Rams vs. Seahawks: How to watch, start time, odds, prediction
Sean McVay turned 40 on Saturday.
Not that the Rams’ ninth-year coach planned to celebrate.
“What is a good birthday?” he said Friday. “When I work on my birthday – and if I work next week.
“That would be one hell of a birthday. It’s the only present I want.”
McVay was busy this week preparing for Sunday’s NFC championship game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
-
Share via
Gary Klein explains what to watch for on Sunday when the Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game.
After splitting their NFC West games this season, they will meet a third time to determine who will represent the conference in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
McVay is 2-0 in NFC championship games, having led the Rams past the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 playoffs and past the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 playoffs.
The Rams and Seahawks are playing for the third time. This is nothing new for McVay.
The Rams have been in this situation twice before – and both times they advanced.
During the 2020 season, the Rams and Seahawks split their NFC West games and the Rams won a wild-card game, 30-20, in Seattle.
In 2021, the Rams lost both regular season games to the San Francisco 49ers and the Rams won the NFC Championship, 23-20, at SoFi Stadium.
This season, the Rams beat the Seahawks, 21-19, at SoFi Stadium, and lost to the Seahawks, 38-37, in overtime in Seattle.
“It’s an added layer, but it’s just a matter of familiarity,” McVay said of facing the Seahawks three times this season. “Let’s come up with the best possible plans for our guys and understand what type of execution and what type of competitive stamina it’s going to take for us to get the job done against as complete a football team as there is in this league and as hot a football team as there is in this league.”
The Rams defeated the Carolina Panthers in the wild-card round and advanced to the conference championship with a 20-17 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Puka Nacua are first team All-Pros and finalists for NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year, respectively. Receiver Davante Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdowns.
Edge rusher Jared Verse, lineman Kobie Turner, linebacker Nate Landman and safety Quentin Lake lead the defense.
The Seahawks, as the top-seeded team, received a first-round bye. They advanced by beating the 49ers, 41-6, at Lumen Field.
Quarterback Sam Darnold and All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba lead the offense. Defensive lineman Leonard Williams, linebacker Ernest Jones and cornerback Devon Witherspoon were second-team All-Pro.
