The Los Angeles Rams face the Seattle Seahawks in the de facto NFC West championship game on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 16. L.A. got the better of Seattle in the first matchup, intercepting Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold four times in the 21-19 win.
With the tiebreaker for the division crown at play in primetime, I again spoke with John Gilbert from Field Gulls to ask about how the Rams can get under Darnold’s skin again, Seattle’s improvement at home and more in this Q&A on a short week.
Q – Seattle was a 14-point favorite at home against the Philip Rivers-led Colts on Sunday, and needed a 56-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining to pull off the win. What was the reason for such a close game?
A – The two games in which the Seahawks have appeared to come out completely flat under Mike Macdonald happened to be the loss to the New York Giants in 2024 and the win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Interestingly, in both instances, it was the game preceding a key Thursday Night Football game against a division rival. In 2024, it was a matchup against the 49ers, and this year it is obviously the Rams. Maybe Macdonald simply doesn’t work to get the team quite as fired up when they play twice in five days, maybe the team was looking ahead to the Thursday matchup, or maybe it’s just randomness.
Q – The Seahawks were awful at home in Mike Macdonald’s first season. Seattle is 5-2 at home this season, compared to 3-6 in 2024. What is a possible explanation for the improvement?
A – A lot of the difference simply comes down to the schedule. In 2024 that 3-6 record included four losses at home to playoff teams. That includes the Bills, Rams, Packers and Vikings, along with a fifth loss to the 49ers earlier in the year before everyone got injured and the wheels came off completely.
In contrast, this season the home slate has served up the likes of the Saints, Vikings, Cardinals and the Philip Rivers-quarterbacked Colts, so it’s been a lot easier to navigate. With that in mind, they did lose to both the 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home this season, so even though they’ve been better at home, they haven’t been invincible.
Q – Seattle cut ties with longtime players Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf this offseason, and the offense hasn’t missed a beat with them gone. Besides JSN’s growth, how has the offense progressed beyond those two during the team’s offseason overhaul?
A – The biggest thing the Seattle offense has done to move the ball at a torrid pace is to convince the rest of the NFL that they want to run the ball early and often, inviting opponents to stack the box. Once opponents do that, offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has been great at generating explosive plays, in particular to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has been absolutely phenomenal and an absolutely unstoppable force.
Q – The last time the Rams and Seahawks faced off, quarterback Sam Darnold was back to seeing ghosts as he had 4 interceptions. Could you provide further insight on those interceptions and how many of them were actually on Darnold?
A – A lot of Darnold’s production through the air this season has come from using heavy personnel groupings and then taking advantage of secondaries that don’t have enough bodies on the field to cover JSN well enough to slow him down. Teams that have used extensive nickel and dime packages while mixing in coverage rotations and presenting a consistent pass rush have befuddled Darnold enough to greatly hamstring the offense at times.
Of the four interceptions he threw against the first matchup against the Rams, two came on third down and another was 1st & 20. Long story short, he struggles in passing situations and under pressure, so if opponents are able to put him under pressure in passing situations, it’s often a recipe for disaster.
Q – What is your final score prediction for this game?
A – I expect another close, low-scoring game from the two teams, but until Seattle proves that they can defeat McVay and Stafford, I’ll be picking the Rams, so 20-16 is my prediction.
