Doug Baldwin injury update: Seahawks WR returning to practice Barkevious Mingo Jersey , could play vs. Cardinals The Seattle Seahawks offense has been without star wide receiver Doug Baldwin for all but a handful of plays this regular season, but we could see #89 back on the field as early as this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.Head coach Pete Carroll confirmed on Wednesday that Baldwin would be back in practice, two weeks removed from a partial MCL tear in Seattle’s opening day loss against the Denver Broncos.“He’s gonna practice today,” Carroll said (via Seahawks Wire). “It’s a great step, jump for him to make. He’s in the walkthrough today, he’ll practice for the first time in a few weeks. He looks really good and light on his feet and he’s very confident that he can have a chance to play this week. So we’ll see how that goes.”Baldwin came into the regular season banged up, having dealt with soreness in his left knee that caused him to miss all of preseason, and he even admitted he won’t be 100% throughout the year as a result. He is the most important non-Russell Wilson player on the Seahawks offense, so his returning presence is very much welcome, whether it’s this week or the following week against the Los Angeles Rams.Without Baldwin, Tyler Lockett is the only Seahawks WR with at least 10 catches, as he has 12 on 17 targets, with 3 of those turned into touchdowns. Brandon Marshall is Seattle’s second-leading WR at 9 catches for 120 yards and a touchdown, but he only has a 50% catch rate, multiple drops, and a touchdown-nullifying offensive pass interference call. Jaron Brown runs third with 6 catches for 68 yards and a touchdown on 9 targets. Neither Keenan Reynolds nor David Moore has officially been targeted, although Moore did draw defensive pass interference against the Chicago Bears, but that’s listed as “No Play.” The Seattle Seahawks won’t get a chance to hand their division rival their first loss of the 2018 season, after the L.A. Rams dropped the game of the season last week, a 45-35 instant classic in New Orleans. Instead, the Seahawks uphill climb will be finding a win in the most unlikely of spots, against the league’s most complete team. The Rams are steamrolling opposing defenses in 2018 and did so in Seattle in Week 5, despite the Seahawks keeping a close scoreline. In this week’s column, we’re skipping the primers on offense and defense, as Seattle faced the same team just over a month ago. You can find a full primer on Sean McVay’s stunning offense and Wade Phillips’ time-tested defense here.Numbers that Matter6.5: One of the simple innovations McVay has brought to the forefront of modern NFL offenses is the use of tight splits. Los Angeles’ receivers—most commonly Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods—line up in-tight near the line of scrimmage. This small pre-snap adjustment forces secondary players to come near the box and into traffic post-snap, allowing the Rams’ receivers to get free releases. McVay manufactures separation for his wide receivers by simply adjusting their alignment.In 2018, L.A. ranks fourth in the NFL in yards after catch, averaging 6.5 yards per reception. Unsurprisingly, Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers lead the league in this category—McVay and Shanahan share offensive principles. Kupp enjoyed an outstanding first half against Justin Coleman in the Seahawks and Rams’ first matchup Sweezy Jersey , as the slot receiver caught six passes for 90 yards and a touchdown before departing the game with an injury. Los Angeles’ receiving corps is back to full strength for the rematch, and Coleman and Seattle’s secondary need to be better prepared and avoid getting into trailing positions with the ball in the air. 190: In Week 5, the Seahawks, to the surprise of some, exchanged blows with the Rams for the better part of four quarters. A big part of their offense was Chris Carson and the rushing attack, which totaled a season-high 190 yards against a talented L.A. defense. The 190 yards given up on the ground by the Rams in Week 5 was the most they’ve allowed all season, and nearly 100 more than their season average of 94.8 (excluding Week 5). Though Carson’s status for Sunday is unknown—and likely won’t be known until game day—Seattle will again lean on their rushing attack to keep pace with one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. Mike Davis, who turned 22 touches into 107 yards in an increased role last week, will likely be turned to if Carson can’t go. The Seahawks rushing attack has hit its stride mid-season; as a team, they’ve topped 150 yards on the ground in five consecutive games. 