The last time the Los Angeles Rams visited Seattle Dakota Allen Jersey nfl draft , they were announcing themselves as the new powerhouse in the NFC unlike any they had experienced in Pete Carroll's tenure.As much as the Seahawks would like to forget that day last December, a 42-7 loss to a division rival lingers.Less than a year later, the Rams are more than just the favorites of their division. A quarter through the season, they may be the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites. The Rams (4-0) make their annual trip to Seattle on Sunday looking to take control of the division just five weeks into the season."I think there's definitely a lot of confidence that comes with playing well and definitely can get some momentum going, but I think we're just executing," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said. "We've done a pretty good job executing."And there is little reason not to believe Los Angeles will be leaving town with a three-game lead.The Rams are scoring an absurd amount of points, having scored at least 33 points in all four games. Goff is coming off a career-high 465 yards passing and five TDs, carving up a Minnesota defense that was regarded as among the best in the NFL and posting a perfect passer rating in the process. Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks each had 100 yards receiving against the Vikings.Oh, and there's still Todd Gurley, who the last time he saw the Seahawks rushed for 152 yards and scored a career-high four total touchdowns. And this time, they'll be facing a Seahawks defense without safety Earl Thomas after suffering a season-ending lower leg fracture last week against Arizona."Not having Earl now, this week changes a lot and just how good he is at understanding offenses and concepts," Goff said. "You wish he was there, you want to get them at full strength with him as part of that and how good he is. Would have been great to compete against him."The Seahawks (2-2) have recovered from a 0-2 start by knocking off Dallas and Arizona in consecutive weeks. The Seahawks have rediscovered their run game with consecutive 100-yard rushers and their defense has held three straight opponents to under 305 total yards of offense.But they know the Rams are a different challenge."They're going to do something that we haven't seen before Infant Dakota Allen Jersey , but if we're disciplined and we do what we practiced, we should be fine," Seattle linebacker Bobby Wagner said. "That's why your eyes are so important this week."Here's what else to watch for:FIRST THINGS FIRSTSlowing the Rams' powerhouse offense on first down would be huge for the Seahawks, but it's been almost impossible this season. Goff is an astonishing 46 of 56 for 668 yards and six touchdown passes on first downs in the Rams' first four games, averaging 11.9 yards per pass. Add in Gurley's steady running on every down, and Los Angeles is tough to contain."We've done a pretty good job so far (of) staying in second-and-manageable, and then third-and-manageable, as well," Goff said.RUNNING OPTIONSSeattle is coming off consecutive 100-yard performances by running backs for the first time since the 2014 season. But it was two different backs accomplishing that feat, leaving open the question of how Seattle divides the carries going forward. Starter Chris Carson is expected to return Sunday after missing last week with a hip injury. Mike Davis has earned a role after rushing for a career-high 101 yards and two TDs in the win over Arizona. And, rookie first-round pick Rashaad Penny has started to look more like the back Seattle expected in a limited role.Running won't be easy against a Rams defense giving up just 86 yards per game on average.TEDRIC TIMESecond-year safety Tedric Thompson knows he's about to get a lot of attention. Thompson will be stepping in at free safety replacing Thomas after the former All-Pro was lost for the season in last week's win. Thompson gained plenty of experience in the offseason and training camp when Thomas was holding out as part of a contract dispute, but there couldn't be a tougher team to debut against than the top passing offense in the NFL through four weeks."He's really mature about stuff, he's really worked hard to understand the scheme and the principles of what we want and he plays really strict and disciplined football," Carroll said.TEMPORARY KICKERKicker Cairo Santos will make his Rams debut in Seattle. Los Angeles signed the former Chiefs kicker Tuesday after cutting Sam Ficken and determining that All-Pro Greg Zuerlein isn't quite ready to return from a groin injury.Santos, who injured his own groin twice last season Super Bowl Dakota Allen Jersey , is getting his shot at an NFL return in a high-pressure rivalry game, but he welcomes the challenge."Coming out and playing for a great offense, hopefully I'll get a bunch of kicks and show the other 31 teams that I'm back and I belong in this league," Santos said.Los Angeles Rams at Oakland Raiders: scouting report