Games in the second week of the preseason are mostly mean

ingless and usually a forgettable exercise for veterans.Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner hasn't forgotten what happened this past August when the Seahawks were facing the Los Angeles Chargers.It was late in the first quarter when Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers decided to take a timeout because he didn't like the play against Seattle's defensive alignment. But the part that Wagner remembers: Rivers knew the exact name of Seattle's defensive call."He called timeout and was like David Edwards Los Angeles Rams Jerseys , 'Dang, they're running strong something,' and I'm like we just changed the name yesterday, how'd you do that?" Wagner recalled. "Maybe he just luckily chose that, I don't know. It was kind of funny, I'm like how did he know the name? The quarterbacks know the play, they never know the name of the play."Knowing the play didn't really matter back in August, but it will Sunday when the surging Chargers face the equally improving Seahawks. Los Angeles (5-2) has won four straight and is coming off a bye week following its 20-19 win over Tennessee in London. The Seahawks (4-3) have won four of five 鈥?including a victory in London 鈥?and the game against the Chargers starts a stretch with six of the final nine games at home for Seattle.And Rivers is the introduction to a challenging month of elite quarterbacks the Seahawks will face and challenge Seattle's overhauled defense that has climbed its way back to being among the best in the NFL halfway through the season. After Rivers, the Seahawks will face Jared Goff, Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton in consecutive weeks."The biggest difference is you used to go in 鈥?and this is not by any means slighting the roster, the defensive lineup now 鈥?but you used to go into that game, and you could just say, who is on Seattle's defense, and you could write out every one right because they had been together for so long Los Angeles Rams Jerseys Stitched , back-to-back Super Bowls, won the Super Bowl against Denver," Rivers said. "Now there's just been so much change on that defense, but there's still the same scheme, and there's plenty of names that you can recognize. So it's a good group."The Chargers should get running back Melvin Gordon back after he missed the win in London with a hamstring injury. Gordon has combined with fellow running back Austin Ekeler to have 1,283 yards from scrimmage and the pair is averaging 6.65 yards per touch.Seattle's running backs are providing and equally important contribution to the Seahawks recent success. Chris Carson has become Seattle's primary runner and posted his third 100-yard game in last week's win over Detroit. Beginning with Week 3, only the Los Angeles Rams have more carries or yards rushing than the Seahawks 鈥?and Los Angeles has played one more game."I think they know what's working. That's kind of their formula," Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said. "They have been averaging about 30 rush attempts a game and it's working."Here's what else to watch as the former AFC West foes meet for the 51st time overall:200 STRAIGHT FOR RIVERSRivers will make his 200th consecutive regular-season start. He'll be the fourth quarterback and the eighth player since the merger to reach that milestone. The 15-year veteran is off to one of the best starts of his career. He's second in the league with a 117.8 passer rating and tied for third in touchdowns with 17."Obviously, you want to be able to out there and help. It's not just be out there. You want to play at a high level, and that's been up and down over 199, but being out there means something," Rivers said.THE OTHER QBWhile much of the focus has been on the quarterbacks Seattle is about to face, the Seahawks' own QB is playing pretty well.Russell Wilson posted the first perfect passer rating in Seahawks history last week against Detroit when he completed 14 of 17 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. With the focus on the run game, Wilson's task passing has become efficiency and taking advantage when opportunities are presented. In the past three games David Edwards Jersey nfl draft , Wilson has nine TD passes on just 61 pass attempts.BIG PLAY WILLIAMSWith most opposing defenses continuing to double-team Keenan Allen, Chargers WR Tyrell Williams has emerged as a big-play threat. Six of his 10 receptions in the past three games have been for 26 yards or more and three have gone for touchdowns. According to Sportradar, four of those receptions have been on go routes with the other two being post routes.HEAVY HEARTSSunday will be the first home game for the Seahawks since the death of owner Paul Allen, who died on Oct. 15. He was 65. Allen was responsible for purchasing the team and keeping the Seahawks in Seattle, along with the construction of CenturyLink Field.Seattle's first coach, Jack Patera, also passed away earlier this week at age 85. The Rams made plenty of moves this offseason. Let’s take a look at who can be considered an upgrade, a downgrade, and a wash." