Rams Get Another Leg Up on Seahawks in Early Offseason

The Los Angeles Rams will be monitoring the Seattle Seahawks very closely this offseason.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws against Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) during the second half in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Following the Los Angeles Rams' Week 11, 21-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks, it seemed as though there was officially a new big brother and little brother dynamic in the NFC West. At that point, LA had strung together essentially four straight wins against its divisional rival, not counting 2024's Week 18 affair, when the Rams had already clinched the strength of victory tiebreaker over Seattle.

The Seahawks' decision to replace Geno Smith with Sam Darnold at quarterback seemed to doom their chances of beating Los Angeles. After that defeat, Darnold was 0-3 in his last three bouts with the Rams, including his playoff stinker with the Minnesota Vikings, when he turned the ball over twice, took nine sacks, and only mustered nine points in the Wild Card exit.

Jan 25, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with the trophy on the podium after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Sam Darnold loses his secret weapons against Rams

After going 0-2 against the Los Angeles Rams in 2024 for the Minnesota Vikings, it appeared that Sam Darnold had no answers for their defense or pass rush. That sentiment was only further compounded in his first game against LA with the Seattle Seahawks, when he turned the ball over four times in the Week 11 loss.

However, Darnold seemed to exorcise his demons a month later, evening the season series with the Rams in a 38-37 overtime thriller of a victory. He still threw two picks in that one, but he was nearly perfect in the fourth quarter and the extra period to get his Seahawks that crucial win, one that essentially allowed Seattle to claim the NFC West, the No. 1 seed in the conference, and the first-round bye.

An up-close look at Sam Darnold, Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe warming up with QB coach Andrew Janocko. pic.twitter.com/OYPuRYtk4P

— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) August 3, 2025

He was even better his next time out versus LA. In the NFC Championship, he threw for 346 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers on over 69 percent completion, leading the Seahawks to a narrow 31-27 win to get his team into the Super Bowl. Now, the Rams and General Manager Les Snead need to figure out how to even the playing field against Darnold and Seattle once again.

Thankfully, LA has gotten some outside help. Immediately following the Seahawks' Super Bowl LX victory over the New England Patriots, Seattle's offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak announced that he was taking the job as the new head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Shortly after that hiring, Sin City poached another member of the Seahawks' championship staff, quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, to be its new OC. The Raiders managed to rip away arguably the two most instrumental voices that contributed to Darnold's development this past season. The Rams couldn't have sabotaged their divisional rival any better themselves.

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