The St. Louis defense has allowed five touchdown catches by tight ends this season, and two of them came by the Seahawks' John Carlson in the season opener.

LB James Laurinaitis bit on a play-action fake in the second quarter, allowing Carlson to get behind him for a 1-yard TD for the game's first score. In the third quarter, Carlson turned the lights out on any Rams comeback hopes with back-to-back catches of 38 yards and 33 yards.

The second of those grabs went for a TD and a 21-0 Seattle lead. On the 38-yarder, rams safety James Butler turned out as Carson turned in, resulting in a huge gain. On the next play, strongside linebacker David Vobora let Carlson go in zone coverage, but there was no safety help because Butler had jumped a crossing route by a wideout.

The Rams need to keep a better eye on Carlson this time around.



When the Rams run the ball

"Oh, he's going to play — big deal," Seahawks coach Jim Mora replied Wednesday when informed that Jackson did not practice that day. "That's not unusual for a running back that is carrying the ball as much as he is to miss a day of practice here and again." But Jackson didn't practice all week because of back spasms, leading to some anxiety at Rams Park about his availability for Seattle. Obviously, the Rams' chances of winning decrease dramatically if he's limited, or unable to play. Backups Kenneth Darby and Samkon Gado have combined for only 83 yards on 23 carries all season. Jackson has 22 career games of 100 rushing yards or more, including six this season. But he has yet to break into triple figures against Seattle.

EDGE — Even



When the Rams pass the ball

The Rams' line depth will be test again, with RT Jason Smith (concussion) and RG Richie Incognito (foot) expected to miss Sunday's game with injuries. That means Adam Goldberg starts at right tackle — no big deal since he has played there plenty this season. But at right guard, Mark Setterstrom makes his first NFL start since Game 3 of 2007. Over the latter half of this decade, Seattle has had one of the league's best pass rushes. But they're middle of the pack this season, with no player having more than four sacks. Nonetheless, look for the Seahawks to try to test the pass protection of a Rams offense that will be starting a new QB (Kyle Boller) as well as no Jackson and no true fullback.

EDGE — Seahawks



When the Seahawks run the ball

Something's got to give here. The Rams provided only token resistance to the running attacks of New Orleans and Arizona, yielding 386 yards and 6.5 yards a carry. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are coming off a game in which they set a franchise record for rushing futility with only four yards on 13 carries. It was the second time in the past five weeks Seattle has set a team mark for fewest yards rushing. "We're saying, 'Well, maybe we'll have a chance to run it,' " Mora said. "And they are saying, 'Well, maybe we struggled against the run, but look at this team coming in. We'll kick their (butt).' " Julius Jones, who had a 62-yard TD run in the first meeting, is questionable with a chest and lung injury.

EDGE — Seahawks


When the Seahawks pass the ball

Veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck has won his last seven outings against the Rams, and has a 91.6 passer rating in those games. When the teams met Sept. 13 in the season opener, Hasselbeck overcame two first-quarter interceptions to finish with 279 yards passing and three TDs. "I've got a lot of respect for Matt Hasselbeck because he's been doing it for so long," coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "We know he's a smart quarterback. He can get the team in and out of bad plays and put them in good ones." And he's throwing to a decent tandem at wide receivers. Starters T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Nate Burleson each have more than 50 catches for more than 600 yards, Burleson being more of the deep threat.

EDGE — Seahawks