By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Seahawks will need run game to get past Rams

After activating running back George Holani and tight end Elijah Arroyo from the injured reserve list to the 53-man roster, Zach Charbonnet and Bryce Cable were placed on the injured reserve list to create roster space. The   Seahawks loaded up the running back room with two more roster moves. On Saturday, running backs Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr. were elevated to the game-day roster for Sunday’s NFC Championship game with the Los Angeles Rams.

ABILITY  TO RUN THE GAME IS THE KEY

The roster moves show the Seahawks’ need for a backup running back behind Ken Walker. The Seahawks’ run game has hit full stride, averaging 172  yards in its last three games. The optimism and confidence in the run game took a hit when Walker’s running mate, Zach Charbonnet, suffered a season-ending knee injury in last week’s win over the Niners. While Walker has shown he can carry the whole load,  he will need some respite during the game.

 Walker had 16 carries, 116 rushing yards, and three touchdowns in the Seahawks’ win over the Niners. Holani showed his value early in the season, playing in the first 11 games before suffering a hamstring injury that shelved him for the remainder of the season. Holani is now healthy, and the Seahawks are hoping he will play a significant backup role. Akers and Jones Jr. have yet carry the ball for the Seahawks this season but have NFL experience.

CHARLES CROSS RETURN

 Left tackle Charles Cross returned to practice Friday and was a welcome sight for the team after missing the first two practices of the week. The return of Cross, who suffered a leg injury late in the Niners’ win, will boost both the running and passing games. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for the first time on Friday and confirmed he is ready to roll.  The Seahawks will need to run the ball early and often and try to minimize the number of Rams’ offensive possessions.

GET TO  STAFFORD

 The No. 1-ranked Rams offense is led by MV P Candidate Matthew Stafford, who has thrown for 46 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and 23 sacks. None of the 23 sacks were from the Seahawks’ defense.  The Seahawks defense has not sacked Stafford in the two regular-season meetings.  The key to getting to Stafford is putting the Rams offense in third-and-long situations.

“If you watch the games, he gets the ball out extremely fast. What they do a good job at is putting them in third and manageable downs. I think they have the shortest third-down distance in the league, which allows for quick passes. You don’t have to sit back and drop back and read coverages when you only need three to five yards for a first down,  said Leoanrd Williams.

” A lot of times, he just catches the ball and knows exactly where to put it; sometimes, he’s not even looking. He’s a great quarterback. I think that’s why I said I think we’re going to have to do a good job on first and second down, stopping the run, getting them in a little bit more backed up third downs.”

EFFICIENT OFFENSE

The defense will come to play and expect Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy, and the rest of the defense to show up. What the Seahawks need is an efficient effort from Darnold. Take the sacks when required and keep the ball from harm’s way.  The game serves as another opportunity for Darnold to raise doubts about his ability to deliver in the big game.  The elevation of Arroyo will give Darnold another set of hands to throw the ball to.  His three top receivers, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, AJ Barner, and Cooper Kupp, have played consistently in the run and pass game. The same will be needed on Sunday.

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