The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams will face off for the third time this season on Saturday, and in each meeting, the stakes have only gone higher.
Their first game was a Week 10 clash that pitted two of the NFC West’s best teams, while their second game was a Week 16 battle that decided the league’s most competitive division. Their third meeting, meanwhile, will determine which team gets to play in the Divisional Round against either the New Orleans Saints or Chicago Bears next week.
The Seahawks and Rams enter the playoffs trending in opposite directions. Seattle began the season relying on MVP caliber performances by quarterback Russell Wilson while being weighed down by a porous defense. But that defense has found its form and has allowed an average of just 16 points in their last eight games. That has ranked as the best in the NFL, which helped the Seahawks win four straight and secure their fifth NFC West title in the Pete Carroll era.
The Rams, on the other hand, have lost two of their last three games to end the regular season, including a stunning 23-20 defeat to the previously winless New York Jets in Week 15. Los Angeles now enters the playoffs with some uncertainty, as it’s still unclear whether starting quarterback Jared Goff or his backup John Wolford will start on Saturday.
A thumb injury prevented Goff from playing in the Rams’ Week 17 game against the Arizona Cardinals, but Wolford did well in his first career start, leading Los Angeles to an 18-7 victory to punch their playoff ticket. But despite an impressive performance in his NFL debut, a lot will depend on whether the Rams will have Goff or Wolford under center against the Seattle.
Here are four predictions for what should be an exciting Wild Card Round game:
1. Russell Wilson passes for two touchdowns
Wilson and the Seahawks will face the Rams defense for the second time in three weeks, and should have some familiarity with it. But this unit still led the NFL in almost every defensive category, allowing the fewest total yards (281.9), passing yards (190.7), and total points per game (18.5). In the teams’ previous meetings, the 32-year old recorded two touchdowns and two interceptions, has been held to fewer than 250 passing yards in each game, and has been sacked a combined 11 times.
Rams defensive end Aaron Donald, who has a chance to win his third Defensive Player of the Year award, believes his team has the pieces to make a deep playoff run like they did a couple of years ago. The seven-time Pro Bowler has excelled in games against the Seahawks, with 16 pressures in two games. But having Wilson under center and a receiving corps that includes DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will always make the Seattle offense a threat, and it’s hard to see the eight-time Pro Bowler missing an opportunity to strengthen his legacy when he returns to the playoffs on Saturday.
2. Tyler Lockett or DK Metcalf finally find the end zone
Lockett and Metcalf each have 10 touchdowns to their names this season, so this doesn’t seem like much of a bold prediction. But both of the Seahawks’ wide receivers have been largely held in check by the Rams defense in their two meetings. Metcalf has been shadowed by four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and had just two catches for 28 receiving yards and six catches for 59 receiving yards in their two meetings.
Lockett, meanwhile, had five catches for 66 receiving yards in their Week 10 contest and three catches for 44 receiving yards in their Week 16 game. The only touchdown pass Wilson has thrown against Los Angeles this season was to tight end Jacob Hollister in their latest meeting two weeks ago, but Lockett and Metcalf will have another opportunity to change that.
With the Rams offense struggling in recent weeks, a big performance like the one Lockett had in Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, or a touchdown from either of Wilson’s two favorite targets this season, will go a long way in helping Seattle reach the Divisional Round for the second straight year.
3. Seattle's defense holds the Rams below 25 points
If the teams met early in the season, it’s hard to imagine the Seahawks’ defense putting the clamps and slowing down a team like the Rams. But after a 44-34 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, the most points allowed by Seattle in Carroll’s tenure, the defense has quietly become one of the league’s best. Since the loss to the Bills, no team has scored more than 23 points against the Seahawks, and the team has done 6-2 in those games.
There was concern that strong safety Jamal Adams could miss the game, but the three-time Pro Bowler said that there was no question he would play against the Rams. In the team’s latest injury report, only cornerback Shaquill Griffin and defensive tackle Jarran Reed were listed as questionable, although they are still vital cogs of the Seahawks defense.
For the Rams offense, Goff has been throwing in practice and is officially listed as questionable, while top wide receiver Cooper Kupp and veteran offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth have been activated and should be able to give the offense a boost. But on Saturday, whether it is Goff or Wolford who starts, the Seahawks will have a chance to prove that their improvement on defense is legitimate.
4. The Seahawks fend off the Rams and advance to the Divisional Round
Rams head coach Sean McVay has had success against the Seahawks, compiling a 5-3 record against Carroll over the last four seasons. Seattle, however, won their most recent matchup, holding McVay’s team down to just nine points, and will be playing at home, although they will be without their 12th man.
With Los Angeles boasting of the league’s best defense and Seattle having one that improved over the course of the season, the game will likely be a low-scoring affair instead of a shootout. Having Wilson under center compared to either Goff, who will be coming off an injury, or Wolford, who could play in just his first playoff game, should give the Seahawks a better chance of pulling out a win and advancing to the Divisional Round for the second straight year, even if Donald and the Rams defense keep things close.
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