Seahawks put strong Thursday mark on line vs. Rams

[October 02, 2019]  NFL coaches generally hate playing in the Thursday night game, as there is little time to prepare after playing Sunday.

But it doesn't seem to bother Seattle's Pete Carroll.

Carroll is 8-1 in Thursday night contests during his Seahawks coaching tenure and will put that mark on the line this week when the Los Angeles Rams come to town.

"It's the day before the game before you know it," Carroll said. "We definitely have a routine and a real clear process to go through to help the players be ready and recover from the Sunday game to get ready to play football."

The Seahawks (3-1), who will honor late owner Paul Allen by inducting him into the team's Ring of Honor before the game, are coming off a 27-10 victory at Arizona. Chris Carson rushed for 104 yards and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, acquired just before the season in a trade with Houston, returned an interception 27 yards for a score.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson completed 22 of 28 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown.

Wilson, who has thrown for eight touchdowns with no interceptions this season, leads the league in completion percentage at 72.9 and is second in passer rating at 118.7, behind only Patrick Mahomes (120.4).

"I think he's off to his best start ever," Carroll said. "I don't think he's ever been more accurate than he's been and more consistent and in command of everything."

Carroll said he expects Rashaad Penny to return Thursday after the running back missed the past two weeks with a hamstring injury. Backup offensive lineman Ethan Pocic (back/neck injury) is seemingly the only Seahawks player in danger of missing the game.

The Rams (3-1) took a surprising 55-40 defeat at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, dropping them out of first place in the NFC West for the first time in the Sean McVay era.

"Burn the film, quite honestly," veteran Rams safety Eric Weddle told the Los Angeles Times. "Burn it and move on."

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) throws while under pressure from Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones (55) and defensive end Jonathan Bullard (90) during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Added defensive tackle Aaron Donald: "You throw your pity party and you're right back to work. You got to get over it -- it's a short week."

Rams quarterback Jared Goff completed 45 of 68 passes for a career-high 517 yards and two touchdowns. However, he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown.

"I know it's not the world we want to live in," Goff said of throwing that many passes. "It's not built for success that way. Unfortunately, we were down early and had to use that as our game plan, and I don't think that's something we want to live by."

Los Angeles running back Todd Gurley scored two touchdowns but gained 16 yards on just five carries.

"I don't call the play calls, bro," Gurley said after the game when asked about the lack of running. "I control what I control. At the end of the day, we didn't get the win, whether I had 20 carries or two carries."

And Gurley wasn't shy about his feelings about playing in the Thursday night game.

"I feel like they are the dumbest thing ever," he said.

Rams cornerback Marcus Peters, who starred in Seattle at the University of Washington, was put on the injury report Monday with a facial injury sustained against Tampa Bay, but McVay said he passed concussion tests and should be ready to go Thursday.

--Field Level Media

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