In just a matter of hours, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams will meet in the first of two huge divisional clashes. Both teams are 7-2 and not only looking for the NFC West lead, but also pushing for the No. 1 seed in the conference. Week 11 is in Inglewood, where the Seahawks have won twice before against the Rams, but both times they were playing against backup quarterbacks. Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford are playing like MVP candidates, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua are looking like two of the five
best receivers in the NFL, and the defenses are among the best in the business.
It’s time for some predictions! Before we get into this showdown, let’s review how last week went!
Bold prediction: Coby Bryant keeps his interception streak going against the Cardinals
No one got an interception for Seattle. Maybe it’s a Kyler Murray thing for Coby.
Seahawks offense prediction: Rashid Shaheed scores a touchdown in his debut
Nope. He did pick up a couple of first downs, though!
Seahawks defense prediction: Nick Emmanwori records his first major stat
Ding, ding, ding! He got a half-sack of Jacoby Brissett. I’ll count it.
Arizona Cardinals prediction: Budda Baker records his first turnover vs. Seahawks since, well…
The only thing Budda recorded was a fine for his helmet shot on Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Game prediction: Seahawks win typical game over Cardinals
This had enough Seahawks vs. Cardinals nonsense to qualify as a correct prediction, albeit one more lopsided than my 27-17 scoreline had it out to be.
Bold prediction: Kenneth Walker scores a touchdown
This is very much a tongue-in-cheek bold prediction, but it’s not completely facetious. Walker hasn’t found the end zone since Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, when he scored twice. When the Seahawks are near the goal line, Walker ends up ceding carries to Zach Charbonnet (who leads all Seahawks with six touchdowns), A.J. Barner, and George Holani. At this point I feel like Robbie Ouzts and Byron Murphy II may end up getting some touches at some point.
Walker has played well recently, he just hasn’t had the touchdowns. Clearly the solution is to break a longer run since he doesn’t consistently get red zone carries. Let’s go for a 20+ yard touchdown for K9 to end his scoring drought. The Rams are also the only divisional opponent Walker hasn’t scored against, so maybe this is bolder than I realized.
Seahawks offense: Jaxon Smith-Njigba clears 100 yards again
The only reason why JSN didn’t get 100+ receiving yards against the Arizona Cardinals is because the Seahawks had little need to throw the ball with such a huge lead. Indeed his only games under 100 yards have been both Cardinals games (one blowout, one in which he was shut out in the first half) and the Saints (blowout). Anything else that has been competitive from start to finish and he’s cleared over 100 receiving yards.
As good as the Rams defense is, they are susceptible against number one options. They rank 27th in FTN’s DVOA against WR1s, which is ugly (Seattle, incidentally, ranks No. 1). Seattle’s passing game is still heavily predicated on feeding JSN, and it’s worked to near perfection between him and Sam Darnold. If there’s a lesser spot on the Rams defense, it’s at the cornerback position with Emmanuel Forbes and Cobie Durant. They haven’t performed terribly as much as they’re just not standouts compared to what they have in their front seven.
Seahawks defense: Ernest Jones makes a big play against his old team
This is the third time Ernest has played versus the Rams. His first game saw him drop a gimme interception from Matthew Stafford in last year’s 26-20 overtime loss, then he had a half-sack of Jimmy Garoppolo in the season finale. Much higher stakes on this occasion and he’s returning to the lineup after hurting his knee two weeks ago.
How am I defining big play? A sack with the game still in the balance, a turnover in which he’s involved (forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception, pressure leading to an interception, deflected pass picked off by a teammate), or even a timely pass breakup. There’s a lot of latitude here that will mostly depend on context of the game.
Rams prediction: Puka Nacua also goes for over 100 yards
I mentioned that the Seahawks are the best in the NFL at handling number one receivers. They’ve also had it pretty easy going in recent weeks in terms of opposition wide receiver strength. Nacua and Davante Adams are easily the best duo Seattle has faced all season, and they’re cooking in separate ways. If not for injury, Nacua might be right up there alongside JSN for receiving yards, while Adams has found the fountain of youth and scored nine touchdowns.
Puka is the main focus because he can get you on dig routes, 1-on-1 deep shots, screens, damn near everything. He’s a complete receiver who’s hard for even the best defenses and cornerbacks to stop. Nacua is going to have a very productive day, which isn’t to shade the Seahawks secondary, but to acknowledge he’s in that category of too difficult to stop.
Game prediction: Rams win Round 1
It’s hard to separate these two. I would be surprised by a blowout in either direction, and more surprised if it’s the Rams crushing the Seahawks.
I can’t totally pinpoint why I believe the Rams will win outside of the insane difficulty of continuing to win on the road like the Seahawks have in recent years. This game will mostly be decided at the line of scrimmage and while I see Seattle’s defensive front giving the Rams OL issues, the same can be said even more for the Rams and Messrs Verse, Turner, Poona, Fiske, etc. against a Seahawks offensive line that, while improved, may still struggle keeping Sam Darnold upright and opening up holes for Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.
Turnovers will be key and the Seahawks can’t stop committing them while the Rams have generally played very clean football, which may swing a tight contest in LA’s favor. Matthew Stafford hits some key passes to Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, the tight ends give Seattle’s pass defense some fits, and he leads a game-winning drive. I’m a little concerned about the run defense and the interior DL rotation going up against Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, too.
It’ll be a 27-24 Rams victory that will sting but not completely discourage everyone. There’s still a lot of season left. I believe the Seahawks will win the rematch in December and ultimately win the NFC West. If the Seahawks win this game, however? I would be disappointed if they didn’t win the division.
That’s a wrap for my predictions! Share yours in the comments! Preferably before the game starts!
