NFL analysts split on predicting winner of Seahawks-Rams Week 11 showdown

It's the NFL's Game of the Year ... so far. Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams, with the winner getting the inside track on the NFC West and becoming the conference's favorite to get to Super Bowl LX. So, who will win?

The Rams beat the San Francisco 49ers, 42-26, last week to win their fourth in a row and improve to 7-2. The Seahawks trounced the Arizona Cardinals, 44-22, to win their fourth in a row and improve to 7-2. They are by far the two hottest - best? - teams in the NFC.

The Seahawks are underdogs on the road despite winning their last 11 away from home, including four this season. They sport the NFL's leading receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and an MVP-candidate quarterback in Sam Darnold who in his last two first halfs has completed 25 of 26 passes for 449 yards and five touchdowns.

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Seattle has led its last two games at halftime by scores of 31-7 and 38-7, and has won consecutive games by 20+ points for the first time since 2015.

Rams' quarterback Matthew Stafford, believe it or not, is playing even better football than Darnold. In torching the Niners, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 4+ touchdowns and 0 interceptions in three consecutive games.

The Seahawks (+103) and Rams (+98) have the NFC's two best point differentials and trail only the Indianapolis Colts' +115.

The showdown is so tight that even the experts are split on predicting the outcome. On USA Today's six-man panel, three pick the Rams and three the Seahawks. A look at their projections:

Seahawks-Rams | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

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Jon Hoefling: Seattle Seahawks

The Rams struggle against heavy personnel sets and the Seahawks run a lot of heavy personnel.

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Tyler Dragon: Los Angeles Rams

This is a game of the week. The Rams and Seahawks are two of the best teams in the NFC. Both teams are on a four-game winning streak. It's a pick 'em game, but the Rams are at home.

Christopher Bumbaca: Seattle Seahawks

Picking against the Rams feels so wrong.

Lorenzo Reyes: Los Angeles Rams

This is a sneaky good game, with both teams sitting at 7-2 against the spread. It's a divisional game, so it should be tight. That said, as long as it's less than a field goal, I'll ride the road favorite Rams. If it climbs to -3.5, however, I'd flip and go Seattle - I think it will be that close.

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Jordan Mendoza: Los Angeles Rams

A really intriguing matchup to see who can be the top dog in the NFC. The Rams are able to separate itself with its lethal ground and air attack.

Blake Schuster: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are 7-2 against the spread this season and has a defense capable of keeping their four-game cover streak going.