Seattle Seahawks @ Los Angeles Rams
Sunday, November 16th, 4:05 PM ET
Arguably the two best teams in the NFL, the LA Rams and Seattle Seahawks play each other for the first time this season, and this could honestly be a teaser for the NFC Championship Game this year. Both squads are led by high-end quarterbacks and elite coaching staffs.
But each team got to where they are a little bit differently. We’re already in year five of the Matthew Stafford era in LA, and he’s now playing the best football of his career and should be seen as an MVP candidate.
Sam Darnold broke out with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 and signed with Seattle this past offseason on a three-year deal. Both teams are coming off huge wins in Week 10 and are each 7-2. The winner of this division might end up hosting the NFC Championship Game, at the very least.
Right now, I would give the nod to the Los Angeles Rams in this one - this game is home for LA, and the duo of Stafford and head coach Sean McVay is one of the very best in football, but the aggressive Seattle defense will have something to say about that.
You really can’t go wrong in predicting a winner here. You might prefer the high-flying, downfield passing of the Seahawks or the uber-efficient Stafford. I am going to pick the Rams in this one by three points in a higher scoring game.
Both offenses are too talented to not score multiple touchdowns, and both Stafford and McVay are both more proven than Mike Macdonald and Sam Darnold. LA gets this one on a late field goal.
Since both teams are 7-2 and tied atop the NFC West, each game is going to mean a ton, as going on the road in the playoffs is much harder than playing at home.