This is a guest post by Curtis Allen

What a strange time to be a Seahawks fan.

This week, after an absolute hammering from the Buffalo Bills, the shell-shocked team once again was forced to focus on the absolute basics of the game of football. Press conferences this week were fully devoted to getting answers for their terrible performance.

Jarran Reed was the latest defender to take the stage and talk about accountability amongst the players, following a dustup with Derick Hall after getting flagged for a needless penalty that badly hurt the team.

Geno Smith talked about managing his emotions during the game more effectively after they got the better of him in a frustrating game.

Mike Macdonald discussed scaling back the playbook and focusing on the things the team does well. He used an interesting phrase in ‘sunk costs’ which denotes an acknowledgement that the team’s problems are not superficial.

What a time to be facing a suddenly hot Rams team and their schematic mastermind Sean McVay.

And on the eve of the trade deadline and the Seahawks’ bye week to boot.

Questions about the state of this roster and its coach and general manager are getting louder by the week.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.”

The water is getting pretty dang hot for the Seahawks right now. How will they respond?

As we have discussed in the past, everything I could possibly point out about how the Seahawks can succeed is overshadowed by the basics: Running the ball. Stopping the other team’s running game. Limiting turnovers. Not hurting yourself with bad penalties. Tackling well. Keeping your head about you. Playing competently without injured players. And so on.

If those things are not even at an average NFL level, attacking and defending your opponent with finer points does not matter all that much.

So – assuming they can deliver that kind of game – here are some thoughts on how the Seahawks can succeed against the Rams today:

— More Kenneth Walker please. In four games against the Rams, Walker has been asked to run the ball only 48 times. Has he been effective? Absolutely. He has gained 4.83 yards per carry in those games. The Rams defense this year is vulnerable in the run game, conceding 4.6 yards per carry and being among the league’s worst teams at making clean tackles. Only one opponent in their seven games has failed to rush for 100 yards. I’ve been harping on this issue for the last few seasons for the Seahawks when they play the Rams. If you insist on a pass/run split that leans heavily towards the pass against Los Angeles, you are playing right into their hands. Even now? With Aaron Donald gone?

— Yes, even now. The Rams are one of the NFL’s best pressure defenses, checking in with a 29.8% rate according to Pro Football Reference. They have generated 28 pressures in the last two weeks. With an offensive line still having issues eight weeks into the season, Ryan Grubb is going to have to dial up some plays to blunt this. Jet sweeps, designed quarterback roll-outs and quick slants.

— Also, this: The Rams love to blitz but in 63 blitzes so far this year, they have only generated four sacks. Their defense is primed for a couple of classic Geno Smith plays to maneuver the pocket a bit and find a receiver 15-20 yards downfield.

— Another antidote to major blitzing teams: Find your Tight End quickly. The Rams are one of the NFL’s worst teams in defending Tight Ends, with Linebacker Christian Rozeboom being a major culprit. Rozeboom is allowing a near 80% completion rate in coverage and has conceded two touchdowns already. It would appear that Noah Fant and A.J. Barner will have plenty of reps today.

— Kyren Williams is not a top-tier NFL runner and he can have hot and cold games, as evidenced by his 3.8 yards per carry average this season. However, he is in the top five for rushing first downs and has eight touchdown runs. He knows how to get yards when it matters. The Seahawks defense presents a prime chance for Williams to take a step forward and have a great game. Ernest Jones and the interior defenders like Byron Murphy and Jonathan Hankins will need to have a good day in order to make the Rams one-dimensional.

— That dimension is a really good one in Matt Stafford. He appears to get Puka Nakua and Cooper Kupp back at just the right time. Without them, the Rams had employed a very effective blend of screen passes and downfield shots to Demarcus Robinson and old friend Colby Parkinson. Expect the Rams to liberally target the Cornerback opposite Riq Woolen and Tyrell Dodson in coverage. He will also test Woolen on occasion.

— Stafford has been susceptible to throwing poor interceptions this year, from a mix of pass rush pressure and the gunslinger mentality he has wielded all of his professional life. The Seahawks must capitalize if he makes poor throws like that today. Last week, a beautiful effort by Josh Jobe was wasted by a critical Red Zone flub by the offense. It killed them last week and it will do the same if the Seahawks cannot take advantage.

— Pressuring Stafford from the interior may be a challenge

— It may need to come from Boye Mafe and Derick Hall on the edges. That said, McVay loves to attack the edges in the running game. Those two will have to ‘earn the right’ to rush Stafford by setting the edge with regularity and not allowing runners to get to the second level.