SEATTLE — When the Seahawks take the field Sunday in Los Angeles, they'll face a Rams team riddled with injuries.
They'll be without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford who remains in concussion protocol. On the other side of the ball, the Rams will be without defensive tackle Aaron Donald who suffered a sprained ankle last Sunday in Kansas City. Donald will miss a game due to injury for the first time in his 9-year NFL career.
In our interview with Pete Carroll on Seahawks Central this week, the head coach noted one big danger of playing a team depleted by injuries.
"If our team thinks that gives us some kind of a special edge or something like that and we don't have to be at our best, it can be costly," said Carroll. "That's what coaches worry about, complacency. It's why we have a whole discipline about how we approach each game regardless of what the team is doing or their status. The discipline of us preparing to be at our best is what guides us and we'll be okay."
The Rams go into the game with a record of 3-8, tied for second worst in the NFL. It's been a tough road for the defending Super Bowl champs. Having led the Seahawks to two-straight Super Bowls, Carroll says following up a Super Bowl appearance with another is a great challenge.
"Sometimes the big defeats are as difficult as the big victories, because they cloud your brain. It's hard after all of the celebration to regain the focus that it took," said Carroll. "It's harder to go twice than it is to go once. But it's a cool challenge, it's the one that you want. You want to win it all and then see if you can do it again.
"You know how close we were. A lot of teams struggle, and they don't find their way back to it. There are so many things that go into it. The offseason is so unique. That is the foundation of the next season, and it can be a problem for you."
The Seahawks will not only rely on their young talent to rise up Sunday at Sofi Stadium, but they'll be counting on veteran leaders like linebacker Bruce Irvin to set the tone. The 35-year-old Irvin played 70% of the snaps last week against the Raiders. This is his third tour of duty with the Seahawks and his role is as important as in his first.
"Naturally it has shifted some," said Carroll. "He's always been a clear messenger of what he's all about. Playing hard and playing tough. The demands he puts on himself he expects of others around him. Now I think his voice is a little louder, a little more powerful than it was, particularly because we are young.
"He's been a tremendous addition. More than anything, he's played good football and he's fired up about that."
You can watch Paul's weekly conversation with coach Pete Carroll on Seahawks Central every Thursday at 9:30 p.m. on KONG.
