Look who’s back at the top of the mountain in the NFC. The defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks have swept all before them in their last five games and are now in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Only the St. Louis Rams are left standing in their way, a team which already owns a victory over the Super Bowl champions this year.
Can the Rams complete the unlikely sweep or will the Seahawks get their revenge and homefield throughout the playoffs? Read on below for more on this Week 17 matchup.
Also in Week 17, the Seahawks’ two competitors for that No. 1 seed, the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions, prepare to slug it out for the NFC North title. Click here for our preview of that crucial division clash.
[sc:Football ]St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks Betting Preview and Prediction
Where: CenturyLink Field, Seattle
When: Sunday, December 28, 1:00 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Rams +13 at Seattle Seahawks -13; total 41.0 – see all NFL lines
Betting on the St. Louis Rams
So the Rams’ 76 points and back-to-back shutouts over the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins turned out to be a bit of a mirage. Both their offense and their defense were exposed in their back-to-back losses to the Arizona Cardinals (12-6) and New York Giants (37-27).
[sc:NFL240banner ]Neither quarterback Shaun Hill (20-for-39, 229 yards) nor the running game (69 yards on 20 carries) could produce much against a very formidable Cardinal defense. Meanwhile, their defense was burned for 391 yards and three touchdowns through the air by Eli Manning, Odell Beckham Jr. and the Giants.
Consistency has been an issue for the Rams all season, but they’ve showed on a couple of occasions – i.e. their wins over both of last year’s Super Bowl teams – that they can step up in the big occasions.
The challenge for the Rams will be to recreate their winning Week 7 performance against the Seahawks, wherein a lot of breaks went their way. Unheralded quarterback Austin Davis went 17 for 20 for 155 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie Tre Mason burst onto the scene with 85 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. Even the special teams made two crucial plays, including a big 90-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Mason had another strong showing with 76 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown against the Giants. However, his fine play will be difficult to replicate against a Seahawks run defense that has given up 64 rushing yards and below in four of their last five games.
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Betting on the Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are peaking at exactly the right time on both sides of the ball. For the first few games of their five-game winning streak, it was the defense that received the plaudits. But in their 35-6 demolition of the Arizona Cardinals, who were previously unbeaten at home, it was the offense that rightly grabbed the headlines.
The Seahawks produced a franchise-high 596 yards of total offense, mostly through big plays, against a very formidable Cardinal defense. Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson both broke out runs of 50 or more yards. Tight end Luke Willson had 139 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just three catches, including an 80-yard score. Top receiver Doug Baldwin also had 113 yards and a 49-yard catch.
Wilson finished with a career regular season high 339 passing yards and two touchdowns, while he and Lynch combined for 203 of the team’s 267 rushing yards on just 16 carries, with three touchdowns. The Seahawks’ outstanding rushing attack will look to get after a fading Rams run defense that has 143 and 128 rushing yards to the Cards and Giants, respectively, two teams in the bottom 10 in rushing yards per game this season.
Meanwhile, the defense remained strong as ever, allowing just 29 rushing yards and forcing Cards quarterback Ryan Lindley to a 41 percent completion percentage on 44 pass attempts. Seattle’s D has allowed a grand total of three touchdowns and five field goals in its last five games.
A suddenly explosive offense, combined with a Steel Curtain-like defense, makes the Seahawks an incredibly scary team to face. Add the 12th man and the increbile homefield advantage of CenturyLink Field to the mix and they seem almost unbeatable. They’re 6-1 at home this season (5-2 against the spread).
Writer’s Prediction
The Seahawks stroll to another home win over the Rams.
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