LA Rams get their rematch against the Seahawks in round one

The LA Rams face a familiar foe in round one of the NFL Playoffs. Toss the records, this is an NFC West division rivalry

The LA Rams may be the sixth-seeded in the NFL Playoffs. And the Rams may be on the road for round one of the 2020 NFL Playoffs. The Rams may even be returning to the postseason after missing competing altogether in 2019.  Yes, all of these things may indeed be true. But this is not the normal set of circumstances for a round one playoff game. In fact, this is nothing like a normal playoff game.

This is another game between NFC West division rivals.  Since the Rams hired head coach Sean McVay, the Rams have enjoyed a five-wins to three-losses advantage over the Seattle Seahawks. And over the course of the past four seasons, neither team has suffered a sub-.500 season. So this has never been a matter of a successful team beating up on some inferior competition. The two teams have been rather evenly matched.

2017 Week  5: Seahawks 16- Rams 10     (0-1)
2017 Week 15: Rams 42- Seahawks 7      (1-1)
2018 Week  5: Rams 33- Seahawks 31     (2-1)
2018 Week 10: Rams 36 – Seahawks 31   (3-1)
2019 Week  5: Seahawks 30 – Rams 29     (3-2)
2019 Week 14: Rams 28 – Seahawks 12    (4-2)
2020 Week 10: Rams 23 – Seahawks 16    (5-2)
2020 Week 16: Seahawks 20 – Rams 9       (5-3)

It’s not an overstatement to proclaim that these two teams know each other rather well.

Rams match up well against the Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are a dominating offense that has an adequate and improving defense. Conversely, the LA Rams are a dominating defense that has an adequate offense. So now it comes down to which team holds an advantage in this game? Let’s break it down by examining the Seahawks offense first.

In two games this year, the Seahawks have rushed  46 times for 208 yards. But quarterback Russell Wilson has been the source of 11 rushes and 69 yards. So the Rams have done an adequate job of holding the Rams running game in check. In the passing game, Wilson has completed 42 of 69 passes thrown for 473 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Wilson has also been sacked 11 times for 56 yards lost.  The Seahawks offense has averaged 28.7 points per game, and yet is averaging just 18 points per game against the Rams this year.

Rams offense

In two games this year, the Rams have rushed 58 times for 224 yards, Of that amount, quarterback Jared Goff rushed 12 times for 27 yards. In two games against the Seahawks this year, quarterback Jared Goff completed 51 of 80 passes for 536 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Goff was sacked six times for 37 yards. The Rams offense has averaged 23.3 points per game but averaged just 16 points against the Seahawks this season.

But the Rams may be featuring the second NFL start of quarterback John Wolford.  That could change the parameters of this game. After all, the Seahawks have the fifth-rank run defense in the NFL. But they have allowed 285 yards per game through the air, the second-worst pass defense in the NFL.  They have stiffened when it comes to allowing touchdowns, as their 23 passing touchdowns allowed is good enough for 11th-ranked in that category.

Punch it in

What offenses have been able to do against the Seahawks defense is to move the ball down the field with the passing game. After the team gets close enough to the end zone, successful offenses have switched to the running game to punch it in.  The Rams scored three rushing touchdowns against the Seahawks.

While backup quarterback is not as accurate as Jared Goff, he does offer some unique challenges to a Seattle Seahawks who have only faced Jared Goff in the past. Of course, that familiarity has not given Seattle an advantage, as the Rams have the edge in this matchup.  But as long as the Seahawks are guessing, the Rams have an edge in the pre-game preparation.  Round one of the NFL Playoffs for the Rams will simply be another game on the road to face the Seahawks. But if they win, they will likely be boarding a plane for Green Bay the following weekend.