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Three keys to Seahawks victory

1Keep St. Louis' ground game under control. Running back Steven Jackson has rushed for more than 110 yards in four successive games. San Francisco's Frank Gore is the only player to surpass 100 yards rushing against the Seahawks this season, and in Week 1 Seattle held Jackson to 67 yards, his second-lowest total of the season. Jacksonville held Jackson to 50 yards rushing on Oct. 18.

2Rediscover the fact tight end John Carlson can catch the ball. He failed to catch a pass last week for only the second game since entering the NFL, and he has one reception in his previous two games. Remember back in Week 1 when Carlson caught two touchdown passes in the regular-season opener against St. Louis? He had two passes of more than 30 yards that game. Well, he's caught only two passes of more than 30 yards in the last nine games combined, and one of those was on a fake punt. Seattle needs to find Carlson in the passing game.

3Disrupt the quarterback. In the past two games, Seattle has allowed opponents to complete 57 of 71 pass attempts (80.3 percent). In those two games, a total of three opposing quarterbacks have combined for seven touchdown passes, no interceptions and a combined passer rating of 136.5. You're not going to win a lot of games giving up those kind of numbers. In fact, you might not win any.

Three keys to Rams victory

1Start fast. St. Louis has scored only one first-quarter touchdown all season, but Seattle has shown a tendency to come out slow, especially on the road in games starting at 10 a.m. Pacific. Seattle has lost its last six road games, all by double digits. The last time it won on the road was last December in St. Louis, and Seattle had to rally from a 17-7 halftime deficit against the Rams.

2Take advantage of Kyle Boller's mobility. No one will make the mistake of calling Boller fast, but he does have the ability to throw effectively on the move. With Boller replacing Marc Bulger, who has a leg injury, the Rams can roll their quarterback out and move the pocket. One of St. Louis' biggest improvements this season is its pass protection. The Rams allowed 45 sacks last season, sixth-most in the league. They've allowed 21 this season, which ranks a downright respectable No. 17 in the league.

3Find airborne options. What once was one of the league's most explosive passing offenses has become one of the most pedestrian. St. Louis has eight passing touchdowns this season. Only Cleveland (seven) and Oakland (five) have fewer. Second-year wideout Donnie Avery leads the team with 418 yards receiving and four touchdowns, but St. Louis must find someone else capable of making plays downfield.

Matchup microscope

RB Steven Jackson vs. LB Aaron Curry. Remember what an impact Curry had in his first regular-season game as a Seahawk? Jackson certainly does, even though he wouldn't admit it in a conference call with Seattle reporters on Wednesday. Jackson was penalized for a personal foul and repeatedly tangled with Curry, objecting to the rookie's headstrong play. Can Curry rediscover the emotional urgency he displayed in that game, or will Jackson bounce back from that season opener against Seattle, one of his least productive rushing games of the season?

Series history

Seattle has beaten St. Louis nine consecutive games, the Seahawks' longest winning streak against any single opponent, surpassing Seattle's seven-game streak over the New York Jets from 1977 to 1983. The last time Seattle lost to the Rams was in January 2005, a wild-card playoff game. Five of Seattle's nine consecutive victories over St. Louis, however, have been by six points or fewer.

Danny O'Neil