They’ve started off the season 3-1, which is tied for the second-best record in the league. Pretty good, right?
Well, the Rams also started off 3-1 last season. They’d go on to finish 4-12 not good!
The Rams have actually looked much different this time around, though. They’re fifth in the NFL in total offense, and have the No. 1 scoring offense. Their first three wins of last season was really just the Rams getting by. They had a -13 point differential, a -442 yardage difference, and a five-point average margin of victory.
This year, those numbers are immensely better. They have a +37 point differential, a +64 yardage differential, and a 14.7 average margin of victory. Jared Goff actually looks like the player the Rams hoped he could be, and Todd Gurley looks like the old Todd Gurley.
But Thomas Rawls looked like the next star in the Seahawks backfield. Or at least until he fractured his ankle at the end of his rookie season, and then fractured his fibula in Week 2 of the next season.
C.J. Prosise briefly looked like he’d take the reins with 234 total yards on 30 touches in two starts during the 2016 season, but a fractured scapula ended that momentum.
Others like Eddie Lacy, Christine Michael, and Robert Turbin have had a chance to step up, but haven’t done much with the job.
Panic index: Losing Carson is disappointing for the Seahawks, but the biggest concern is the team’s offensive line. Asking anyone to hammer out more than a few yards per carry is a tall ask, but J.D. McKissic gave some reason to be hopeful. It’s not time to panic, but some decent luck at running back would be a welcomed change in Seattle.
That policy states that the players should stand for the anthem, and some have suggested the league would seek to change that to must stand. Goodell said in a memo to teams last week that the NFL prefers for players to stand during The Star-Spangled Banner.