Rams at Seahawks
GAME: St. Louis Rams (4-4) at Seattle Seahawks (6-2).
TIME: Sunday, 4:15 p.m. EST.
The Seattle Seahawks' road win over the St. Louis Rams in the teams' first meeting of the season sparked the Seahawks to a four-game winning streak, and a two-game lead in the NFC West.
Now Seattle has a chance to put a stranglehold on the division when it hosts St. Louis in a matchup of the two top-ranked offenses in the NFL.
The Seahawks dealt the Rams a rare home loss Oct. 9, as Joe Jurevicius caught a career-best nine passes for 137 yards and a touchdown, and the Seahawks totaled 433 yards of offense. St. Louis had been 40-9 at home since 1999, best in the NFL.
Now the Seahawks will be playing at home, where they are 17-3 in the past 20 regular-season games under coach Mike Holmgren, with a chance to go up three games on the Rams in the division.
"We're excited," running back Shaun Alexander said. "Our first and No. 1 goal is to win the division and get the best record in the NFC."
The Seahawks should have a good chance to reach that goal if Alexander continues to run the ball the way he has this season. The NFL's leading rusher with 949 yards, Alexander had another dominant performance last week in Seattle's 33-19 victory over Arizona.
Alexander gained 173 yards on 23 carries, including touchdown runs of 88 and 14 yards as the Seahawks improved to 3-0 against division foes. They are seeking the third 7-2 start in franchise history and first since 1999.
"The run he popped in the second half (the 88-yard TD) obviously was a big, big, important play in this game," Holmgren said. "He's having his best season as far as I'm concerned."
Matt Hasselbeck had an efficient performance at quarterback for Seattle, going 13-for-20 for 158 yards. He passed for a touchdown, ran for another and was not intercepted.
Seattle is averaging 31.3 points per game during its winning streak, and the Seahawks could put up another big number against a St. Louis defense that's ranked 30th in the league.
Despite their defensive struggles, the Rams can keep the division race from getting away from them with a win Sunday. St. Louis had a bye last week, but continued its strong play at home Oct. 30 by defeating Jacksonville 24-21.
Steven Jackson rushed for 179 yards on 25 carries and scored the winning touchdown, and Mike Furrey's 37-yard interception return led to the go-ahead score as the Rams went into their week off with a victory.
"Outstanding," said interim coach Joe Vitt, who has two wins in three games since Mike Martz stepped down for the season due to a heart illness. "Mike just keeps making plays."
The bye should prove to be very helpful for St. Louis, which will see starting quarterback
Marc Bulger (shoulder) and wide receiver
Torry Holt (knee) return Sunday. Wideout Isaac Bruce (out five games with a toe injury) will be a game-time decision.
Defensive end
Leonard Little, the team's best pass rusher, will also return after missing two games following the shooting death of a younger brother.
The Rams are seeking their third consecutive win against the Seahawks in Seattle, including the playoffs.
STANDINGS: Rams - 2nd place, NFC West. Seahawks - 1st place, NFC West.
RAMS LEADERS: Offense - Bulger, 1,769 passing yards and 11 passing TDs; Jackson, 659 rushing yards and 6 rushing TDs; Holt, 44 receptions and 638 receiving yards; Holt and Kevin Curtis, 4 receiving TDs. Defense - Little, 4 sacks; Furrey, 2 INTs.
SEAHAWKS LEADERS: Offense - Hasselbeck, 1,877 passing yards and 10 passing TDs; Alexander, 949 rushing yards and 14 rushing TDs; Bobby Engram, 30 receptions; Darrell Jackson, 376 receiving yards; Jurevicius, 5 receiving TDs. Defense - Bryce Fisher, 7 sacks; Jordan Babineaux, 3 INTs.
RAMS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 103.9 yards per game (19th in NFL); Passing Offense - 265.8 ypg (3rd); Total Offense - 369.7 ypg (2nd). Rushing Defense - 127.1 ypg (25th); Passing Defense - 240.6 ypg (26th); Total Defense - 367.7 ypg (30th).
SEAHAWKS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 159.5 ypg (3rd); Passing Offense - 227.8 ypg (12th); Total Offense - 387.3 ypg (1st). Rushing Defense - 105.5 ypg (12th); Passing Defense - 203.1 ypg (16th); Total Defense - 308.6 ypg (14th).
LAST MEETING: Oct. 9; Seahawks, 37-31. At St. Louis, Alexander rushed for 119 yards and two TDs for Seattle.
STREAKS AND NOTES: Rams - The offense is averaging 5.9 yards per play, second in the NFL. ... Jackson is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has 190 fourth-quarter rushing yards. He's tied for fourth in the league with five runs of 20-plus yards. ... Bulger is 4-1 in his past five starts against the Seahawks, including playoffs, posting a 90-plus passer rating in four of the five games. Seahawks - Seattle's offense ranks first in the NFL in yards per play (6.1) and yards per rush (5.3). ... Alexander needs one TD to become the first player in NFL history with 15 in five consecutive seasons. ... Hasselbeck has thrown five of his 10 TD passes in the final 2 minutes of a half or game.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Rams - 1-3 on the road; Seahawks - 4-0 at home.
INJURIES: Rams - QUESTIONABLE: WR Bruce (toe); G Tom Nutten (neck). PROBABLE: WR Holt (knee). Seahawks - OUT: WR Jackson (knee); LB Jamie Sharper (knee). QUESTIONABLE: S Michael Boulware (hamstring); T Wayne Hunter (hamstring); LB D.D. Lewis (knee); DT Marcus Tubbs (calf).
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