After the NFL Divisional round came to a fascinating end last week, it is now time to turn our attention to the Conference Championship round, where the Seattle Seahawks go up against the Los Angeles Rams from the NFC side of the playoff bracket.
The Seahawks and the Rams will be meeting for a third time this season, as both teams met twice in the regular season. The first game ended with the Rams taking a narrow 21-19 win, while Seattle took the second game 38-37. Round 3 is up next, and it promises to be yet another captivating matchup, with the winner advancing to Super Bowl LX.
Our choice for the best bet is the Over on 46.5 at (-128)odds, as per FanDuel.
Taking the Over on 46.5 points in the Seahawks vs Rams NFC Championship game seems like a good bet, considering both offenses have the ability to put plenty of points on the board. While Seattle’s defense is truly elite, the Rams hung 37 points on them in their Week 16 overtime loss.
Both teams have explosive players on offense and a high level of quarterback play, while their run games have also been very effective. Being a divisional rivalry, these two teams also know what to expect and can adjust on the fly.
Los Angeles has scored 37 and 20 points in its last two playoff games, but those 20 points came in tough, freezing conditions against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Meanwhile, Seattle put up 41 points against the 49ers in their only postseason appearance of the year last week.
Here are some of our best bets for the Seahawks vs Rams Conference Championship game, as sourced from FanDuel.
Best Bet 1: Matthew Stafford Over 35.5 Passing Attempts (-102)
Rams’ signal caller Matthew Stafford has been in excellent form all season long. LA’s offense has flourished under his passing and the veteran quarterback has averaged well over 35 pass attempts in his last 6 games. The Super Bowl-winning QB has attempted 42 passes each in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds of the playoffs.
Best Bet 2: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Over 6.5 Receptions (-118)
Seahawks’ WR1, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, to haul in Over 6.5 receptions is our next best bet. The third-year receiver got off to a lightning start earlier in the season, and his production only dipped slightly as the season went on. He had a 5-game streak to end the season where he caught 6 or more passes, and he has been the primary receiver for Sam Darnold.
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Player Props to Target
Here are some of the top player props to target for the Seahawks vs Rams game, as sourced from FanDuel.
Seattle has not relied completely on Sam Darnold offensively, but when called upon, he has delivered more often than not. Darnold has thrown for over 250 yards in six games this season, but interestingly, he has 270 or more passing yards in both the regular season games against the Rams.
Rushing Props
Kenneth Walker III Under 19.5 Rush Attempts:(-104)
The Seahawks are generally a well-balanced team in terms of their passing and running games. Walker will be the main back against the Rams on Sunday, so he should get plenty of touches in the backfield. That said, if this game turns into a shootout like the previous one between these two teams, then Seattle may have to dial up more pass plays.
In spite of the fact that Davante Adams has been a top receiver for the Rams and has put up more than decent numbers this season, much of the target share goes to Puka Nacua. Adams missed the Rams’ Week 15 game against the Seahawks, but he played in their first matchup earlier in the season. It was a tough day at work as Seattle’s secondary held him to just 1 reception for 1 yard from 8 targets.
For the 3-leg same-game parlay in the NFC Championship game between the Seahawks and the Rams, we are taking Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford to throw for 2 or more passing touchdowns.
This bet seems to be a good bet to take, considering Stafford has thrown for multiple touchdowns in 16 of 19 matches this year. Stafford is the league leader in touchdown passes with his tremendous consistency in finding players in the end zone, which is a big part of the Rams’ offense.
For the second leg of this parlay, we are going with Seahawks’ running back Kenneth Walker III to score a touchdown. Walker will be the primary running back for the Seahawks on Sunday with Zach Charbonnet out for the season. As a result, the veteran back should receive nearly double his carries and would be a good bet for a touchdown. He is coming off a 3-touchdown game from the Divisional round win over the 49ers.
And, finally, we have Rams’ running back Kyren Williams going for Over 53.5 rushing yards. Williams has consistently delivered 50 or more rushing yards in his last 8 games, including the two playoff games against the Panthers and the Bears.
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Matchup Analysis
Here, we take a look at some of the important matchup analyses of the two teams.
Offense vs Defense Breakdown
The Seahawks and the Rams are no strangers to each other’s games. Most of their recent matchups have been very closely contested games. In fact, this season, the two teams played two very tight games, just proving that they are equally balanced.
That said, the Seahawks are offensively balanced with their pass and run game. They can be explosive at times, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba providing the main threat. Even against good defenses, this Seattle team has shown a good level of consistency.
The Rams’ defense is not their strength. That doesn’t mean they are terrible, but they are certainly not at the elite status as that of the Seahawks. Although LA’s scoring defense is not too bad, allowing just above 20 points per game, Seattle can attack their secondary as the Rams have allowed over 216 yards per game, sitting in the middle of the league.
On the other hand, the Rams boast the best offense in the NFL, led by MVP favorite Matthew Stafford. Throughout the regular season, they led the league in scoring, averaging 30.5 points per game. Even in the two postseason games, the Rams have scored plenty of points.
Coming to the Seahawks, they have the best scoring defense, allowing just 17.2 points per game. In the Divisional round, Seattle held the 49ers to just 6 points. It’s a matchup between the top offense against the top defense between two divisional rivals. This game promises plenty of excitement, as a spot in the Super Bowl is on the line.
The above odds are sourced from FanDuel. Use FanDuel to ace your betting game in all sports!
I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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