The Los Angeles Rams face one of their most important games of the season in Week 11. LA looks like the NFL's best team heading into an important divisional showdown with Seattle. Both teams are 7-2 and riding four-game winning streaks, but something will have to give on Sunday.
Winning the NFC West will be extremely important for both teams. If the playoffs started today, winning the division title is the difference between being the No. 2 seed with home-field advantage and the No. 5 seed.
It's a shame that this game isn't being flexed into primetime. But in fairness, the arguably more important matchup between these two teams in December will be on Thursday Night Football. And that game could have even more importance for playoff seeding.
But this game will still be a treat, even tucked into the late window of Week 11.
Can the Rams take care of business against the Seahawks? Or will they pick up just their third loss of the season against a division rival?
Below we will explore three Rams bold predictions ahead of their important divisional clash against the Seahawks on Sunday.
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Matthew Stafford spreads the ball around, peppering Seattle's defense
Stafford's prestige around the NFL increased a great deal after being traded to the Rams. But he is still not being fully appreciated in the twilight years of his career.
The 37-year-old quarterback is in the middle of one of his best seasons in the NFL. He has 2,427 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions through nine games. That has him on pace for roughly 4,600 yards and 47 touchdowns with just four interceptions.
It is not hyperbole to say that Stafford is a legit MVP candidate in 2025.
I mention this because Stafford is arguably the edge that LA has over Seattle. Or maybe more accurately, he's the only edge that matters.
If Stafford plays a great game against the Seahawks, he can absolutely come away with a victory. But against a strong Seahawks defense, I think he'll need to take whatever completions he can find.
I'm predicting that Stafford will complete passes to 10 different receivers against the Seahawks. In LA's last game, Stafford targeted nine different receivers. But we're going to go even bolder and say 10 receivers.
The veteran quarterback will also throw for at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Kyren Williams will have his worst rushing performance of the season vs. Seahawks
The natural inclination with these bold predictions is to predict something positive. But I feel like this could be a situation where Kyren struggles against a strong Seattle defense.
Williams is normally one of the most reliable parts of LA's offense. Not only is he an efficient runner, but Sean McVay makes it a priority to give Kyren the ball at least a dozen times each game. But this is not a good matchup for the fourth-year running back.
Seattle has only allowed 90.7 rushing yards per game so far this season. That is third in the NFL, behind only Houston and New England.
The Seahawks have proven that they are a good run defense unit against several different offensive schemes. But what worries me most is the possibility that Mike Macdonald-type defenses have figured out how to stop LA's running game.
Look no further than Macdonald's old team, the Ravens, who limited Kyren to 13 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown back in October.
At this point, I have no reason to doubt the Seahawks on defense until I start seeing some vulnerabilities.
I'm predicting that Kyren will have his worst rushing game of the year so far on Sunday.
He will either have his lowest amount of total rushing yards (below 50 yards) or have his least efficient game of the season (below 3.7 yards per carry.)
That should put pressure on LA's defense to keep them in the game without a strong rushing attack to close out the fourth quarter.
Rams sack Sam Darnold at least 3 times, squeak out one-score win
If the Rams want to beat the Seahawks, the key will be making Sam Darnold extremely uncomfortable.
The Lions left a blueprint for what happens when Darnold is under constant pressure. But the problem is that getting consistent pressure against him is easier said than done.
Darnold's time to throw has been the lowest of his career in Seattle. So LA will need to get creative and find ways to create pressure without sending huge blitzes.
I'm predicting that LA will sack Darnold at least three times, with one of those coming from Jared Verse.
If the Rams can limit the damage that the Seahawks can do running the football, then I believe they will win this game by one score.
But if that doesn't happen, this game could go either way.