15.3: A big part of the success of a L.A. offense that ranks 2nd in Football Outsiders’ DVOA and 1st in total offense is their ability to sustain drives. The Rams have run the 5th most plays this season, they convert third downs and finish drives—they are a brutal proposition for any defense. One of the more incredible numbers relating to L.A. in 2018 is their three-and-out percentage: 15.3% of their drives have ended after just a single set of downs. The gap between the Rams and second (the Falcons at 21.4%) is nearly identical to the gap between second and 10th (the Giants at 27.6%) in three-and-out percentage. In 2018, Seattle’s defense has struggled with forcing three-and-outs. The Seahawks are forcing them on 25.9% of drives they face, the 5th worst figure in the NFL. Bend don’t break is a pillar of Pete Carroll’s defense, and against McVay and L.A., there is little choice. Whether you like it or not, your defense is going to bend. But if Seattle’s defense can hold up enough to force a handful of field goals, they can remain in the game into the 4th quarter, just like in the first matchup this season. Matchups to WatchTyler Lockett, David Moore versus Marcus Peters: In Week 5, Moore and Lockett ruthlessly took turns roasting Peters. Lockett beat him for a 39-yard touchdown before Moore beat him for a 31-yard score. Though Lockett and Moore have both been pleasantly surprising in 2018, neither of their performances in Week 5 were unique. Peters has been getting toasted by opposing wide receivers on a weekly basis. Forced into a press-corner role in Aqib Talib’s absence, Peters has suffered tremendously. Quarterbacks are completing 60.5% of their passes when targeting Peters, and he has allowed 463 yards and six touchdowns. Peters has had a habit of allowing explosive plays in 2018, and Sunday will see him matched up against two receivers who have a penchant for producing big plays. Two-thirds of Lockett’s production in Week 5 came out of the slot, but when the Seahawks got him matched up against Peters, they took advantage. Moore was the one primarily drawing Peters and enjoyed his breakout game, pulling in two touchdowns. Both will get the chance to go against Peters on Sunday, and as has been the case throughout Peters’ 2018, there’s a chance for a big play anytime he’s involved.Frank Clark versus Andrew Whitworth: The first time these two teams met in 2018 Duane Brown Jersey , Clark was battling an illness and was hospitalized multiple times leading up to the contest... and it had no impact on his performance at all. Clark wreaked havoc all game, collecting an interception, a strip sack...... and a particularly epic tackle for loss.Whitworth, one of the NFL’s most consistent left tackles, has been beaten by Clark regularly since joining the Rams prior to the 2017 season. Their first matchup, in Week 6 of 2017, saw Clark beat Whitworth for a fourth quarter strip-sack. Their second matchup, in Week 15, had another Clark strip-sack. Clark’s first step and ability to dip goes directly against Whitworth’s strengths, and it’s proved to be a problem every time they face one another. In such an uneven team matchup, Seattle really needs any and every advantage they can find. If the first three meetings between Clark and Whitworth are any indication, that will include a possession-changing play by Clark. Opponent to KnowDante Fowler Jr, EDGE: If you could point out one flaw in what was a complete L.A. roster as the trade deadline approached, it would be at EDGE. Despite the dominant play of Aaron Donald and the always solid Ndamukong Suh, the Rams were missing the element of pressure from the outside. They had gotten just two sacks from Samson Ebukam, who was being counted on to take a step forward. So, Los Angeles did what any franchise in a Super Bowl window should do: They were aggressive in filling a need.The Rams flipped a third- and fifth-round pick in exchange for Fowler, the former 3rd overall selection. Fowler made his L.A. debut in Week 9 against the Saints, but was effectively shut down by the perennially underrated Terron Armstead. Though Fowler is by no means a game-changing talent, playing outside of Suh and Donald will lead to sacks. If interior pressure forces Wilson outside the pocket on Sunday, as it has in nearly every previous matchup between these two teams, Fowler will have every opportunity to clean up and start his production on the Rams with ease. Los Angeles will walk to an NFC West championship and home field advantage in 2018. From a divisional standpoint, little is at stake in this matchup. However, at 4-4, the Seahawks need to find a win where they’re the underdog somewhere down the stretch, as they get into a brutal part of their schedule. Though it’s unlikely it comes in Week 10, if Seattle can keep it close again, they could sneak out of a huge game against the Rams with an even bigger victory.