Good afternoon, 12s. Here's a look at what's out there today — Thursday, October 7 — about your Seattle Seahawks.
Matt Hasselbeck Previews Thursday Night Matchup With The Rams
The Seahawks got back on track and kept their hopes alive in the race for the NFC West on Sunday, defeating the 49ers 28-21 behind a stellar outing from Russell Wilson and a bounce back performance by the defense. Now, the Seahawks head home for another key divisional matchup with the Los Angeles Rams tonight on Thursday Night Football. The Hawks own a 3-5 regular-season record against the Rams since 2017, which was Sean McVay's first year at the helm in Los Angeles, but Seattle has won the last two regular-season meetings at home, with the Rams winning at Lumen Field in last year's Wild Card playoff game.
The Seahawks reign as defending NFC West champions, but the Rams bring a stout defense led by All-Pros in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, combined with an innovative offense that's now captained by Matthew Stafford. Stafford's Rams stint is off to a solid start — he's thrown for more than 1,200 yards and has 11 touchdowns while completing 68% of his attempts through four games, and appears to be developing good chemistry with number-one wideout Cooper Kupp (30 rec., 431 yds., 5 TD).
Meanwhile, the Seahawks come into tonight's game with a 33-8-1 record in prime time games during the Pete Carroll era, including a 9-1 mark in Thursday Night games since Russell Wilson was drafted in 2012.
On Wednesday, former Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck spoke about the improvements he saw from the Seahawks in Week 4 against the 49ers, and talked about what it is that makes McVay and the Rams' offense so hard to stop during "The Matt Hasselbeck Show" on 710 ESPN.
"I thought it was a great outing by Seattle," Hasselbeck said. "You can't apologize for the other team going to their backup quarterback. I thought the third down package, which obviously has been an emphasis for the defense, was way better." The Seahawks allowed the Vikings to convert on third down on nine of 14 attempts in Week 3 — the 49ers converted just two of their 14 attempts on Sunday.
"That's what's so encouraging," Hasselback said, "when you have a weakness in the NFL, you focus on it, and you make it — it was a weakness, now it's a strength. It's impressive."
When asked what makes Sean McVay and the Rams' offense so difficult to stop, Hasselbeck pointed to a big coaching staff move made by the Seahawks this offseason as proof of the league's efforts to catch up.
"You see all these Sean McVay disciples getting hired all around the country. Shoot, Shane Waldron, the Seahawks signed him because it's just a sign of respect for how hard it is to go up against this Sean McVay offense," Hasselbeck said. "They've got unsung heroes. Cooper Kupp, as an example, Matthew Stafford has a great chemistry and rapport with him already. But they've got weapons all over that offense."
Social Post Of The Day
As we get set to honor Steve Hutchinson's induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight, learn more about his journey and playing career in Seattle:
More From Around The Web
At Seahawks.com, reporter John Boyle writes about five key matchups that could make the difference in tonight’s game against the Rams.
Also at Seahawks.com, Boyle on the release of the “Something Special: The Steve Hutchinson Story” documentary, as Hutchinson is set to be honored at halftime tonight.
710 ESPN's Jake Heaps writes about how DK Metcalf is able to generate so many mismatches in the Seahawks offense.
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times with Pete Carroll’s comments about pursuing Stephon Gilmore before the cornerback was traded to the Carolina Panthers Wednesday.
