Seahawks: What Week 4’s Costly Win Tells Us About Week 5
By Ben Renner
The Seahawks finally won in emphatic fashion at home last Sunday night against the Colts. But they lost a few key players. What can we expect in Week 5 against Los Angeles?
Wherever the LA Rams play, it’s been a house of horrors for the Seahawks in recent years. The Seahawks lost in Los Angeles last season 9-3 and are 2-4 playing in St. Louis and LA the past six seasons under Pete Carroll.
Traveling down the I-5 corridor this season minus starting running back Chris Carson, who was placed on Injured Reserve after breaking his ankle against Indianapolis last week, the Seahawks have questions to answer.
The first is which team will show up on the road? Jekyll Seahawks have two wins at home, one over a divisional foe (a close win over a rebuilding 49ers team, but still a divisional win), and one a 46-18 stomping on national television. Hyde Seahawks allowed 33 points to Tennessee and wasted an excellent defensive effort against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in two losses.
Carson is out, opening the door for Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls to take between-the-tackles carries. Rawls and Lacy haven’t shown much and they were the ones who originally ceded their playing time to a seventh-round rookie in the first place. It’s unclear if passing down back C.J. Prosise will play this week, but according to Carroll, he’ll have a chance to suit up.
But three other players seem unlikely to play in Week 5 at this point: Cliff Avril is progressing slowly after injuring his neck against the Colts, Rees Odhiambo was diagnosed with a bruised sternum after being taken to the hospital following the home win last week, and Jeremy Lane pulled a groin muscle against the Colts.
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Of those three, Odhiambo’s injury is the most concerning. While there were lapses and periods of ineffective run blocking against the Colts, the offensive line held it together for much of the game. Russell Wilson had time to throw and the offense generated several explosive plays in the second half.
Odhiambo, of course, is the second-string left tackle. Starting LT George Fant tore his ACL before Week 1. So the starting job will now fall to Matt Tobin, Ethan Pocic, or Isaiah Battle in what will be an open competition in practice this week.
Whoever steps into Odhiambo’s place will be tested early and often by a fearsome Rams defensive front that has owned the Seahawks beleaguered offensive line at home in recent years.
Next: We've Seen This Team Before
We learned after Week 4 that the Seahawks are capable of pouring it on the opposition when it suits them. We’ll know much more about this team after a divisional showdown with a team that has become their fiercest rival so far in 2017.