The Autumn Wind is a Raider...Or did somebody just cut the cheese?A year ago our old L.A. buddies, the Oakland Raiders, seemed to have been resurrected behind the bold strokes of Head Coach Jack Del Rio. For years, the Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams had been among the biggest punchlines in football, but it appeared that the Raiders had finally ascended leaving the Rams and Cleveland Browns to slug it out for gutter supremacy. That was a year ago. In 2017, the Raiders quickly fell from grace, and ended up winning only six games, half of their 2016 win total. The defense had trouble generating turnovers leading to the dismissal of Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton Jr. On offense, the Raiders dipped to 17th in the league, as quarterback Derek Carr and receiver Amari Cooper struggled to match their previous production. In 2016 the Raiders had a knack for pulling out close games, but a year later perhaps their luck had simply run out. Mark Davis decided that he had seen enough of the Del Rio regime and opted for a celebrity hire in Jon Gruden, who would surely help sell seats when they eventually land in their new home on the Las Vegas Strip. OffenseThe Raiders offense should be fairly strong. Gruden brought in former-Rams quarterback coach Greg Olson to serve as his offensive coordinator. Ten seasons ago Johnny Hekker Jersey , Olsen helped Gruden design an offense in what turned out to be Gruden’s final season in Tampa. Olsen has worked with modern offensesand will be an asset for Gruden, as well as quarterback Derek Carr. Derek Carr is hoping to rebound a bit this season, after throwing 13 picks in 2017. At times, Carr’s confidence in Amari Cooper seemed to waiver following drops, and Cooper was plagued by an ankle injury for much of the second half of the season. Back and healthy, Cooper should regain his chemistry with Carr, who will also spread the ball to newcomer Jordy Nelson and former Rams tight end Jared Cook who enjoyed career highs in receptions and yards last season. The Raiders swung for the fences when they traded a third-round pick for Pittsburgh Steelers’ wideout Martavis Bryant, but ended up cutting him as he awaits a looming suspension. After a string of forgettable games last season, 32-year-old Marshawn Lynch had a strong finish to the season, and Gruden believes Lynch still has plenty of the pop that made him one of the premier running backs of his generation. The Raiders will rely on Lynch to play an increased role this season, and be more of a compliment to their passing attack. The Raiders offensive line remains a strength, built around strong play on the interior, where Keleche Osemele may be the best guard in the entire league. Watching Osemele and guard Gabe Jackson battle the Rams’ monster defensive line should be one of the highlights of their Monday Night matchup. Gruden may have veteran Donald Penn line up at right tackle, leaving rookie Kolton Miller to guard Derek Carr’s blindside. Miller versus Rams EDGE Samson Ebukam will be a another huge matchup, as the Rams try to prevent Carr from developing any type of rhythm. DefenseThe Raiders offense will likely have to generate some serious heat to keep pace with the Rams high-octane attack Greg Zuerlein Jersey , which will be up against a defense that appears to be vulnerable following the Khalil Mack trade. Former Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther has been brought in and hopes to build a defense that will be opportunistic as far as generating turnovers, something that they were unable to do a year ago. If successful, generating turnovers could help mask an overall lack of high end talent on defense. The problem for the Raiders may be that the Rams are pretty good at avoiding turnovers most of the time. Jared Goff has been taught to just toss the ball into the stands before forcing an ill-advised pass. One way to get the Rams to cough up the ball is with blindside pressure, however with Mack gone it is likely that a fresh Andrew Whitworth will be able to keep Goff fairly clean on Monday Night. If Goff generates some rhythm, the Rams may hang up big numbers on the Raiders defense. SummaryIt feels like it may be another tough year for the Raiders, as they try to remake the roster in Gruden’s vision. At the end of the day, a defense lacking talent while trying to learn a new system will likely be a source of torment for Raiders fans. That being said; this is the NFL and parity abounds. If the Raiders can find a knack for pulling out a bunch of close shootouts, like they did two season’s ago, 6 wins can turn into 10 wins. Also worth considering is the trade of Khalil Mack. While many in the media have speculated that the trade could lead to players losing faith in Gruden, it could become a rallying point if the Raiders can start the season off strong. After they meet the Rams, the Raiders will play the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns; so a 3-1 start is not inconceivable.