins don't matter
The Seahawks may have swept the Rams last season, but fans should not be banking those games for confidence heading into this one. LA was decimated by injuries last season, and starting quarterback Matt Stafford missed both games. Keep in mind the Rams were still difficult to beat both times, so put away any hopes of a blowout.
Sean McVay's September dominance
The biggest reason why these Rams are such a tough beat has nothing to do with their future Hall of Fame DT or their star quarterback. Head coach Sean McVay has established himself as one of the best in the league at what he does. He’s been particularly dominant in September, going 16-4 overall plus 5-1 in season openers.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp has been ruled out
However, the Seahawks do have some factors working in their favor this week. At the top of the list is the absence of Rams star receiver Cooper Kupp, who has been ruled out with a hamstring injury. Odell Beckham Jr. and the rest of that Super Bowl LA receiver corps are now gone, so they’ll need one or more of their scrubs to step up.
Seahawks may also be thin at wide receiver
Seattle has an issue of their own at wide receiver this week, although not nearly as bad as missing their No. 1 guy. On this side the problem is depth, as they only have five wide receivers on the roster right now, one of whom is Cody Thompson. Expect one of the practice squad receivers (likely Easop Winston) to get called up to the active roster this weekend.
Jordyn Brooks will play for Seahawks
One guy the Seahawks will get in uniform is inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who missed most of the offseason after tearing his ACL late in 2022. Brooks has made a quick recovery to get ready for Week 1, but we should expect McVay to go after him and test that knee, as well as Brooks’ coverage ability in general.
Unsettled Rams OL may be vulnerable
Sunday’s game could be a golden opportunity for the Seattle pass rush to make a significant impact. While the Seahawks struggled in this area of the game last season, the Rams may be vulnerable up front, because their offensive line rotation is apparently still a work in progress.
Details, per Cam DaSilva at Rams Wire:
“Alaric Jackson looks like the starting left tackle, Steve Avila will be at left guard and Rob Havenstein is locked in at right tackle. Tremayne Anchrum Jr. appears to have the edge at right guard over Joe Noteboom, but that may not be the case based on what LaFleur is saying. And the same goes for Coleman Shelton at center, with Brian Allen also competing there.”
Bobby Wagner back for Seattle, Jalen Ramsey gone for LA
While Aaron Donald will be wrecking his usual havoc in the trenches, the back end of LA’s defense is looking much thinner this year. Linebacker Bobby Wagner has returned to Seattle and cornerback Jalen Ramsey is now in Miami. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron should be able to take advantage of their replacements.
Evan Brown's big debut at center
One key player to watch for the Seahawks who is likely to fly under the radar unless something goes wrong is new starting center Evan Brown. He will be leading a relatively young and extremely cheap offensive line unit, and how well he does his job will have a huge impact on how high the ceiling is for Seattle’s offense.
