St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks: Complete Week 17 Preview for St. Louis

The St. Louis Rams (6-9) will take on the Seattle Seahawks (11-4) on the road for the 2014 season finale. This article will preview the matchup. 

The Rams are in the midst of a two-game losing steak. After suffering from sloppy and incompetent play over the last two weeks, there's little doubt that the Rams will be looking to end that trend and go out with a bang. Head coach Jeff Fisher will add every trick play he has to the deck, and the players will enter the game extra chippy. 

Meanwhile, the Seahawks will be fighting for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, so they certainly have a lot to lose from this game. The Rams will embrace the opportunity to play spoiler, so Seattle will be on high alert. 

Read on for a complete preview of the game, including the injury report, key matchup analysis, the latest headlines, predictions and more.

Week 16 Recap

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The Rams entered their Week 16 game against the New York Giants with incredible momentum—St. Louis had not allowed a touchdown in its previous three games—but it failed to show up against a very beatable opponent and was humiliated in the end. 

Two first-quarter turnovers—a Benny Cunningham fumble on a kickoff return and a Shaun Hill interception—gave the Giants 10 easy points to start the game, and St. Louis was forced to play catch-up from that point on. 

The first half was very heated. A mule-kick by Giants kicker Josh Brown drew an early flag, as did some late hits by the Rams defense. When Alec Ogletree pushed Odell Beckham Jr. out of bounds, and Beckham clutched onto Ogletree's facemask as he fell, Ogletree retaliated with a shove (countered with Beckham throwing the football at him) and the New York sideline erupted into a brawl. 

Two Giants players were ejected, as well as William Hayes of the Rams. 

The fight stalled New York's drive and gave the Rams the football with about two minutes remaining in the half, and they turned the drive into a field goal. St. Louis entered halftime trailing 20-13. 

The Rams added a Lance Kendricks touchdown in the third quarter, but the St. Louis defense allowed two more passing touchdowns in the second half, along with a field goal.

Hill hit receiver Chris Givens for a 47-yard touchdown with just over three minutes left in the final quarter, making it a 37-27 game, but it was too late for a comeback at that point.

The St. Louis offense mustered up a 27-point performance, which is a very admirable showing for that group, but the Rams defense failed to show up.

Had the defense put up a half-respectable effort, St. Louis would have exited with a convincing victory. Instead, the group contributed to one of the biggest choke jobs of the season.

News and Notes

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Jeff Fisher Throws Blame at Giants for Brawl 

No one knows how Jeff Fisher addressed his team behind closed doors following last Sunday's sideline brawl against the Giants. But according to the New York Post, Fisher is not publicly taking any blame. 

In fact, Fisher is throwing the blame at the Giants. 

“I think it would be good if they looked themselves in the mirror,’’ said Fisher. 

Although the Fox commentators mostly singled out St. Louis linebacker Ogletree for the out-of-bounds hit on Beckham, it's clear from watching the replay that Beckham had quite the grasp on Ogletree's facemask, so letting up was hardly an option. 

You can check out the screenshots and judge for yourself. 

In the end, the Giants had 12 penalties and two ejections compared to St. Louis' nine penalties and one ejection, so it's certainly debatable as to which team played a dirtier game. 

Seattle Hoping for Homefield Advantage

According to NBC Sports, the Seahawks have home-field advantage within reach, and that should make this an exciting matchup. 

If the Seahawks win this Sunday, they're basically guaranteed to be at home throughout the playoffs (unless the Dallas Cowboys win combined with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers game ending in a tie). 

The Rams have little to play for at this point. A Week 17 win will give St. Louis a mere seven wins—matching the win total of Fisher's first two seasons with the Rams—which is a colossal disappointment considering the team had so much promise prior to Sam Bradford's injury. 

However, the opportunity to play spoiler is something to look forward to. If Seattle gains home-field advantage, it will make it that much easier for the team to defend its Super Bowl title. 

If the Rams escape Sunday with a win, it will end the season with a bang and allow St. Louis to enter the offseason with lots of positive momentum. 

Bobby Wagner Was a Top Target for the Rams in the 2012 Draft

Bobby Wagner will undoubtedly make some game-changing plays this Sunday, but he could have easily been making those plays in a Rams uniform. 

Wagner revealed to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com that it was almost inevitable that the Rams were going to select him in the second round. 

"I remember everything was great," Wagner said. "I talked to them before I knew they were very interested and I felt like if I wasn't going to be in Seattle or whoever had the pick before that I was going to end there. I didn't know what was going to happen, but I could definitely tell through the conversations that we were having and just the vibe that they really wanted me to be there.

