Rams will try to bounce back against the Seahawks in L.A. homecoming
Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry preview the Rams vs. Seahawks.
The Coliseum will be packed, the Rams are donning nostalgic throwback uniforms and the franchise’s Hall of Fame players are set to be honored.
So much for the guaranteed celebrations, though.
After a 22-year wait, the NFL officially returns to Los Angeles on Sunday when the Rams play host to the Seattle Seahawks in a regular-season game.
It’s only Week 2 of a 16-game schedule and the Rams already appear at a crossroads on several fronts.
An embarrassing 28-0 season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers negated optimism about the fresh start and quickly put the Rams in an NFC West hole.
It also raised questions about Coach Jeff Fisher’s future, and whether the Rams should have forsaken the Case Keenum experiment and gone all in with rookie quarterback Jared Goff, despite the No. 1 pick’s play during preseason games.
Probably not the most welcome time for the Seahawks to hit town.
If emotion surrounding the Rams’ first regular-season game at the Coliseum since 1979 were not enough, Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll is coming back for the first time to the stadium where he returned USC to national prominence.
Carroll said he has been looking forward to the game since January, when the NFL approved the Rams’ move from St. Louis to Los Angeles.
“It’ll be fun to be back,” he said.
Carroll led the Seahawks to the Super Bowl twice in the last three seasons, and a team featuring quarterback Russell Wilson, cornerback Richard Sherman and others has the talent and the motivation to ruin the Rams’ homecoming celebration.
The Rams have defeated the Seahawks three times in the last four games, including both meetings in 2015.
“They’ve just been a problem for us,” Carroll said. “We’re hoping to put that behind us.”
The Rams just want to move forward after last week’s season-opening flop.
With a “Monday Night Football” audience watching, the Rams were shut out for the first time since 2011.
“Last week was a fluke,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. “That wasn’t us. This week we’ll be more focused and come out at home ready to play.”
No one needs better rebound performances than Keenum and offensive coordinator Rob Boras.
Keenum kept Goff from becoming the quarterback of the present by playing efficiently during exhibitions. That efficiency disappeared last week at Levi’s Stadium, Keenum saying afterward that he was “seeing ghosts” because he was overthinking.
Boras called plays for an offense that generated only 185 yards.
Last season, Boras called plays and Keenum was under center for the Rams’ 23-17 victory at Seattle. So they have done this successfully before.
But another Keenum dud might open the door for Goff, the No. 2 quarterback this week after being inactive against the 49ers.
The Rams also have to concern themselves with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, especially after historically pedestrian Blaine Gabbert gave them fits last week.
Wilson suffered an ankle sprain in the Seahawks’ victory over the Miami Dolphins, but he has never missed a start and will play against the Rams.
“What makes them go is Russell,” Rams middle linebacker Alec Ogletree said.
Wilson’s ability to extend plays and pass outside the pocket can be maddening for defensive backs.
“The most you want to cover a receiver in this league is three or four seconds,” cornerback Lamarcus Joyner said. “If you have a quarterback like him who can extend plays, that makes it difficult.”
Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams employs a pass-rushing scheme that has mostly contained Wilson in recent games. The Rams intend to keep the streak going.
“I would say he’s pretty frustrated with us,” Rams defensive end Eugene Sims said of Wilson.
Fisher welcomed the short week of preparation that followed his team’s Monday night defeat because it forced the Rams to move on quickly.
Still lingering is Fisher’s contract status.
Despite a 27-36-1 record going into the fifth and final season of his original deal, Fisher and General Manager Les Snead were thought to be in line for contract extensions before the season began.
Those might now be up in the air. Or, the extensions might already have been consummated, the Rams just waiting for a positive to make them known.
Another victory over the Seahawks would provide that opportunity.
Twitter: @LATimesklein
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