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteTurf Show Timesa Los Angeles Rams communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpSectionsLibraryMastheadCommunity GuidelinesNFL OddsStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteSections 2019 offseason2019 free agency2019 NFL DraftFull ArchiveLibrary 2019 NFL calendar2019 Rams regular season sched2019 Rams preseason schedMasthead Community Guidelines NFL Odds StubHub ✕Filed under:2019 Los Angeles Rams OffseasonLos Angeles Rams grades for replacing talentNew,69commentsThe Rams made plenty of moves this offseason. Let’s take a look at who can be considered an upgrade, a downgrade, and a wash.CDTShareTweetShareShareLos Angeles Rams grades for replacing talentRobert Deutsch-USA TODAY SportsThe Los Angeles Rams went into the 2019 offseason with a handful of important starters hitting free agency. Like every team, they were bound to lose certain players and replace them with new ones. This is also known as “roster turnover”, and it happens at a rapid rate in the NFL.Let’s take a look at the players which used to occupy starting spots on the team and who replaced them. Then we can grade whether the replacement can be considered an upgrade Custom David Edwards Jersey , a downgrade, or a wash (no real change):Left GuardRodger Saffold to Joe NoteboomNoteboom may turn out to be a fantastic player, but this one is an easy downgrade. Saffold was one of the premier guards in the entire league, and a lot of what the Rams did in the run game centered around his ability to combo block and work his way to the second level routinely sealing off linebackers. Saffold played in 114 games in horns, meanwhile Noteboom only had 78 offensive snaps in his rookie season. Hopefully the drop-off isn’t large, though its fair to expect a first-time starter probably wont be an elite player right out of the gate.Prediction: downgradeCenterJohn Sullivan to Brian AllenHere is part two to the offensive line equation. Sullivan — like Saffold — is a wiley ol’ veteran who has 153 games of experience, while Allen — like Noteboom — has only 36 offensive snaps to his name. Now, Sullivan — unlike Saffold — wasn’t tremendously productive as his game faltered as the season wore down. Regardless, the center position is just as much mental/cerebral as it is physical, and that’s the part that I believe Allen will need the most adjustment with as he makes the transition as the starter.Prediction: downgradeDefensive TackleNdamukong Suh to Greg GainesSuh may not have brought to the table exactly what everyone expected, but he was still productive and reliable as the nose tackle in Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips’ defense. Suh’s versatility allowed him to be kicked to defensive end in small spurts, and that proved useful as the Rams simply didn’t have a strong edge presence last season. Suh didn’t play at a pro bowl caliber, but he was still far and away the second best defensive lineman on the team as he accumulated 4.5 sacks, four tackles-for-loss Discount David Edwards Jersey , and 19 QB hits. Gaines replaces him as the run-down nose tackle, and in that regard, he may actually prove to be a tiny upgrade. But, the NFL is a passing league, and Gaines simply doesn’t bring to the table what Suh did, so this replacement is likely to be a downgrade.Prediction: downgradeInside LinebackerMark Barron to Micah KiserBarron became a mainstay for the Rams at linebacker over the past few seasons, though things started to deteriorate slowly in 2018. Health was a major factor as Barron missed all of the offseason going into the season, as well as the first four games of the season. When he returned, he simply wasn’t very productive, and his price tag was extremely high. The Rams chose to move on and the likely heir is fifth-round pick, Micah Kiser. Kiser has tremendous instincts, physical ability, and is likely to bring a newfound level of physicality to the defense. This one is our first upgrade.Prediction: upgradeEdgeSamson Ebukam to Clay MatthewsEbukam hasn’t developed as the Rams had hoped, and that’s why he’s being replaced by the veteran in Matthews. Ebukam started 14 games (played in all 16) last year and only managed three sacks Austin Blythe Jersey , six tackles-for-loss, and six QB hits. Outside of one dominant game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he was relatively invisible. Matthews may not be the player he once was, but his IQ, more nuanced pass rush, and ability to play the run are all going to prove to be a relatively large upgrade.Prediction: upgradeSafetyLamarcus Joyner to Eric WeddleJoyner took a turn for the worst as he went from “elite” status in 2017 to “average-at-best” in 2018. The reason isn’t known exactly, but Joyner had multiple blown coverages and struggled to secure the deep part of the field. Weddle brings some much needed ability to be exactly what the Rams need from the position: safety. Weddle has also proven he’s still capable of being a highlight reel, and any extra opportunities the offense can get, the better off the team is.Prediction: upgrade