Now that the Rams' 2023 schedule is officially out, it's time to resume our offseason opponent breakdowns on theRams.com.
The series kicks off with Los Angeles' Week 1 road opponent and Week 11 home opponent, the Seattle Seahawks (Sept. 10, 1:25 p.m. PT on FOX).
2022
Despite an uneven start to the 2022 season, the Seahawks appeared to find their stride in Week 6, the beginning of a four-game win streak to move to 6-3 on the season. The inconsistency returned in Week 10 though, as Seattle won just one of its next six games.
Entering Week 17 with a 7-8 record, the Seahawks needed a combination of wins themselves and help from other teams to make the playoffs, as they were on the outside looking in for a wild card spot. They got some assistance with the Browns beating the Commanders, but because the Packers and Lions also won, the Seahawks ended up in a three-way tie for the last wild card spot, but had the tiebreaker. In Week 18, their wild overtime win over the Rams, plus the Packers' loss to the Lions, put them into the postseason.
However, their playoff stay was short-lived, falling to the 49ers 41-23 in the Wild Card round.
One of Seattle's biggest storylines was quarterback Geno Smith's Comeback Player of the Year-winning performance after throwing for career-highs in passing yards (4,282) and touchdowns (30) while leading the NFL in completion percentage (69.8).
Key Changes
Associate head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai departed to become the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coordinator, replacing Jonathan Gannon after Gannon was hired as the Arizona Cardinals' next head coach.
Meanwhile, quarterbacks coach Dave Canales left to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive coordinator. He was replaced by former Rams senior offensive assistant Greg Olson.
From a roster standpoint, two of the biggest for Seattle were re-signing linebacker Bobby Wagner to a one-year deal after Wagner spent last season with the Rams, and also signing Smith to a 3-year extension.
Head coach
Pete Carroll enters his 14th season as head coach of the Seahawks, compiling a 128-81 regular season record and 10-9 playoff record. Seattle has qualified for the postseason in all but two seasons (2017, 2021) of Carroll's tenure.
He is currently the fourth longest-tenured active NFL head coach, behind the Patriots' Bill Belichick (entering 24th season), the Steelers' Mike Tomlin (17th), and the Ravens' John Harbaugh (16th).
What to watch for
Playmakers in the Seahawks' secondary
Seattle's defensive backs will pose a strong early test for Los Angeles' offense, especially its passing attack.
They lost star safety Jamal Adams to a season-ending torn quad tendon in their 2022 opener against the Broncos, but saw fifth-round rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen emerge with a performance that garnered votes for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Then, in the draft this spring, they selected Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall.
Additionally, safety Quandre Diggs authored his third-straight Pro Bowl season after recording at least four interceptions for the third-straight year.
The combination of talent, development and health makes that group, on paper, one of the most formidable they will face this season.
