A Grip on Sports: On Thursday nights the nation turns its lonely eyes to Amazon’s NFL broadcast and tonight that means Seattle’s showdown with the visiting Rams

A GRIP ON SPORTS • The number one priority this time of year? Looking ahead. To Christmas, sure. The new year. But when you have to turn on the kitchen lights before 4 p.m., spring is at the forefront of any day dreaming. Except today. Today all that matters is a kickoff in Seattle at 5:15 p.m. Under the lights, of course.

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• The NFL has a hold on us, doesn’t it? And tonight Seattle and Los Angeles will have a hold on the NFL. All day today, actually. The buildup for this Thursday night game on Amazon Prime. The Seahawks, 11-3, at home in Lumen Field, hosting the only team in the NFL with a better record, the Los Angeles Rams.

And the better part is only because the 11-3 Rams won the first meeting in L.A. 21-19 when Jason Myers’ 61-yard-attempt and lifetime Emerald City glory traveled about 60 yards.

Here we are, a month and two days later, and the rematch seems to be for, if not all the marbles, at least the Blue Aggies.

Each team has injury issues. The Hawks will be without their starting left tackle Charles Cross, who suffered a hamstring injury on their game-winning field goal over the Colts on Sunday. The Rams? Davante Adams, their second-best receiver, is doubtful.

And their best receiver, Puka Nacua, should be out, after he ran off at the mouth this week, accusing NFL officials of being glory hounds and questioning their objectivity. But it won’t happen. What might though, is a couple of key offensive pass interference penalties on Nacua, just so the person throwing the flag can “be on TV too.”

Just kidding. There is enough screen time to go around. For everyone. Thursday night games run solo, so every NFL fan with a Prime subscription will be logged in. What will they see?

One of the NFL’s presumptive MVPs, L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford. The other quarterback, Sam Darnold, who is carrying the weight of a four-interception game in the November loss. And the weight of a career marred by coming up small in big games.

A Seahawk defense that seems on the cusp of ascending into the stratosphere of Seattle history, chasing the ghost of the LOB while also chasing, and catching, just about everyone wearing royal blue and gold uniforms. A Ram defense powered by Aaron Don … hey, wait. Seattle’s nemesis, Donald, has finally retired. And the L.A. pressure up front isn’t what it once was.

Still, the Rams have won two of the three games since Donald headed into the sunset (and seven of the last nine), though the series between the franchises is currently tied at 58 wins apiece. That’s another thing on the line tonight.

Until they meet again. Which just might be in the NFC championship. At least that won’t be on Amazon. And the sun will stay above the horizon a bit longer on Jan. 25.

• Christmas is in a week. Mark Few opened his present from Braden Huff last night, though. And what a gift it was.

The lefty post hit his first 13 shots in the seventh-ranked Zags’ 98-70 win over visiting Campbell. He added three more for a McCarthey Athletic Center record 16 field goals, while missing just twice. His 37 points were also a career high.

As early Christmas gifts go, Huff’s was pretty darn impressive.

• Less than two miles away, the Cougars gave themselves the gift of a connected defense. And that led to a losing-streak busting 78-63 win over Eastern Washington in the Arena.

Washington State entered Wednesday night’s 509 Classic matchup having lost five consecutive times. The Eagles had lost four of their last five, and only one of their two wins this season came against an NCAA school. Something had to give and it was EWU’s offense. Eastern shot 38.3% from the floor and just 21.7% from beyond the arc. The Cougs also had a 12-rebound edge.

• The biggest disappointment from the game? The crowd. Only 3,749 folks filed into the Arena last night to watch. Tuesday night, the Chiefs attracted 8,032 fans for their win over Portland. Tonight, the Rubber Chicken Spirit game between Ferris and Lewis and Clark high schools will have at least 8,000 screaming fans.

In-between? Not enough.

• One final thought about tonight’s Seahawks’ game.

You know what would be cool? If Prime would grant fans of the winning team 20% off their Christmas shopping the day after. And guarantee it would arrive before the holiday. I might even spring for an Abe Lucas jersey. For the kids.

