The Seahawks will take on the Rams in the NFC Championship Game. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. EST at Lumen Field in Seattle. The game will be broadcast live on FOX. Here's everything you need to know about Seahawks vs. Rams odds, the latest NFL spreads, NFL over/unders, and more.
The Seahawks opened as a -2.5 point favorite over the Rams and are favored at 58 cents to win. Meanwhile, the Rams are priced at 43 cents on Fanatics Markets to pull off the upset. The total is set at over/under 47.5 total points scored.
Seahawks vs Rams Prediction
My Seahawks vs Rams Pick: Over 47.5 points
My Rams vs. Seahawks best bet is on the over at 47.5 points.
Seahawks vs. Rams Odds
(If you're unfamiliar with Fanatics Markets, read more here.)
Seahawks vs. Rams Betting Preview
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are coming off three straight dominant performances. Seattle defeated the Carolina Panthers on the road 27-10 in Week 17 to set up a winner-take-all game in the NFC West against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18, during which the Seahawks completely stopped San Francisco's offense in its tracks and won 13-3.
Seattle then came off its first-round bye and showed no signs of rust in a dominant 41-6 Divisional Round rout of the 49ers.
If that version of the Seahawks' defense comes out again on Sunday, it's going to be hard for the Rams, let alone either of the remaining AFC teams, to get enough offensive production to stop the Seahawks from winning the Super Bowl.
However, while Seattle has been strong on defense recently, the offense has had its fair share of struggles, especially through the air. Despite the three dominant wins, Sam Darnold hasn't surpassed 200 passing yards since the Week 16 overtime matchup with the Rams.
The ground game has carried Seattle in its two recent games against the 49ers, posting 175 yards in the playoff victory and 180 yards in the regular season finale. The Seahawks have had that luxury because of how well their defense has played, but if Los Angeles (which is a significantly better offensive team than either Carolina or San Fransicso) can keep this a little closer, Seattle might have to rely on Darnold a bit more than it wants to.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams were on the road for the first two rounds of the playoffs, and also for four of the past five weeks overall. They lost the last two road games to end the regular season, but won each of their first two in the playoffs to make it to the NFC Championship game.
The last time Los Angeles played against Seattle, the Rams choked away a 16-point fourth-quarter lead, missed what would have been a go-ahead field goal, and eventually lost in overtime.
However, after lackluster performances in the early-season matchup between the Rams and the Seahawks, Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua went off in the Week 16 rematch, with Stafford throwing for 457 yards and three touchdowns, and Nacua hauling in 12 receptions for 225 yards and two touchdowns.
Los Angeles was able to score 30 points in regulation and a touchdown in overtime in the 38-37 loss despite missing starting right guard Kevin Dotson and wide receiver Davante Adams.
A fully healthy Rams offense could be just the right group to end the Seahawks' run of dominance, but L.A.'s defense will definitely need to play a lot better than it has down the stretch.
Seahawks vs. Rams Pick
Essentially, the pick here relies upon which version of Seahawks vs. Rams is more likely to repeat itself.
When these teams combined for just 40 total points in the first edition of Seattle vs. Los Angeles this season, it was an incredibly sloppy game. On the Rams' side, Matthew Stafford was just 15-for-28 for 130 yards, Davante Adams had one catch for one yard on eight targets, and Puka Nacua lost a fumble for the first time in his NFL career. On the Seahawks' side, Sam Darnold threw for zero touchdowns and four interceptions, and Jason Myers missed a game-winning field goal (albeit from 61 yards).
Even though the playoffs will likely bring out some combination of the two regular-season matchups, the second game, which was 30-30 heading into overtime, is much more indicative of how these teams stack up against each other.
With that in mind, and also going with the theory that in this age of football, elite offense will beat elite defense, I'm taking the over and expecting a final score that reaches the 28-21 or 28-24 range (or even higher).
My Pick: Over 47.5 Total Points
