Can the Seahawks get back on track?
The team from LA, the reigning Super Bowl champion, has only theoretical chances of making the playoffs since last week at the latest. With a full 2% chance of making the postseason, bets may be placed at the latest now on who the new winner of the “Vince Lombardi Trophy” will be.
The Seahawks, who continue to be one of the surprise teams in the NFC, have a much higher probability of making the playoffs. They currently sit in eighth place in the conference. This means that seventh place, the last place that qualifies for the postseason, is still within reach. However, Seattle lost their last two games against the Buccaneers and the Raiders.
The LA Rams’ losing streak looks much more devastating, as they have lost five in a row. Can Sean McVay’s team turn the tide against Seattle and spit in the play-off soup of their division rivals? The bookmakers are calling odds of up to 3.90 for a Rams vs. Seahawks win.
Los Angeles Rams – Statistics & current form
One thing you have to give the Los Angeles Rams credit for: they went “all-in” last season and won. The Super Bowl title justifies many things in the NFL. However, and a look at reality shows this, they are now paying the price. The reigning champs, who will likely be dethroned this year, are well on their way to having a top-5 pick in the upcoming draft. If that wasn’t bad enough, that pick, due to the trade for Matthew Stafford before last season, moves to Detroit.
Rebuild inevitable?
The Rams are facing a shambles and thus, arguably, a radical rebuild. The first speculations are already running as to what will happen with stars like Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Jalen Ramsey and whether head coach McVay would like to accompany a rebuild. All of this is pie in the sky, but it does a good job of showing how big the LA Rams’ current problems are. The last win dates from 16.10. and thus from the sixth day of play. After the bye week in week seven, they lost all their games.
Injuries, of course, play a big role in this. After missing their best wide receiver, Kupp, for at least two more weeks, LA had to go with their third-string quarterback, Bryce Perkins, against the Chiefs. This was his game as a starting quarterback in the NFL. To make matters worse, third-string pass receiver Allen Robinson now has to undergo foot surgery and will miss the rest of the season. Slowly but surely, the offensive options are running out. With that, our forecast for the home side in the Rams vs. Seahawks game is visibly darkening.
The defence is still a top-10 unit. Most recently, they even held the Chiefs to under 30 points and only twice this season have they allowed more than 27 points. Between the Rams and Seahawks, a bet that the visitors will score less than 27 points could pay off accordingly. Overall, it is to be expected that the defence can limit the Seattle offence, but the defence is also missing its superstar in Aaron Donald.
Key Players:
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Cam Akers
WR: Ben Skowronek
TE: Tyler Higbee
K: Matt Gay
Seattle Seahawks – stats & current form
Few pundits would have guessed that the Washington State franchise would be sitting with a positive win-loss record after eleven games played. But head coach Pete Carroll once again manages to form a more than competitive team. Despite the departure of superstar quarterback Russell Wilson, the offence around new playmaker Geno Smith is working very well. They are averaging 26.5 points, which is fourth best in the league. That’s an average of over ten points more than their upcoming opponents record per game.
Is the lack of a running game becoming a problem?
In the last two games, both losses, it was noticeable that Seattle could barely move the ball on the ground. Running back Kenneth Walker totaled 43 rushing yards in the two games, and that was despite both run defenses not being scary good. The upcoming opponent now has a top-4 run defense, though, and that speaks to the fact that a lot will have to happen again through Geno Smith, his pass receivers and the passing game.
However, he and the pass-catching unit have proven more often this season that they can decide a game that way. The Hawks have one of the best wide receiver duos in the league in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, who have combined to catch ten of the 19 touchdown passes. Geno Smith finding either of them for a touchdown in the upcoming duel seems a logical prediction between the Rams and Seahawks.
The defensive side has to be singled out as the Achilles heel, as on average they allow the third most yards and the fifth most points per game. Only twice this season have they managed to hold their opponents to less than 14 points. Although the home side’s offence is extremely banged up, we’re betting on LA hitting that over/under mark in the Rams vs Seahawks clash.
Key Players:
QB: Geno Smith
RB: Kenneth Walker III
WR: DK Metcalf
TE: Noah Fant
K: Jason Myers
Los Angeles Rams – Seattle Seahawks Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Although it is a divisional duel, this is the first time both teams meet this season. The second meeting will take place on the last matchday. For the 50th time in total, the two franchises face each other at “SoFi Stadium” on Sunday night and if the hosts win, they would level the series. The bookmakers put the chances of this happening at 25% according to the odds before the Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks match-up.
In the past few years, Los Angeles has regularly been the winner in direct duels and has won eight of the last ten games. The last time the Seahawks won in LA was more than five years ago.
Los Angeles Rams – Seattle Seahawks Tip
Based on their performances so far this season and the somewhat unclear personnel situation at the quarterback position for the home side, the visitors are rightly favoured in the clash. However, between Rams and Seahawks the betting odds on a Seattle success are not attractive enough. Moreover, we do not trust the Hawks completely after two defeats in a row. Therefore, we opt for the recommendation that both teams can score at least 15 points.
Similar to the bookies, we do not expect a high-scoring game, but that the over/under limit of 41.5 points will be reached is not unrealistic.
Last but not least, a tip on a touchdown from one of Seattle’s top two pass receivers should be kept in mind for Rams vs. Seahawks.
