The Seattle Seahawks Week 18 contest against the Los Angeles Rams has some pretty big stakes for Seattle. While they don't exactly have great odds of making the playoffs, the Seahawks are still alive and fighting for the final wild card spot, and they have to win in order to have any shot of clinching that final spot. So with that in mind, let's take a look at our Seahawks Week 18 predictions as the game draws near.

For the Seahawks, the 2022 season has been wildly encouraging. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year after they traded away Russell Wilson last offseason, but instead, they have been in contention for a playoff spot since the get go. Even if they don't make it into the playoffs, this season will be an undeniable success for Seattle.

The Rams don't have anything left to play for, but will use the final game of the season to get another look at Baker Mayfield, who has had his moments since being picked up by Los Angeles. This should be a tightly contested game, so let's take a look at three bold predictions for the Seahawks as they try to find their way into the playoffs.

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3. Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen will record his seventh interception of the season, which ends up being the most in the NFL

The Seahawks defense has been a surprisingly competent unit for much of the 2022 season, and while they certainly aren't one of the best squads in the league, they were widely expected to be one of the worst defenses in the league. So while being 21st in the league in defensive DVOA isn't necessarily great, it's certainly been better than the initial expectation.

Part of that has been due to a wildly good rookie class for the Seahawks on both sides of the ball, and it looks like they may have found a star in the making in Tariq Woolen. Woolen is still a rookie who was taken in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he has immediately become one of the top lockdown corners in the game.

Woolen is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with six, and against a Rams offense that is still a work in progress with Mayfield under center, Woolen will have a chance to add to his tally. Woolen will do just that, picking up his seventh interception of the season, and when Week 18 wraps up, Woolen will stand alone as the league leader in interceptions in the 2022 season.

2. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III will rush for over 200 yards

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Another part of that strong Seahawks 2022 rookie draft class in Kenneth Walker III. Walker wasn't expected to have a massive role as a rookie with Rashaad Penny being the lead running back, but Penny lasted just five games before suffering a fractured fibula that ended his season, forcing Walker into the lead running back role.

Walker has been so good for Seattle that their offense hasn't skipped a beat. Walker has been so good for the Seahawks in the lead running back role that he may have made Penny irrelevant moving forward. Despite missing two games with injury, playing sparingly in his first three contests, and being forced to leave another one early, Walker is just 64 yards away from eclipsing the 1000-yard mark on the ground.

Walker has had some explosive games this season, and is coming off two straight 100-yard outings. Against a very vulnerable Rams run defense, Walker figures to be a huge part of Seattle's game plan as they attempt to keep their playoff hopes alive. Walker will have a massive day on the ground, and ends up surpassing the 200-yard mark on the day, helping the Seahawks pick up a crucial victory in Week 18.

1. The Seahawks will squeak out a 27-24 win over the Rams

Seattle's playoff hopes are complicated, but they need to win to have any shot of making it in. Assuming the Seahawks win, they would then need the Green Bay Packers to lose to the Detroit Lions in order to make it into the playoffs. It's not totally unlikely to happen, but it's going to be a tough task to accomplish.

Beating the Rams, who are just two weeks removed from dropping 51 points on the Denver Broncos, isn't going to be as straightforward as it seems. The Seahawks will get a good performance from Walker on the ground, but the Rams will also get a great rushing performance from Cam Akers, who has been on a tear to close out the season. Akers will pick up 150 yards on the ground while finding his way into the end zone twice as well.

Walker will score a touchdown himself, with Geno Smith finding DK Metcalf twice for the other two scores. Mayfield will lead a game-tying score late in the fourth quarter when he finds Tyler Higbee in the end zone, but Smith will have enough time to get the Seahawks in field goal range, and when he does that, Jason Myers does the rest, and hits a game-winning 52-yard field goal to extend Seattle's playoff for at least a few more hours.