Seahawks Injury Update: Rees Odhiambo

Seahawks left tackle Rees Odhiambo appears to be preparing to start this week against the LA Rams despite bruising his sternum last week.

Seahawks left tackle Rees Odhiambo finished the game at left tackle in last week’s 46-18 beatdown of the Colts despite getting his sternum bruised by Jabaal Sheard. He was later hospitalized after the game because of difficulty breathing.

I had been under the assumption all week that Odhiambo would miss Week 5’s NFC West showdown against the Rams. Odhiambo apparently will protect Russell Wilson‘s blindside against a talented Rams’ front four headed by Seahawk-killer Aaron Donald on Sunday despite missing practice on Thursday.

This is excellent news for the Seahawks, whose offensive line improved as a whole against Indianapolis and finally appeared to be coalescing in pass protection.

Offensive line coach Tom Cable told reporters this week that Odhiambo appears ready to take on the Rams. If for some reason he can’t play, Matt Tobin is likely to step in. Tobin has been practicing at tackle for the Seahawks since being acquired in a trade with the Eagles.

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No matter who starts at left tackle, the Hawks offensive line will have its hands full. Seattle is an underdog on the road against what has become their fiercest division rival this season. While their offensive line performance was encouraging against an underrated Colts defensive line last week, keeping Donald and company out of the backfield is another matter entirely.

This could quickly turn into a defensive struggle. Rams quarterback Jared Goff has nearly eclipsed his yardage mark from last season in only four games, and leads the league in yards-per-attempt at 9.2. But he has yet to face a defense like Seattle’s which scored twice against the Colts and held Indianapolis to only 38 total yards in the second half of that game.

Next: Seahawks Matchup Spotlight: Rams' Defensive Line

The Seahawks will likely have to get penetration against Goff without defensive end Cliff Avril to counteract the pressure the Rams will likely achieve against Wilson.