It’s NFC Championship time, everybody! It’s been these two teams circling each other all along, as the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks have proven to be amongst the cream of the crop in the 2025
NFL season.
Ahead of one of the most anticipated games in Seattle Seahawks history, let’s take a look at three names who had their struggles in the Seahawks’ last game against the LA Rams. That game was a thrilling OT win that broke the dam of good vibes in the PNW.
This trio was far from the worst performers on the team that day, so this is not a blame game; each even made some very key plays as well. With that, these Seahawks are capable of more than they did in that game, and I am excited to see them take it as an opportunity to own the narrative.
Cooper Kupp
Week 16 was a nightmare game for Kupp. He whiffed on a couple of key blocks (usually his forte), sandwiched around a lost fumble in the red zone. Coop did bounce back and led the team in receiving yards (60) in last week’s destruction of the 49ers. This is his true shot at redemption, revenge and a history-making hand in another Super Bowl run for Eastern Washington’s favorite son.
Jalen Sundell
This one is easy pickings, as Week 16 was Sundell’s first game back from a knee-induced 4-game stint on IR. It looked rough out there. He gave up multiple pressures and run stuffs to former Seahawk, Poona Ford. The instances with the worst timing was when he got beat for a pressure that led to Sam Darnold scrambling and having to settle for a painful incompletion in OT.
That exact scenario had played out earlier, against Kobie Turner as well.
He’s not the only one.
Offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak will expect more reliability from Sundell now that he’s back in a groove and has been playing well since Week 16. He has looked like a solid starting center for Seattle for most of the year.
Ernest Jones IV
Another former Ram! It’s fair to think that Los Angeles HC, Sean McVay knows these guys’ strengths and weaknesses well… and it looked like it in the 1st half of the game in Seattle during the regular season. Jones looked tentative coming out, getting lost in the wash of a run play at least once, getting fooled by a run fake on a pass over the middle and being the underneath defender on Puka Nacua’s first big catch.
It wasn’t all bad, as Jones did make some solid run stops early. A funny thing happened, however, as EJIV came out of halftime looking leagues different. He helped to make a goal line run stuff, ripped down Nacua short of the sticks on a 3rd and 8 and had tight coverage on multiple occasions. He was also THIS close to nabbing a game-changing INT in overtime.
The Seattle Seahawks will need Jones to bring it for four quarters in order to beat a very good team. His second half showing is telling of his grit. Don’t let McVay get in your head, buddy. You are an impact player on a championship caliber defense! He balled out with a monster performance in the Divisional Round that earned him 90.3 grade from PFF.
A chance to knock out two division rivals to face a former Super Bowl opponent in your most hated rivals’ stadium? It’s what dream seasons are made of. Time to go make this right.