"I actually got a text right before I got drafted by the Seahawks from the (Rams) linebackers coach, but I'm happy where I'm at.”

The Rams traded down to No. 50 overall in the second round in order to recoup a fifth-round selection. Wagner did not last, as Seattle nabbed him with the No. 45 pick.

As if missing out on Wagner is not devastating enough, St. Louis used the No. 50 pick and the recouped fifth-round selection to draft running back Isaiah Pead and offensive lineman Rok Watkins. 

Pead has 75 career rushing yards with the Rams, and Watkins was cut before the start of his second season.

Injury Report

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The following injury report is from NFL.com. Check back closer to kickoff for a more up-to-date list. 

Injury Report

CB E.J. Gaines (N/A): Did Not Participate

C Scott Wells (N/A): Did Not Participate

CB Janoris Jenkins (N/A): Limited Participation

Key Matchups and X-Factors

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CenturyLink Field is Biggest Obstacle for the Rams

In 2010, the Rams were one game away from making the playoffs. All they had to do was pull off a victory over the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field, and they'd be NFC West champs for the first time since 2003. 

As you can probably guess, the Rams played one of their worst games of the year and lost 16-6. 

It wasn't just a one-time thing, either. In fact, St. Louis has not won on the road in Seattle since 2004. The thunderous crowd noise of the Seattle venue has haunted the Rams for a decade, and it won't be any easier this time around. 

The best thing the Rams can do this Sunday? Forget about the embarrassing drought. The team needs to ignore the monumental historic disadvantage and treat this like it's any other game. 

If the Rams allow the venue to get in their heads, there's little hope for a victory this Sunday. 

The Defense Deserves a Admirable Finale

The Rams went three consecutive weeks without allowing a touchdown, including back-to-back shutouts against the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins, but the unit choked against New York by allowing four touchdowns. 

The defense is too talented to be defined by that miserable showing against the Giants. The group deserves to go out with a bang, and it'll have an opportunity to do just that against Russell Wilson and the dangerous Seahawks. 

The fans deserve one last look at the famed "Sack City" defense before the long and unbearable offseason. 

If the defense can muster up a six-sack performance and make the Seattle offense appear mediocre, it will allow this franchise to enter the offseason with positive vibes. 

Tre Mason Needs a Bigger Role

It's unlikely that Hill and the St. Louis passing game will expose the relentless Seattle secondary, so the Rams must find a prominent role for rookie running back Tre Mason. 

Mason has carried the ball 20 or more times in just two games this season, and the Rams happened to win both those games. 

Last week, Mason averaged almost six yards per carry after 13 attempts, but the early deficit forced the Rams to play catch up by going airborne. The Rams took the ball out of the playmaker's hands and instead asked Hill to win the game with his arm, and that's never a smart idea. 

Based on the flashes we've seen this season, Mason really looks like a back capable of carrying an offense to victory, and the team needs to capitalize on that. The Rams must also use backups Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham to keep Mason fresh and keep the passing to a minimum. 

If that happens, not only will the Rams be in a better position to win the game, but it'll give us an opportunity to see if Mason is the long-term answer before we enter the offseason.

Predictions

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The Rams are playing in a venue where they've accumulated nine consecutive losses and haven't won in a decade, so forming a prediction is anything but difficult.  

If this Rams team was clearly superior to the previous nine rosters that lost in Seattle, it'd be a much harder call. Unfortunately, while the Rams certainly have more talent than they've had in the recent past, this is still a very inconsistent and unfocused football team.

After seeing the St. Louis offense dominated by the Arizona defense and held to six points, there's little doubt that the Seattle defense is capable of the same.

The Rams defense may or may not decide to show up—it's been a crapshoot every week this season—but even if it does, it won't be able to bail out the overwhelmed offense.

If the game was held in St. Louis, the Rams would have a chance. But not in Seattle.

Prediction: Seahawks 27, Rams 10 

Quick Hit Predictions

• Despite Fisher's stubborn insistence to stick with veterans, we'll see a few youngsters, such as SS Mo Alexander, C/G Barrett Jones and C Tim Barnes get playing time. 
• Kenny Britt will get the necessary 66 receiving yards to break his career high from 2010 (775). 
• 2014 Pro Bowlers Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn will combine for three sacks. 
• Rams keep it close for most of the game, but a fourth-quarter meltdown allows Seattle to grab a comfortable lead. 
• Tavon Austin records a special teams touchdown.