It’s almost time for the Los Angeles Rams’ biggest game of the season. They’re set to face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, a matchup that will decide the NFC West leader and potentially have a major impact on the race for the No. 1 seed in the conference.
Both teams are 7-2 coming into this game and have looked like the class of the NFL through 10 weeks, making it one of the most exciting games on the schedule. They each have talent all over the field, too, whether it’s on offense or defense.
That’s going to make for a lot of fun, impactful matchups no matter which team has the ball. Here are six of the biggest battles that will determine which team wins on Sunday.
CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. vs. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Smith-Njigba lines up outside more than he does in the slot, especially with Cooper Kupp healthy again. That means Forbes and Cobie Durant will need to deal with the league’s leading receiver, though mostly in zone coverage.
Forbes is heating up in recent weeks, recording an interception in each of his last two games. He has good speed for a player with his length, but he’ll need to match JSN’s quickness in order to mirror his routes and have a chance to make plays on the ball.
WR Puka Nacua vs. DB Nick Emmanwori
Emmanwori has been an impressive rookie for the Seahawks, doing a little bit of everything in the secondary. He’s covered the slot more than anyone else on Seattle’s defense, with Devon Witherspoon also lining up there, making this a good matchup for Nacua on the inside. Emmanwori is technically a safety but he can cover any type of receiver.
Still, Nacua’s route running will be a challenge for the first-year defender, potentially leading to some big plays for Puka, and even Davane Adams when he lines up inside.
RG Kevin Dotson vs. DT Leonard Williams
Williams leads the team with 35 total pressures, according to PFF, and his run defense grade is an impressive 75.3. He’s a complete defensive lineman who can completely wreck an offense’s game plan. He’s gotten particularly hot in recent weeks, too, recording 22 total pressures in his last four games.
Dotson is in for a battle in the trenches, whether the Rams are running the ball or throwing it.
OLB Jared Verse vs. LT Charles Cross
Cross has a team-best 82.8 pass-blocking grade this season, playing some great football at left tackle. He’s only allowed 14 total pressures in nine games, with only one of those being a sack and three quarterback hits allowed.
Verse had a quiet game against the 49ers last week but that was mostly because of how quickly Mac Jones was getting rid of the ball. If Darnold holds it the way he did with the Vikings in their playoff game against the Rams last year, Verse could be in for a dominant showing.
LB Nate Landman vs. Seahawks’ RBs
The Seahawks want to run the ball no matter the situation. They have the second-most rush attempts in the NFL but average the fourth-lowest yards per carry (3.8), so even if it’s not working, they’re still going to try establishing the run.
It helps that they’re often leading games and have gone up big in the last two weeks, but they’ve got two talented backs who can make a defense pay with their differing styles. Kenneth Walker II can break off long runs, while Zach Charbonnet’s hard running between the tackles can wear a defense down and put up points near the goal line.
Nate Landman and Omar Speights have to be ready for a war with the Seahawks’ backs because they’re going to see a heavy dose of run plays as long as Seattle doesn’t fall far behind on the scoreboard.
Rams TEs vs. LB Ernest Jones
The Rams are inevitably going to keep deploying a lot of 13 personnel packages, attempting to get the Seahawks in their base defense. From there Sean McVay could call a run or pass play, depending on the look he gets from Seattle.
With tight ends becoming a bigger part of the equation for Los Angeles, it’ll be up to Jones and the Seahawks’ other middle-of-the-field defenders to cover Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen. Emmanwori could be tasked with covering Terrance Ferguson in the slot some, too.
But Jones has never been a top-tier coverage linebacker, potentially giving the Rams some mismatches with their tight ends.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams vs. Seahawks: 6 key matchups that will decide Week 11 game
