Week 15 of the NFL campaign gets underway as ever on Thursday night and it does so with a divisional rivalry with a bit of a difference. It is the NFC West which we focus on in the Thursday Night Football this week as the Seattle Seahawks host the LA Rams at CenturyLink Field.
Both sides head into this match off the back of pretty brutal beatings on Sunday. The one for the Rams cost head coach Jeff Fisher his job. Pete Carroll’s position is much safer but he won’t want his side to be on the wrong end of another outcome like that anytime soon.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks went to Green Bay looking like the side we are used to seeing in December but they were found out defensively in a big way while on offense they turned the ball over six times in a performance to forget. Russell Wilson will need to prove a solid option again here and given the amount of turnovers we can expect plenty of running the ball here.
Of more concern was the way the Seahawks defended at Lambeau Field. They had been defending how we came to expect them to do but the absence of Earl Thomas proved to be bigger than anyone had thought going into the match and they need to prove they can muscle up and be strong in his absence.
LA Rams
The Rams were given a good going over themselves last week. Despite their defence supposedly being their strength they shipped 42pts to Atlanta in a thoroughly one sided beating. That unit will need to show their worth here but they have already restricted this Seahawks offense once this season which will act as something of a comfort.
A bigger issue which might take longer to resolve is their offense and in particular their quarterback situation with Jared Goff having big struggles last week. The signs are the Rams are sticking with their first overall draft pick but the fact it took so long for him to be trusted with the start suggests there are doubts with him. Special teams coordinator John Fassel gets the head coach role this week.
Betting
If the betting is to be concerned this will be an emphatic Seahawks win. They are giving up 16pts on the handicap which is a huge amount to be giving up but I have my concerns. Admittedly LA Rams were awful last week but the Seahawks were no better so that is a lot to give up even allowing for the Rams’ offensive issues.
Seattle have been crossing time zones a lot in recent times and that can take its toll on a side especially on a short week like this one so I’m not sure I want Seattle to be needing to cover such a huge number when just winning is the order of the day.
With that in mind I’m going to side with the unders on the total points. I don’t expect Los Angeles to score many and the short week might take its toll on the Seahawks’ offense. If the Rams have anything about them I expect them to toughen up on defence this week which can all point to the final score containing less than 40pts.
Tips
WON – Back Under 40pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Skybet
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