Rams vs. Seahawks: Preview, score prediction for Week 15

Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks

It’s a key NFC West matchup as the Los Angeles Rams (9-4) face the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) in a battle for first place in the division. The two met in early October, with the Seahawks prevailing 16-10.

That means, should the home team win this one, they would be in control of the division thanks to the tiebreaker. For Los Angeles, a win puts plenty of space between them and their closest competitor.

With the postseason just around the corner, which of these teams will prevail on Sunday in this huge Week 15 matchup? Let’s dive in.

Los Angeles Keys To Victory

Ignore the noise: The crowd in Seattle is historically loud, and the Rams are pretty young. This team — and especially quarterback Jared Goff — need to do all they can to ignore the noise that inevitably will be there.

Test the secondary: With cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Kam Chancellor out, the Legion of Boom is nowhere near as strong as they once were. Goff has to be willing to let it loose and test these guys early and often.

Bring the heat: The Seattle offensive line is terrible. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is constantly under duress, and the Rams need to make sure their edge rushers make him uncomfortable.

Seattle Keys To Victory

Force the turnovers: One of the key reasons Seattle won the first matchup was the fact they kept Goff from throwing any touchdowns, and forced two interceptions out of the second-year quarterback. They need to do all they can to repeat that success, which will be harder given the injuries in the secondary. Still, they know this team well and need to find ways to get their offense some short fields to work with.

Establish the run: Seattle has struggled to run the ball, but the Rams have struggled to stop it. This would be a good time for the Seahawks to find their ground game. Despite the numbers, it won’t be easy as no one had more than 20 yards on the ground for Seattle in their last meeting. In order to prevent having Wilson under fire all game, Seattle needs to keep the Rams defensive linemen guessing. The only way to do that, is to provide at least the threat of the run.

Stuff the run: As mush as they need to run the ball themselves, the Seattle defensive line needs to take Rams running back Todd Gurley out of the game. While they’re turning into more of a passing team, his powerful runs are effective and his energy becomes contagious. They have to make sure he doesn’t become an x-factor in this one.

Odds

Point Spread: Seattle -2.5
Moneyline: Los Angeles +121, Seattle -134
Over/Under: 47.5

Next: NFL: 5 Teams on upset alert in Week 15

Prediction

The Seahawks missed a golden opportunity when L.A. lost last week. Instead of being able to tie things up, they dropped one to Jacksonville, then tried to get into a fight with people in the stands. This Seahawks team just doesn’t scare people anymore. For the Rams, they’re coming off a heartbreaking eight-point loss to the Eagles, and after the last time they were beat by a good team (the Minnesota Vikings), they responded with a narrow win against another potential playoff team in the New Orleans Saints. Watch them do it again.

Final Score: Los Angeles Rams: 31, Seattle Seahawks: 27