3 Questions For Los Angeles Rams Heading Into Week 15 Against Seattle Seahawks

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looses the ball as he is sacked by Los Angeles Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) during the first half of a NFL game against the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams hope to earn their fourth win in a row against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.

In what has turned out to be an interesting week following the firing of Jeff Fisher, the Los Angeles Rams prepare for Thursday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks as John Fassel faces quite the challenge during his first game as interim head coach.

Originally, the Rams shocked the NFL world a few weeks ago when making the announcement that Fisher was receiving an extension, but the team quickly changed their mind following last weekend’s 42-14 loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons. After taking a step in the right direction in 2015 with one of the league’s top defenses, this was supposed to be the year Los Angeles reached a new level with an improved offense.

Instead, the Rams rank at the bottom of the league by averaging 14.9 points per game, and it’s not going to get any easier against the Seahawks as Pete Carroll‘s squad is coming off an embarrassing 38-10 loss of their own on the road against the Green Bay Packers. Not to mention Seattle always has an extra advantage playing at home as their fans tend to create one of the most hostile environments in the NFL.

So what exactly do Rams fans have to look forward to on Thursday? Well, here’s a look at three questions for Los Angeles heading into their matchup against Seattle in Week 15.

Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins during a NFL football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Will Rams’ Offense Continue to Struggle?

How bad has this season been for the offense of the Rams? Well, when a team ranks below the winless Cleveland Browns for points per game, it’s safe to say things are going pretty bad for an offense.

Somehow, the offense found a way to take a step back for Los Angeles in 2016 after ranking near the bottom of the league last year, which didn’t even seem to be possible. It was one thing to understand the struggles of having Case Keenum being the team’s starter earlier in the season, but finding the end zone continues to be a struggle for the Rams each week.

Not even having last year’s Rookie of the Year in Todd Gurley has helped boost the offense as the running back enters Week 15 still in search of his first 100-yard game of the season. For a running back that many believed was capable of competing for the rushing title at the start of the season, it’s beyond frustrating to see Gurley’s lack of production on offense, even if it’s not entirely his fault.

If Los Angeles only managed to score nine points from three field goals against Seattle back in Week 2, just imagine how much they could struggle on a short week while playing on the road this time around.

Dec 11, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) reacts after throwing an incomplete pass in the fourth quarter during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Packers beat the Seahawks 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Can the Defense Shutdown Russell Wilson?

If there was anything to take away from the Seahawks’ loss on the road to the Packers in Week 14, it would be Russell Wilson is human after the quarterback displayed arguably the worst performance of his career at Lambeau Field. It’s one thing to have a bad game every once in a while, but to see Wilson throw five interceptions against Green Bay, even if some of them weren’t entirely his fault, was unimaginable.

Over the last two months, Seattle’s offense seemed to finally be coming together following a slow start to the season as this unit seemed capable of finishing as one of the top teams in the NFC. While that may still be true, the Seahawks will need plenty of help over the next couple of weeks to get back into the No. 2 seed in the NFC as it could come down to how well Wilson plays at quarterback.

Wilson has proven throughout his career just how dangerous he can be when the Seahawks’ offense is rolling, and despite what happened last week against the Packers, it’s tough to imagine the same happening again on Thursday. Even if the Rams had their way against Wilson at the beginning of the year, he’s a much healthier quarterback now, and looking to make a statement following last weekend’s disaster of a performance.

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson (22) attempts to tackle Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) during a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Rams Make It Four in a Row?

Despite how bad Los Angeles has been struggling over the last two months, it’s tough to ignore how well this team tends to play against Seattle. In fact, it’s amazing to think about how the Rams have won four of the last five meetings in this rivalry, but is there even a chance for this team to pull off four wins in a row?

Unfortunately, there just seems to be too many key factors going against Los Angeles, whether it involves Fisher’s firing earlier in the week to the way the offense has played as of late. As much as the Rams would love to make a statement against the Seahawks with a strong performance after this crazy week, it just doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen.

The circumstances are much different this time around as Seattle could clinch the NFC West with a win in Week 15, but it doesn’t stop there as they hope to receive some help from the Detroit Lions to put up a late fight for the No. 2 spot in the NFC playoff picture. When taking all of the factors into consideration, all signs point to the impressive streak by the Rams coming to an end as this game could easily turn ugly real fast.