Seahawks vs. Rams Wild Card Round Predictions
After an unprecedented season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the playoffs have finally arrived and the Seahawks will aim to begin a lengthy run towards a return to the Super Bowl when they host the Rams in the Wild Card round at Lumen Field.
Considering these two bitter NFC West rivals will be facing off for the second time in three weeks, anything is bound to happen. Will the Seahawks remain undefeated at home in the postseason under coach Pete Carroll? Or will the Rams play spoiler and enact a bit of revenge to advance to the Divisional Round?
Our writers make their picks for Saturday's much-anticipated playoff grudge match:
Corbin Smith
Seahawks 24, Rams 20
Regardless of who plays under center for the Rams, whether it is Jared Goff or John Wolford, Sean McVay will surely have schematic adjustments ready to go after the Seahawks held them to nine points three weeks ago. Expect their offense to be more productive this time around, especially with running back Cam Akers and left tackle Andrew Whitworth back in the lineup. With that said, Russell Wilson is due to for a big game and found his groove a bit in the fourth quarter against the 49ers last weekend. This will be a tight contest throughout just as the first two matchups between these two teams were, but Seattle wins the turnover battle and three touchdown passes by Wilson lead the team back to the Divisional Round for the second straight year.
Nick Lee
Seahawks 24, Rams 20
The Seahawks haven’t lost a home playoff game since the 2004 season. However, they’ve always had the support of the rabid 12s in the building, but not this time. They will need to be extra sharp given that they just beat the Rams two weeks ago and you know Sean McVay is going to cook up a new game plan after stewing on that loss. The defense needs to play exactly like it did in that second matchup, getting pressure on whoever is playing quarterback. I feel like the Seahawks will need a turnover or two to win this game and based on how the defense has played in the last several weeks, they can do it. DK Metcalf needs to shake loose from Jalen Ramsey for a score as well. This will be a lot tighter than it was two weeks ago, but the home team prevails.
Ty Gonzalez
Seahawks 23, Rams 21
For all the uncertainty surrounding the health of the Rams, particularly with quarterback Jared Goff, this game feels impossible to predict. But if watching the Seahawks this season - or any season in the Pete Carroll era for that matter - has taught me anything, it's that one thing is for certain: this game is going to get weird. This feels like the perfect setup for a vintage, emotional rollercoaster of a Seahawks victory on a goal line stand or, for the sake of my score prediction, a game-winning Jason Myers field goal or a missed game-winner by Rams kicker Matt Gay. I'm feeling the latter.
Colby Patnode
Seahawks 21, Rams 17
The Seahawks are hosting their first playoff game since 2016 and unfortunately, the 12s won't be there to help them along. They'll be facing a familiar opponent in the Rams. Just two weeks ago, Seattle suffocated Sean McVay's offense in route to a 20-9 win. But the Rams are getting key players back and looking for revenge. The Seahawks may have new threats to worry about, mostly the legs of John Wolford, and the Rams will surely have a counter-punch planed. It's hard to imagine the Rams scoring more than 20 points right now, so Seattle's offense has a low bar to clear. And yet, I wonder if they can? The offense has been less than inspiring recently. But today, two good defenses will battle and in a quest for points, I'll take Russell Wilson over John Wolford any day. Seattle grinds out a win that comes down to the wire.
Final Season Standings
Patnode 13-3
Lee 11-5
Smith 11-5
Gonzalez 10-6
Prasad 9-7
