NFL trusting Rams-Seahawks to provide another photo finish in 2026

The NFL got everything it asked for and then some out of last season's Week 16 matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. A miraculous fourth-quarter comeback. A punt return touchdown. Overtime. 

That Thursday night game felt like a playoff affair, and it might as well have been with its impact on the standings. It turned out to be a preview of the NFC title bout, another barn-burner of a football game.

The league has gone back to the well in 2026, scheduling the NFC West foes for clashes on Week 16, Christmas Day, and Week 18, a flex game on the final Sunday of the season. You can bet the NFL is hoping for a tight divisional race. In fact, you could say they're banking on it.

NFL expecting more must-see TV from Rams and Seahawks

The social media team is already promoting the matchup. 

It's hard to blame the NFL for trying to maximize the bang for its buck in Rams-Seahawks games. The rivals' three meetings last season were decided by seven points combined. Even that Week 11 slog, a turnover-filled bailout win for the Rams by a score of 21-19, featured multiple twists and turns. 

Later, Seattle's 38-37 Thursday night victory came down to multiple two-point conversions. The NFL might prefer fans forget about the last one during regulation.

Expect another heavyweight clash this Christmas. As the market stands now, the Horns are Super Bowl favorites. The reigning champion Hawks are second, tied with or just ahead of the Bills by consensus odds.

The NFC West should come down to the wire once again. When doesn't it? The 49ers and Seahawks played for the division title in Week 18 last year. That game against LA two weeks before could have won it for the Rams. The constant out West is chaos. 

Pitting LA's high-powered offense against Seattle's hard-hitting defense is football cinema. Mike MacDonald's group allowed the fewest points of any unit last season. McVay's offense scored the most. 

The Seahawks' offensive attack is potent in its own right. This year, the Rams have a much-improved secondary led by offseason additions Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Everyone knows the league loves passing. Enjoy the NFL's top two receivers, Puka Nacua for the Horns and Jaxson Smith-Njigba for Seattle. 

The league loves turnovers, too. Well, Darnold led all quarterbacks in giveaways last season with 14 interceptions and six lost fumbles. Matthew Stafford is past his Detroit days as an indiscriminate slinger, but that Seattle defense is relentless. Opposing offenses coughed up the sixth-most turnovers when facing the Seahawks in 2026.

It would seem impossible to outdo the drama of last season's Week 16 showdown, but then again, maybe it's not. To say that Rams-Seahawks games tend to deliver is an understatement. Their last six games were settled by six points or fewer. Three of the last eight went to overtime.

The NFL knows exactly what it's doing by scheduling the rivalry's next installments for when the stakes will be highest.

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