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WSU: We linked Greg Woods’ basketball game story above. And do it here again. … There is another name in Greg’s football transfer portal tracker. … Jon Wilner has his thoughts on the Cougars’ new coach, Kirby Moore. Wilner’s main point? If our worry it may take Moore a while to get his feet under him in Pullman, that would be suboptimal. … John Canzano has his thoughts as well. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, the Oregon business model was revolutionary. Everyone has caught up now. … Washington’s new president shared his thoughts with Christian Caple. The Huskies are dealing with some high-profile defections, which makes us wonder if the players know something ominous. … Then again, everyone in the Northwest is losing players. Oregon State, with a new coach and staff. And Oregon, with a playoff game against James Madison looming. … Hey, even Colorado, which might explain this revenue story, and Arizona State. … USC receiver Makai Lemon, the Biletnikoff Award winner, is headed for the NFL draft. … Boise State needs better play from its quarterbacks.

• In basketball news, the Oregon State men had their winning streak halted by visiting Sam Houston. … The Ducks rolled over visiting Portland. Next up: Gonzaga on Sunday (fixed from earlier) in Portland. … Portland State was in Boulder last night. The Buffs won, though there was no one in the building to see it. Weather issues prompted Colorado to close the game to fans. … Arizona State traveled to Pauley Pavilion and had no answer for UCLA point guard Donovan Dent. The Bruins won 90-77. … USC found out guard Rodney Rice’s season is done due to a shoulder injury, then went out and crushed visiting Texas San Antonio. … Arizona plays the game differently than most, and hopes that holds up when it faces San Diego State in Phoenix on Saturday. The Aztecs opened Mountain West play last night, topping Air Force. … The Utah women finished nonconference play on a six-game winning streak. … Colorado State is ready for Mountain West play. … Utah State began last night and picked up a home win over Air Force.

Gonzaga: If only one word was allowed to describe Huff’s performance last night, it would have to be “efficient.” Mark Few used it after, though he added the one-word modifier “incredibly.” Either way, it was impressive. Maybe even incredibly impressive. Theo Lawson shares his impressions in this game analysis. … Jim Meehan was also in the Kennel and he has a story on what Campbell coach John Andrzejek had to say about the under-ranked Zags – Andrzejek’s opinion, though shared often in this space as well. … Jim also has his three takeaways. … Tyler Tjomsland passes along his usual impressive photo gallery. … Greg Lee’s weekly women’s basketball notebook starts with a look at how the role for GU’s lone senior, Ines Bettencourt, has changed. … Elsewhere in the WCC, USF held a doubleheader at the Chase Center and won both games.

EWU: The roots of the Eagles’ 509 Classic defeat are covered in Greg’s story. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, Montana’s men lost at home to Montana Tech. The main reason? Oredigger freshman Asher Williams, from Bonners Ferry High, scored 20 point on just eight shots. … Montana State picked up a win over Cal Poly. … The Northern Arizona women snapped its losing streak earlier this week. …  In football news, Montana has a rock it can count on. … Portland State introduced its new coach and said the program was about to get better. We have to ask. Did the Vikings win the Powerball or something?

Preps: Dave Nichols has a preview of the Northeast A basketball season ahead.

Seahawks: There are innumerable story lines in preparation for tonight’s Seattle showdown. From Darnold to the spotlight’s glare. From Cross’ injury to the Hawks offensive funk. And beyond. Including how the outcome will impact the playoff picture. … If you are interested in putting down a wager, here is some advice.

Mariners: Jorge Polanco said goodbye to Seattle officially yesterday. Well, as officially as one can get in 2025. … The M’s are still exploring trade options at second base, though maybe the right guy is already in the organization.

Kraken: Seattle is racing toward the bottom of the NHL’s standings. And caused a bit of ruckus on social media while doing it.

Sounders: Another day, another signing of a player with Puget Sound connections. … How much will it cost to watch World Cup matches in Seattle? A lot.

Sonics: The Times’ Tim Booth has a story on NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s most-recent statement on expansion.

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• Growing up in Southern California, Christmas time meant a little different menu at home. Tamales were featured often. After all, the temperature might dip into the 50s. Brrrr. That tradition made our choice of dinner tonight, with the Rams in Seattle, simple. No, not tamales. In-N-Out-like burgers. NFL traditions trump everything in this house. Until later …