The Rams are undoubtedly the Seahawks’ biggest revenge game on 2019 schedule

Welcome to Revenge Week across the SB Nation NFL blogs! The theme is focused on revenge games or players looking to exact revenge on former teams. You damn well know how we’re going to start off our Revenge Week.

One of my all-time favorite songs is a lesser-known hit titled “Every Kinda People” by the late Robert Palmer. Here’s one of the lines before breaking into the chorus:

There is no profit in deceit. Honest men know that revenge does not taste sweet.

Well with all due respect to Mr. Palmer, in the world of sport and especially NFL football, a reasonably honest man such as myself knows that revenge can often taste absolutely fucking delicious.

As I write this column on June 3rd, 2019, we are exactly four months away from the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 5 showdown with the Los Angeles Rams. It’ll be a Thursday Night Football primetime home game in front of an expectant boisterous crowd at CenturyLink Field. The rematch in LA is on Sunday Night Football in Week 14, but the season could play out as such that it might get flexed to 1 PM.

This figures to be a pivotal early season matchup, but it means something extra for the Seahawks, who have lost three straight to their NFC West rivals. Dating back to 2015, they are just 2-6 against the Rams, and 1-3 at home during that span. Once upon a time the Seahawks had such overwhelming dominance over the Rams that they went undefeated from 2005-2009.

Sean McVay’s squad will enter the 2019 season as two-time defending NFC West champions and the reigning kings of the NFC. They also scored just three points in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, which will never not be funny. Now my latest potshot at them aside, the rebirth of the Rams as a legitimate contender has arguably re-fueled the rivalry with Seattle.

In 2017, Seattle went into Los Angeles and pulled out an ugly as hell but super satisfying 16-10 win. We shall not speak of what happened in the rematch. Last season, with the Seahawks pegged by many to miss the playoffs and the Rams as overwhelming favorites to make the Super Bowl, Seattle traded haymakers in both matchups. Russell Wilson threw six touchdowns and had just one turnover over the course of the two games. Chris Carson rushed for more than 100 yards at home, while Rashaad Penny had his breakout game down at the LA Coliseum. David Moore had a two-touchdown day at CLink, while Tyler Lockett scored TDs in each meeting. Unfortunately, none of these things mattered, as the Rams offense was too much for the Seahawks defense to handle. The combined score of 2018’s games was 69-62 Los Angeles, which sure went a long way towards the Rams repeating as division champions.

I don’t know about you, but I particularly don’t like losing to the Rams at any point in time. This rivalry isn’t just Jeff Fisher’s annoying 7-9 bullshit, or McVay putting on schematic masterpieces while Jared Goff isn’t actually pressed into thinking for himself; the history between these two franchises since Seattle moved over to the NFC West runs pretty damn deep.

Remember the 2003 Seahawks? They went 8-0 at home and a dismal 2-6 on the road. Perhaps they could’ve been 3-5 if an official didn’t act as an extra DB by tackling Bobby Engram on an end-zone shot.

The Rams are also the only team to ever beat the Seahawks at (what we now know as) CenturyLink Field in the playoffs. Their 3-0 sweep in 2004 turned what looked to be a promising Seahawks season into another disappointing and bitter ending. I’m sure older Seahawks fans remember Terreal Bierria for all the wrong reasons.

Losing to the Rams sucks and has always sucked regardless of circumstances. Beating them is cause for celebration whether they’re awful or great. Remember when the eventual 10-6 Seahawks were on the cusp of a horrendous defeat to an eventual 3-13 St. Louis squad playing in front of 95 people at the Edward Jones Dome? Then Gus Frerotte fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line on 4th and goal.

Denying the Rams a touchdown at the goal line? You don’t say!

Fun Fact: All of the Seahawks’ NFC West titles under Pete Carroll have been clinched by beating the Rams, including in 2010 on a night when Charlie freaking Whitehurst was king for a day.

Can it be October 3rd already? Because I’m ready for the Seahawks to beat the Rams again.