Week 5 of the NFL starts tonight with a terrific matchup as the Los Angeles Rams head to Seattle to take on the division opponent Seahawks. As both teams stand at 3-1, this should be one of the best matchups of week 5. As the fantasy football fans love Thursday Night, Rams star RB Todd Gurley has expressed his feeling otherwise, calling it the : “Dumbest Thing Ever”.
Regardless of Gurley’s (and my) opinion, the game will be played tonight. What should be a high scoring duel could lead one of these teams to the top of the NFC West at the end of week 5. Vegas has the Seahawks as 1.5 Home favorites, and it’s such a toss up to feel comfortable placing money on the game.
QB Matchup Jared Goff vs. Russell Wilson
Can you name a conference with better QBs across the board? The NFC West is loaded with QB talent, and this game should be a reminder of that. Jared Goff has had some struggles early on, throwing for 6 TDs and 6 INTs in his first four, but expect Goff to get back of track tonight. Wilson has been phenomenal so far, tossing 8 TDs with 0 INTs. His 69.8 QBR is the 5th best in the NFL so far. Both QBs are in great systems who establish the run early and then find success passing vertically via play action.
RB Matchup Todd Gurley/Malcolm Brown vs. Chris Carson/Rashaad Penny
As stated before, Todd Gurley really dislikes Thursday Night Football, and he’s not to blame. Countless players suffer really tough injuries on Thursday Night, and it’s almost time for the NFL to take a closer look at this, for the health of the players. The Rams are trying to ease Todd Gurley into the offense, not giving him more than 16 carries in their first 4 games. His backup Malcolm Brown has done a fantastic job as Gurley’s counterpart, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. This will be a battle of the backfields as Seattle was the most run heavy offense in 2018, and 2019 has been more of the same. Carson had carried the ball over 15 times every game so far, and although he has struggled with fumble problems, Pete Carroll still has tons of confidence in him. Second year backup Rashaad Penny has showed signs of growth and maturity in these first four games as well.
WR Matchup Robert Woods/Brandin Cooks/ Cooper Kupp vs. Tyler Lockett/ D.K. Metcalf/Jaron Brown
The Rams has one of the best receiver corps in the whole NFL, and the three headed attack can hurt you in so many different ways. Brandin Cooks is known as a deep ball specialist, with Robert Woods as the star route runner and Cooper Kupp as Goff’s safety blanket in the slot. The Seahawks receivers won’t get the credit that the Rams WR’s will, but they quietly have nice depth at the position. Tyler Lockett has improved so much over the last two seasons, and rookie D.K. Metcalf is already proving doubters wrong. Even without a complex route tree, Metcalf presence as a physical specimen on the outside is deadly with Wilson behind center.
TE Matchup Gerald Everett/Tyler Higbee vs. Will Dissly
An underrated matchup two pretty much unknowns units. None of these guys are the headliners at the position, but both the committee of Everett/Higbee and Dissly get the job done. Dissly quietly already has four receiving TDs this year, as the Hawks felt comfortable enough to ship off their other TE to Pittsburgh. The Rams TE group is really an afterthought due to their skill at the WR position, but Everett and Higbee are always dangerous in the red zone and on 3rd down.
Defense Matchup
The Rams defensive unit had a rough week vs. Tampa Bay, giving up over 50 points in the loss. They have continued to create turnovers, counting for at least an INT every game so far. Before last week’s meltdown against Jameis Winston, the Rams were on paper one of the best units in the league. The Seahawks have been middle of the pack so far on defense. They had a great performance last week against Kyler Murray, surrendering only 10 points. Every close game comes down to who can get clutch stops, and this TNF should be nothing different. Whichever team can successfully get the opposing offense off the field on 3rd down will have the major advantage, especially because of how both offenses like to possess the ball and methodically move it down the field.
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