Seahawks
Capsule preview: St. Louis at Seattle

ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Maurice Morris (20), Alex Bannister (85) and Kerry Carter (32) stop San Francisco's Jamal Robertson on Sept. 26. Seattle tops the NFL in defense.

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Last game

Seahawks: Seattle, which had last week off, dispatched the San Francisco 49ers 34-0 on Sept. 26. The shutout was the Seahawks' second in six seasons, and it was the first time the 49ers had been held scoreless since October of 1977.

The Seahawks dominated, especially on defense, forcing four turnovers and holding the 49ers to 175 yards of total offense. On offense, Seattle took a 24-0 lead into halftime and drove 68 yards for a touchdown with its first possession of the second half.

The Seahawks vaulted to the top of the league in total defense with their performance.

Rams: Last Sunday, St. Louis thumped the 49ers 24-14 in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicated. Wide receiver Isaac Bruce had his fourth consecutive 100-yard receiving game this season, and running back Marshall Faulk rushed for 121 yards on 23 carries.

St. Louis drove 80 yards in 14 plays on their first possession of the game and capped it off with fullback Joey Goodspeed's 2-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal. The last time

The Rams won a thriller, 27-22, at the Edward Jones Dome on Dec. 14 last season. The Seahawks lost a chance to win the game when Matt Hasselbeck's pass for wide receiver Bobby Engram fell incomplete in the end zone with 37 seconds left. An official got in the way of Engram as he was trying to get to the ball and impeded Engram's progress.

The win clinched the NFC West title for St. Louis, but the Seahawks didn't make it easy. Linebacker Orlando Huff sacked Bulger in the end zone for a first-quarter safety, but the Seahawks trailed 14-2.

The Rams took a 24-15 lead to start the fourth quarter on a field goal by Jeff Wilkins, but the Seahawks responded with a touchdown run by Shaun Alexander to cut the lead to two points. Faulk helped the Rams chew time off the clock in setting up a St. Louis field goal for the game's final points.

What to expect
 
This is shaping up to be a statement game for the Seahawks, who have their three-game winning streak on the line as well as a 10-game winning streak at Qwest Field. The Rams came up just short in Seattle last season, losing 24-23 when Hasselbeck found Koren Robinson for the winning touchdown with a minute left.

The Seahawks can take a 2-½-game lead in the NFC West with a win and prove they are the team to beat in the division. They should be well-rested and fired up to play before a sellout crowd, with a team that is shaping up to be one of the best in Seahawks history. Expect the Seahawks to win, but not by a huge margin.

Notable

Seattle: Hasselbeck has 15 TD passes in the Seahawks' 10-game home winning streak. ... DT Rocky Bernard's three sacks ties him for the NFL lead among defensive tackles.

St. Louis: Faulk needs one more rushing touchdown to become the sixth NFL player with 100. He has nine touchdowns in nine games against Seattle. ... Bruce has 10 third-down catches, most in the NFL.

Injury report

Seattle: FB Mack Strong (knee), LB Orlando Huff (hamstring), DE Chike Okeafor (hip) and LB Isaiah Kacyvenski (groin) are probable. LB Chad Brown (fibula) is out.

St. Louis: RB Marshall Faulk (shoulder), CB DeJuan Groce (knee), RB Arlen Harris (hamstring), OT Scott Tercero (wrist/hand), LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (elbow), LB Robert Thomas (ankle) and P Sean Landetta (groin) are probable. OG Chris Dishman (knee) and LB Tony Newson (ankle) are questionable. CB Travis Fisher (forearm) and DT Jimmy Kennedy (foot) are out.

José Miguel Romero

Who has the advantage?
		QB	RB	WR	OL	DL	LB	DB	ST
	Seattle	×	×		×	×		×	×
	St. Louis	×	×	×			×		×