Why Rams-Seahawks Is the NFL's Next Great Rivalry

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks will face off in the first of their annual two-game series with this contest set up to define the narratives that will consume the news towards the end of the season.

For both teams, this Sunday serves as an opportunity. A win gives the victor sole possession of first place in the NFC West and the second seed in the NFC.

However, there's more to this matchup and due to the people involved, here's why Sunday should be a hard hitting contest that should set up the foundation for the NFL's next great rivalry.

Two Sides of the Same Coin

Whether it was the fact that Sean McVay was too young or Pete Carroll was too established, but the Rams and Seahawks during the McVay era never engaged in a rivalry that reached the magnitude of the Rams and 49ers.

The Rams were busy dealing with their Northern California neighbor while Seattle was preoccupied with adjusting to life after the Legion of Boom. They were like two ships passing in the night. While the teams did engage in fiery matchups, nothing materialized despite the Rams defeating the Seahawks in the 2021 NFC Wild Card round.

That should change on Sunday as Sean McVay, the NFL's premier offensive mind and the league's golden boy takes on Mike Macdonald, the man at the forefront of defensive evolution and a Seahawks team looking to make a statement.

These are two coaches who naturally oppose each other philosophically while being in the same age range, commanding two young teams who have balanced the perfect amount of veteran influence and the ambitions of the young and the bold. Both sides will show respect, but they're looking to dominate and to do so for one another against a common enemy.

That's the catalyst. There's zero chance this game doesn't get hot quickly. Seattle loves to bruise and bang on offense and they have a defense full of studs. They also have former members of the Rams who didn't leave Los Angeles on the best of terms in Cooper Kupp, Ernest Jones, and Derion Kendrick.

Oct 12, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10) warms up before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

The Seahawks also have a triple crown contender in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua. Both men are in the top five for receptions and receiving yards.

So with so much on the line and with the narratives waiting to be written, this game has every reason to be explosive and it will be? Why? Because these guys care and when two teams are well coaches, filled with team-oriented players, and are fighting for success face off, it's a fist fight to the finish and these teams are one to handle a loss well.

And before tempers can cool, these teams are set to rematch in a little over five weeks.

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