It's better the Rams won
The Seahawks need 2 shots to make the playoffs and TNF helped
The Rams at 3-4 are not scarier than they would have been at 2-5, but by beating the Vikings on Thursday, L.A. kept the door open for the Seahawks to have two opportunities to make the playoffs. That’s why I do not really care that a division rival got a win this week because a) Minnesota’s loss hurts a team in the NFC North and b) Seattle can’t expect to have other teams do their dirty work.
If the Seahawks can’t beat the Rams next week — trying to avoid a sixth loss in the last eight meetings of the series — then they were going to have a difficult time winning the division anyway.
The Rams “closed the gap” to one game, but that is a fool’s championship.
Saying that Seattle is “leading the NFC West” in Week 8 is the same as telling a runner after a race, “Congratulations, you led for 25% … of the middle of the race!” Unless you’re the first to the finish line, nobody cares.
The Seahawks can’t worry about anybody’s results other than their own, and the most important five games ahead are the ones against NFC West teams, starting with the Rams in Week 9. If this win let L.A. “back in it” then let them feel like they’re back in it. That’s just something people tell themselves in the middle of the year to make themselves feel confident that recent results are real.
What’s really important:
Every team in the NFC West should be rooting for teams in the NFC North to lose: If the Lions are as good as they appear to be, the 5-2 Vikings, 5-2 Packers, and 4-2 Bears are all Seattle’s competition for the wild card.
The Seahawks have the best chance in the NFC West to have two avenues to make the playoffs.
If the Seahawks beat the Rams, they hold an advantage anyway; if they lose to the Rams, they never had an advantage to begin with.
I’m happier that the Vikings aren’t 6-1 than I am worried about the fact that the Rams are 3-4. L.A. still has a lot of problems (none of which will make it easier for the Seahawks to beat them because they never are) and even if they’re healthier now than they’ve been all season, the most important injuries occurred on offense and most of their issues are on defense. We can give the Rams credit for shutting down the Vikings in the second half, and acknowledge that Minnesota couldn’t be stopped before left tackle Christian Darrisaw exited with a knee injury.
Not that I’m writing the Rams off — they were my offseason pick to win the division — but somebody needed to land a successful shot on the Vikings.
Which brings me back to the core point:
The Seahawks need to consider it their responsibility to beat the Rams, 49ers, and Cardinals, not everybody else’s job. Seattle wins the division when they beat the division. In the event that the Seahawks don’t win the division, Thursday’s result gives them a couple extra percentage points of a chance to still make the playoffs as a wild card.
The Ernest Jones Effect
After additions like Shane Waldron, Sean Mannion, and Austin Davis had no impact on the Seahawks improving their record against the Rams, I have a feeling trading for Ernest Jones could be the move that breaks the gold.
The Seahawks play the Bills before they play the Rams and Mike Macdonald will be able to debut Jones and why Seattle traded Jerome Baker and a fourth round pick for him. This film breakdown by Mattydubs shows how Jones’ “non-committal” nature is actually what makes him great against the run:
But I’m more curious to know what Jones can teach Macdonald about Sean McVay. The Rams were one of the few teams to give Macdonald’s Ravens defense fits last season and Jones should have as much intel on McVay as anybody because he spent three years and four training camps practicing against McVay.
In another breakdown on Jones, All-22 concurs that the linebacker shows good patience, but also that he can switch it on and off when he needs to in order to tap into his burst and closing speed. All-22 gives Jones high marks for core strength, burst, acceleration, tackling, high IQ, and being stout against the run, especially against 11 personnel teams such as the Rams.
I’m excited to see what Jones brings to this rivalry, but first we get to find out what he’ll add to a defense that has to contain Josh Allen in two days.
Forgive me for overlooking the Bills. I can guarantee you that Macdonald hasn’t.
Seaside Joe 2063
Two questions I’m wondering about after the Jones deal: (1) is it easy for a guy to step into MM’s defense and understand all the sets and switches (especially an ILB), or is there some way they just keep it simple for Jones while everyone else plays thru the usual disguises? (2) how much were JS/MM scouting at the joint practice with the Titans?
Jones sure looks good in those clips. He reminds me of a younger Bobby Wagner in that he doesn’t fly 100 mph from the snap. He checks the blocking angles and keeps his eyes in the backfield. I remember Wagner once saying in an interview that you have to be patiently violent to be a successful middle linebacker. Jones looks to fit that description.