The Seahawks host the Rams tonight in the NFC Championship Game. Kickoff from Lumen Field in Seattle, Was., is set for 6:30 p.m. ET. Rams vs Seahawks will broadcast on FOX.
The Seahawks are 2.5-point favorites on the spread (Seahawks -2.5; -105); the over/under is 45.5 points. Seattle is a -140 favorite on the moneyline; Los Angeles is a +118 underdog to pull off the upset.
Below, you can find our Rams vs Seahawks picks and NFC Championship Best Bets, which include predictions for the spread, game total and props for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Kyren Williams, Kenneth Walker and Rashid Shaheed.
Rams vs Seahawks Picks & Predictions
| Game | Time (ET) | Best Bet |
|---|---|---|
  | 6:30 p.m. | |
| 6:30 p.m. | |
| 6:30 p.m. | |
| 6:30 p.m. | |
| 6:30 p.m. | |
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NFL Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Rams vs Seahawks Odds
| Rams Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -105 | 45.5 -110o / -110u | +118 |
| Seahawks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -105 | 45.5 -110o / -110u | -140 |
Rams vs Seahawks Against the Spread Prediction
The Seahawks were extremely lucky to win their Week 16 game against the Rams. I cannot get that game out of my head when handicapping the NFC Championship Game as it felt like the Rams proved they were the better team despite the loss.
Sean McVay's Rams offense generated 581 yards and 6.6 yards per play against Seattle in that game.
Furthermore, I expect the Rams to run the ball more effectively in this matchup and improve on a 50% red-zone conversion rate. Even with those numbers working against them, they put up 37 points on the Seahawks, which of course, was a rare feat this season.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald opted to use zone coverage at a much higher rate in their second regular-season matchup and it went very poorly. Predictably, he will revert back to challenging the Rams’ offense with man-to-man looks as he did in their first regular season contest in Week 11.
McVay and Matthew Stafford know this as well, and I expect them to be well-prepared with an abundance of man-beaters to combat this.
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold may be the most important player in this game in determining the outcome. Chris Shula’s defense has caused Darnold fits in their last three meetings. Darnold has posted a negative EPA/play (expected points added) in each of those games.
Through seven quarters of action this year prior to the fourth quarter in Week 16, the Rams defense generated seven interceptions against Darnold.
I am happily taking the points with the team I’ve considered the league's best for most of this year. If +3 is available at -125 or better, that is the best course of action here, otherwise +2.5 at -110 should be widely available.
Pick: Rams +2.5 (-105)
Rams vs Seahawks Over/Under Pick
By Billy Ward
The Seahawks and Rams met twice in the regular season as NFC West rivals, with 115 points scored between the two games.
Admittedly, that’s a misleading stat. One of those games produced just 40 points, while the other accounted for 75. Interestingly enough, both games were close, decided by two or fewer points.
Finding something that sets this game apart from the other two is somewhat challenging. There’s no real weather concern despite this game being played outdoors, and both teams' key players are as healthy as they could be at this point in the season.
The notable exception is Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet. He went down in the second quarter of the Seahawks’ 41-6 blowout win against the 49ers last week, and he won’t return in the playoffs. His absence could force the extremely run-heavy Seahawks to air the ball out just a bit more in order to keep Kenneth Walker fresh.
That might be enough to push this game over the total, considering we expect both offenses to be fairly efficient. It’s a fairly thin angle, but it might be the best one we have in an efficient market like playoff game totals.
Pick: Over 45.5 (-110)
Kyren Williams Player Props
By Brit Devine
With Blake Corum looking like he is taking a back seat in the playoffs, we can attack some Kyren Williams lines that sit a little too low.
Instead of going for the rushing props against one of the toughest run defenses in the league, the receiving props look much better.
With Corum splitting work in the latter half of the season, Williams still went over this line in six of his last seven games (including the playoffs). We have ample room for Corum to still be involved in the offense and see Williams hit the over, and if Corum's workload does stay reduced (like last week), there is upside for Williams to cruise past this.
The Seahawks allowed the most targets, the most receptions, and the ninth-most yards in the league to RBs during the regular season.
Pick: Kyren Williams Over 11.5 Receiving Yards (-120); bet to Over 13.5
Kenneth Walker Props: Opportunity After Charbonnet Injury
By Brit Devine
This one has a lot of juice, but I'm willing to drink it with Zach Charbonnet out for the season.
The Rams allowed the 10th-most receptions to RBs in the regular season; they allowed four receptions to Bears RBs in the Divisional Round and allowed three to Carolina RBs in the Wild Card Round. To close out the season down the stretch from Week 12 on, the Rams allowed the 5th-most receptions to RBs.
After Charbonnet left the game last week, Walker saw every RB touch until the game was completely out of hand in the fourth quarter.
The combination of Velus Jones, George Holani (fresh off the IR if he plays), and veteran Cam Akers should see little work in this game if it remains as close as the spread suggests.
Seattle didn't throw to RBs that much in the regular season, but late in the season, that shifted. Focus turned to keeping Sam Darnold from making mistakes and using more checkdowns.
The Seahawks were 31st in the NFL on RB targets in the regular season, but from Week 12 on, they were around league average, with Walker securing three receptions against the 49ers last week in a blowout victory where Seattle only threw the ball 17 times.
Walker also had three receptions in each of the two games against the Rams with Charbonnet healthy earlier this season.
With a big uptick in workload expected, it's very hard to not see Walker going past 2.5.
Pick: Kenneth Walker Over 2.5 Receptions (-158)
Rashid Shaheed Props: Rushing Upside
By Kyle Murray
Rashid Shaheed was brought over via trade from the Saints earlier this season, and while the Seahawks have not been able to get him consistent volume in the passing game, they have been sure to use him in other ways.
Along with returning kicks, the Seahawks have given Shaheed nine carries in the 10 games he has played with them, and he has had at least one carry in seven of his 10 games as a member of the Seahawks.
Shaheed is averaging north of 10 yards per carry, and with Zach Charbonnet out for the season, we could see the Seahawks get even more creative with him.
Pick: Rashid Shaheed Over 3.5 Rushing Yards (-110)
Jaxon Smith-Njigba Props: Will WR1 Feast?
By Kyle Murray
Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL this season, but we have seen back-to-back down games as the Seahawks have had no issue turning to a run-heavy approach in their games against the 49ers.
However, this Rams team should be more than capable keeping up with a pretty close spread of Seahawks -2.5. Smith-Njigba also has a good matchup; he projects to see plenty of Cobie Durant.
JSN has a 0.33 targets per route run rate, and he has a 76% catch rate on the season. We could see the Seahawks lean on him more in a closer game script. They could also elect to do so since they are down one of their RBs with Zach Charbonnet out.
Pick: Jaxon Smith-Njigba Over 6.5 Receptions (-115)
