Our Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks prediction takes a look at the Week 18 matchup that features a strong NFC West rivalry. Let’s dive into the current NFL betting odds, key storylines to watch, and make a prediction for the game. Note that all odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Monday, Jan. 2.
Rams vs. Seahawks Odds
- Spread
Seahawks -6.5 - Moneyline
Seahawks -285 - Over/Under
41 points
Rams vs. Seahawks Prediction
The Rams had one of the surprise scores in Week 16 with a 51-14 trouncing of the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day. Unfortunately, they came crashing back down to earth in Week 17 against the team that they share the city with, the LA Chargers.
The playoff-bound Chargers were able to secure a 31-10 victory over the Rams last week, with the latter now holding a disappointing 5-11 record on the season. After winning the Super Bowl just under a year ago, the Rams have taken a massive fall, and some major questions loom regarding their future.
The big storyline going into this matchup for LA is whether or not this is Sean McVay’s last game as a head coach. Rumors have swirled recently regarding McVay’s status in the NFL and whether or not he could potentially walk away and head into the broadcast booth as early as 2023.
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Only time will tell to indicate whether there’s any validity to those rumors, but it’s a fascinating storyline going into an otherwise meaningless game. If McVay does end up retiring, what are the trickle effects for the rest of this roster?
Does Aaron Donald retire? Does Matthew Stafford walk away? This Rams team could potentially look drastically different the next time they take the field after this game.
As for Seattle, they’re on the verge of doing what absolutely no one thought possible just a few short months ago: making the playoffs. After the Russell Wilson trade — and surveying the rest of the roster — it seemed like an impossibility that the Seahawks could compete with the rest of the teams in their division, let alone make the playoffs.
However, thanks to Pete Carroll’s coaching and Geno Smith’s re-emergence, Seattle has a chance to punch their ticket into the NFL postseason here in Week 18 with a victory over a struggling Rams team and a Green Bay loss to Detroit.
After struggling a bit over the previous three weeks leading into Week 17, Seattle got back on track and was able to secure a victory over a reeling Jets team to move to 8-8 on the season. The playoffs are right in their grasp now. Can they secure it?
The key to winning this matchup is to slow down the sudden re-emergence of the Rams’ running game with Cam Akers. The talented RB struggled early on in the season, but he’s been on a tear recently and is the key to making this makeshift Rams offense move.
If Seattle can tighten things up in the run defense department, which they have struggled to do lately, they should be able to do enough on offense to walk away with a victory and put themselves in contention for the last playoff spot in the NFC.
Rams vs. Seahawks Score Prediction
Seahawks 21, Rams 14