NFL Picks and Predictions: Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams
Two top-to-bottom quality squads vying for NFC West supremacy face off in this divisional clash, and the body of work of both teams tees this up as one of Week 11's marquee matchups.
With a highly competitive game predicted, we dig into best bets to consider.
Gear up for NFL season with the best sportsbook promos available at the top sports betting sites. The BetMGM bonus code gets football fans up to $1,500 in bonuses at signup.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams Betting Odds
*Best lines at time of writing listed
- Moneyline: Seahawks +150 (DraftKings) / Rams -175 (BetMGM)
- Point spread: Seahawks +3.5 (ESPN Bet) / Rams -3 (FanDuel)
- Totals: Over 48.5 points (BetMGM) / Under 48.5 points (DraftKings)
There's plenty of faith in the Rams from the betting public, even with a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the Seahawks on the other side. The line sat at Rams -2.5 before Week 10 kicked off, and it continued to bounce between that number and 3.0 through the middle of this past week. However, the number has inched up further to 3.5 at some sportsbooks going into the weekend.
Meanwhile, the total hasn't had any real volatility, as it's gone in only one direction, that being up. The number was at 47.5 before Week 10, and it's been bet up to 48.5 over the course of this past week.
Check updated NFL odds to find the best prices for your favorite bets all season.
Try the Caesars Sportsbook promo code this NFL season for a great welcome offer from one of the leading sports betting apps.
Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams Betting Picks
The Seahawks have been a joy to watch from a pure football perspective in Mike Macdonald's second season at the helm. They've flummoxed opponents with a balanced, aggressive offense and a suffocating defense that has no appreciable weaknesses. Sam Darnold is also proving last year's career revival in Minnesota was no one-year outlier, and he's displaying more aggressiveness than ever downfield via a career-high 9.9 yards per attempt.
Darnold's chemistry with top target Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been off the charts from Day 1, with the latter on his way to a career-best season. Additionally, Cooper Kupp has proven to be a mostly durable and competent No. 2 option. Plus Darnold has now had a whole week of practice to get further acclimated to trade-deadline addition Rashid Shaheed, whose electrifying speed makes the offense that much more potent. The Kenneth Walker-Zach Charbonnet 1-2 punch is also clicking, giving the offense excellent balance.
Meanwhile, McDonald's defense has actually been at its best on the road, where they've surrendered an NFL-low 270.8 total yards per game and 4.3 yards per play. The unit certainly faces a formidable challenge in Sean McVay's Rams offense, which has also operated like a mostly well-oiled machine to this point. Matthew Stafford is playing some of his best football in years in his age-37 season, throwing for 2,427 yards and a 25:2 TD:INT over his first nine games.
Puka Nacua is playing at an elite level as customary, and Davante Adams has proven to be an excellent fit and complement to the former's exploits. However, Adams is listed as questionable due to an oblique injury, meaning even if he suits up, he could well be at less than 100 percent. While Nacua is certainly capable of shouldering plenty and the Rams' backfield duo of Kyren Williams and Blake Corum is on par with Seattle's aforementioned pair of capable backs, being down Adams in any sense is particularly challenging against the caliber of defense Seattle boasts.
Given the factors cited, I see the Seahawks being competitive enough to keep any loss to a field goal or less, and an upset is certainly within the range of outcomes here. Then, despite the quality of both offenses, the defensive units here have enough to potentially keep this game from going over the relatively elevated total.
Seahawks vs. Rams Best Bets
- Seahawks +3.5 (-118 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Under 48.5 points (-108 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Seahawks vs. Rams Prediction
Rams 23, Seahawks 21 *if Adams is available
As already detailed, this is about as close a matchup as it gets. The familiarity between the two squads and the mirroring of each other's talent in many respects leaves us with a high probability of a wire-to-wire battle, one I'll give the Rams the slightest of edges in.
