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NFC Championship Game
Los Angeles Rams
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Los Angeles Rams (12-5, 2-0 playoffs) at Seattle Seahawks (14-3, 2-0 playoffs)
Sunday, 6:30 pm EST,
Last year's NFC Championship Game was between two NFC East teams. Now this season, it is between two NFC West teams. Fitting, since the NFC West sure seemed like the best division in the league this season. In fact, one of these teams, the Seahawks, had to get past another NFC West team, the San Francisco 49ers, last weekend to reach this far.
And these two teams provided some real fireworks in their first two meetings. Some have speculated that those two games between the Seahawks and Rams were possibly the best two games in the entire NFL this season. So that bodes well for the prospects of this being a highly entertaining game for viewers this weekend.
Both teams have dug deep to reach this point. The Seahawks have one of the very best defenses in the entire league. That unit allowed the fewest points of any team this season. They were stifling in their last two games, both against the 49ers (in the regular season finale, and again last weekend in the divisional round of the playoffs). Combined, they allowed San Francisco a total of 10 points in eight quarters. That is a very impressive performance, and underscores how the Seahawks got to this point.
However, the Seahawks will be facing the NFL's top-rated, most explosive offense this weekend. The Rams offense was held to less than 20 points only twice all season, and neither time came against the Seahawks. And remember, the Rams and Seahawks scored a combined 75 points in their last meeting, about one month ago. Los Angeles is known for their offense. Matthew Stafford provides veteran leadership, while physical receivers like Puka Nacua provide explosiveness. They are going to be tough to stop, although they need to avoid committing turnovers.
So while everyone knows about how the Seahawks have one of the best defenses in the league and the Rams have one of the best offenses, perhaps this game might be decided by match-up between the Seahawks offense and the Rams defense. Seattle actually ranked among the relative elites in the league on offense this season. They might not have dazzled and lit up the scoreboard as frequently as the Rams did this season. Yet, their offensive production, when buttressed by that elite defense, means that they can still win games when they do not score a ton of points.
On paper, Seattle's offense looks explosive enough that they would have the advantage against that Los Angeles defense. The Rams will surely try to force Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold to beat them. There is this sense that Darnold may be vulnerable in big games. Last year, playing with the Vikings, he seemed like a bit of a liability for Minnesota down the stretch. The Rams are aware of that, and will try to force him to beat them. That said, the 49rs were also aware of that, yet Seattle managed to establish their running game very solidly against them in the last two games.
Keep in mind that these two teams played two games together already, and both were highly competitive. When the Rams defense largely contained Seattle's offense in the first meeting (in Los Angeles), they won. When they allowed that unit to score 38 points (in overtime in Seattle), they lost.
Yet, both of those games were decided right at the end. The fact of the matter is that these two teams are very familiar with each other, being in the same division. Expect this game to be decided in the fourth quarter, or possibly even overtime. A blowout on either side is not impossible, but feels unlikely. This one will probably go the distance.
That makes it a bit tough to make a prediction. Both teams are solid, and a win by either will not be surprising. In the end, I am going with the team that feels a bit hotter, that has a little more urgency. And it feels to me that the road team, the Rams, are that team. I expect them to produce just enough to pull off the win in this game.
My pick: LA Rams
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