On Thursday, December 18, the Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams in the Week 16 Thursday Night Football matchup. With that in mind, keep reading for betting odds, picks, and player props for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 16 NFL Betting Hub for a look at all of our NFL betting content.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch Rams vs. Seahawks
When: Thursday, December 18 at 8:15 pm ET
Where: Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington
Channel: Prime Video (Amazon)
Rams vs. Seahawks Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate as of Tuesday, December 16. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Rams -110, Seahawks -110
Spread: Rams -1.5 (+102), Seahawks +1.5 (-122)
Total: Over 44.5 (-105), Under 44.5 (-115)
Rams vs. Seahawks Analysis
Earlier this season, we saw Los Angeles earn a hard-fought 21-19 victory over Seattle. That game, played at Sofi Stadium, featured Sam Darnold throwing four picks for the Seahawks. Darnold hasn’t quite been himself lately, struggling mightily after a scorching hot start to the year. However, the 28-year-old has only had two games with at least two interceptions this year. Both of those were played on the road. He likely won’t make as many mistakes with this game being played in Seattle. That should give the Seahawks a great shot at winning here.
The fact that Seattle was even close in a four-interception Darnold game says a lot about how the Seahawks stack up against the Rams. Sure, Los Angeles is first in the NFL in EPA per play (0.156), meaning Matthew Stafford and this offense can be absolutely lethal. However, Seattle is second in the NFL in EPA per play allowed (-0.113). Mike Macdonald’s team is excellent against both the run and the pass, and it’s the league-best rushing defense (-0.201) that could make the difference here. There’s a good chance the Seahawks don’t allow Kyren Williams to get much of anything going on the ground, making a Sean McVay playbook that leans heavily on play action somewhat inefficient.
Of course, Stafford is the favorite to win the MVP award right now, throwing for 3,722 yards with 37 touchdowns and only five picks coming into this one. He’s also first amongst all quarterbacks in Pro Football Focus’ player grades, coming into Week 16 with a ridiculous 93.3. No other quarterback in the league is touching 90.0. Seattle does, however, have an elite cover corner in Devon Witherspoon, who should be able to do a decent job on Puka Nacua. Meanwhile, Davante Adams got injured against Detroit last game. He hasn’t been ruled out yet, but it seems unlikely he’ll play. And if he does, he likely won’t be as impactful as usual. All of that should make life easier on the Seahawks. Seattle is also fifth in the NFL in Pass Rush Win Rate (43%), so the pressure on Stafford should be relentless. It’ll be interesting to see how he deals with that, as he’s not mobile and he has a bad back.
We’re just going to need a decent performance from the Seahawks offense here. But it is important to remember that we have seen a lot of good things from Darnold this year. The last few weeks have been ugly — and his performance against the Rams was uglier — but he’s an accurate passer in an offense that suits him well. I expect him to play much better against Los Angeles this time around, especially with the Rams not having any good answers for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Despite Darnold’s struggles against LA on November 16, Smith-Njigba had nine catches for 105 yards. He should pass the century mark again — and he should also find the end zone.
It’s also worth noting that McVay has a losing record when facing teams with winning percentages of 75% or higher. For as brilliant as he is, he’s not exactly flawless — especially when facing elite competition.
Rams vs. Seahawks Player Props
Lean: Sam Darnold Over 230.5 Passing Yards (-115)
While Darnold struggled with turnovers the last time these teams clashed, he did throw for 279 yards in that loss. So, it’s a little surprising to see that his passing yard total is down at 230.5. Darnold has had at least 231 passing yards in nine of the 14 games he has played this year, so he regularly exceeds this mark. Also, with the Seahawks running game struggling to find any semblance of consistency, there’s a good chance Seattle will have no choice but to put this game on Darnold’s shoulders.
Rams vs. Seahawks Pick
It’s very difficult to win at Lumen Field, and it’s even harder to beat the same team twice in a row. The Seahawks also happen to be one of the best defensive teams in football, so I’d be surprised if they can’t find a way to slow down this Rams offense. That’s why I’m a big believer in Seattle this week. I’m not going to overreact to the past few weeks of Darnold. He’s bound to turn things around.
Bet: Seahawks ML (+100 – 1.5 units)
