With a win over the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Round, the Los Angeles Rams are set for a third meeting with the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game with a spot in Super Bowl LX on the line.
The Rams nearly fell victim to Bears magic — as Caleb Williams connected with Cole Kmet for an unlikely game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter — but ultimately triumphed in overtime. As for the Seahawks, they manhandled an undermanned 49ers squad in a blowout victory.
Here are the opening Rams vs Seahawks odds for the NFC Championship Game.
Rams vs Seahawks Odds
| Rams Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -115 | 47.5 -112o / -108u | +114 |
| Seahawks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -105 | 47.5 -112o / -108u | -134 |
Rams Preview
The Rams fell short in their quest to win the division, claim the 1-seed, and possibly the MVP, but Los Angeles may get the last laugh. The Rams still boast the metrics of the best team in the league, and now they’re one win away from a chance to prove it in the Super Bowl.
L.A.’s offense has lapped the field. The Rams lead the league in both rushing and passing DVOA, and rank as one of the finest offenses in DVOA history. They’re also getting healthy at the right time with the return of Davante Adams and a couple key offensive linemen, alongside Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua.
L.A.’s offense has the lowest variance in the league and is consistently awesome across every down, every quarter, and in almost every game.
The Rams are also battle-tested. They’ve now played 15 of their 19 games this season against teams that won at least eight games and still dominated that much, and Stafford has by far the best EPA per play among quarterbacks against playoff teams.
The Rams were so dominant that they would be 13-5, even if you flipped their one-score results, best in the league. Los Angeles’ only four losses each came by three points or less, with a couple of wonky bounces and plays late in each.
Those losses count, though, and they mean L.A. has been on the road throughout the playoffs. And they’ve come in part because the defense has fallen off badly down the stretch, allowing over 29 PPG over Weeks 13-17 and continuing to struggle in the playoffs — at least until Sunday's victory over the Bears.
That defense will need to hold its ground once more for the Rams to get back to the Super Bowl. Stafford and McVay’s offense can do the rest.
Seahawks Preview
The NFC road to the Super Bowl runs will end Seattle after back-to-back dominant defensive wins over the 49ers. The Seahawks have now won 11 straight home playoff games with fans in the stands.
These wins over San Francisco are this team’s identity in a nutshell. Seattle wins with defense first, then running the ball in between the tackles, and asking Sam Darnold to pass only when necessary.
Head coach Mike MacDonald’s defense is nasty. Seattle plays defense on the front foot, attacking the opponent and making life miserable. This defense shuts down the rushing attack and eliminates explosives.
Seattle’s special teams have also been historically great and will be a significant edge against every playoff opponent, and we saw them put Seattle up 7-0 on the game’s first play Saturday night, a Rashid Shaheed return touchdown.
The question is whether this is a Super Bowl offense.
Seattle is one of the league’s most run-heavy teams and has seen its rushing attack improve as the season has progressed. However, a once-powerful passing attack has been muted since teams started defending them differently at midseason.
The Seahawks dropped from first in Passing DVOA through 10 weeks to bottom quarter of the league since. Potential Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba has fallen off, and the offense has the second-most giveaways, with Darnold heavily at fault.
Darnold made the plays he needed against the Rams and 49ers to finish the season. Can he do it two more times?
