For the third time this season, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks will square off this season – this time with a whole lot on the line. On Saturday, the Rams visit the Seahawks at Lumen Field as the two teams fight for a ticket to the next round of the playoffs. Check out our preview of this game below.
Despite their shakiness towards the end of the regular season and the inconsistencies of their offense for most of the year, the Rams are headed to the playoffs. The Rams are 1-2 straight up in their last three games, a stretch that includes their sorry 23-20 loss to the New York Jets at home in Week 15. The most important item to watch out for regarding the Rams heading into the Wild Card weekend is the status of quarterback Jared Goff. He did not suit up in Week 17’s 18-7 home win over the Arizona Cardinals to recuperate from a recent thumb injury. Instead, the Rams survived by just having John Wolford, who had not thrown an NFL pass entering the game, under center. Wolford threw for 231 passing yards (22/38) without a touchdown while getting intercepted once against the Cardinals, but the Rams’ defense came through for the team. The hope for the Rams is that Goff will be ready by Saturday, and there’s a good chance that he will be, as he was seen throwing the ball in the warmups prior to Week 17’s date with Arizona.
The Rams, who defeated the Seahawks at home in Week 10, 23-16, finished the regular season with a 9-7 record against the spread.
The Seahawks’ defense hasn’t exactly been like the Legion of Boom of old. It’s far from that. However, Seattle’s stop unit has improved a lot of late. On the season, the Seahawks are allowing 23.2 points per game, but over their last three games, they have surrendered just 15.7 points — third-fewest in the NFL over that same stretch. In Week 17, the Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers on the road, 26-23. Russell Wilson has faded in the second half of the season after a blistering first half, but he showed he’s ready for the playoffs by tossing two touchdowns with zero interceptions against San Francisco. When the Seahawks avenged their loss in Week 10 to the Rams with a 20-9 home win over LA in Week 16, Wilson passed for 225 yards and a touchdown on 20-of-32 completions. He also rushed three times for nine yards and a TD. The key for the Seahawks is giving Wilson tougher pass protection, as he has been sacked 11 times in two meetings with the Rams this season.
The Seahawks are 4-1 against the spread in their last five home games.
