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The Seattle Seahawks take on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, December 18, and the stakes for this game couldn’t be higher.
On Thursday, December 18, the Seattle Seahawks have what’s clearly one of the most important games of the Mike Macdonald era. The Hawks, with their record of 11-3, will take on the Los Angeles Rams, who also have a 11-3, and the outcome will help determine the future of both teams’ seasons.
Now that the NFL’s Week 15 games have almost completely wrapped up, the postseason picture is clearer, and it makes it obvious that Thursday’s game is a huge one for Seattle. Following the outcome of the Seahawks and Rams’ games on Sunday, it’s becoming apparent that these two teams are the heavyweights in the NFC West and NFC, overall.
“I’ll tell you what, our guys just fought tooth and nail to the absolute end and wins in this league come in all different shapes and sizes and great teams figure out a way to win games,” Macdonald said following the Seahawks’ 18-26 win over the Colts on Sunday, December 14. “That’s what we’re trying to be, so I’m proud of our effort.”
He added, “Man, we are mentally tough. We stuck together. There is plenty we want to work on and improve, but the way we closed that game out was just phenomenal just in terms of the fight.”
The Implications of Thursday’s Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams Game
So, Thursday’s game couldn’t be more dramatic. Here’s what’s at stake.
The Week 16 Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams game will decide the NFC West title and NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Both the Seahawks and Rams have an 11-3 record, and whoever wins will likely get that coveted bye-week and home-field advantage during the playoffs.
If the Rams win, they’ll sweep the season series and hold the tiebreaker. They’ll also be first place in the division and conference, and they’ll only have to get one more win in their final two games to get the NFC West title and likely the No. 1 seed overall.
If the Seahawks win, that will split the series, making other factors the tiebreaker. The win would increase their chances of getting the top seed, bye and home-field advantage during the playoffs.
“11-3 Rams vs. 11-3 Seahawks in Seattle on Thursday Night Football,” Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune noted in a post on X on Monday, December 15. “The winner will be in sole possession of first place in the NFC West and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Just a massive, massive game in Seattle.”
The NFL Playoffs As It Stands Now
According to NFL research, following the Seahawks’ win over the Colts, Seattle has better than a 99% chance of making the postseason. That’s before they even take the field on Thursday.
The Rams are already officially in the playoffs. The only other team that’s official in the postseason after Week 15 is the Denver Broncos after their win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, December 14.
Following the Seahawks’ win over the Colts, quarterback Sam Darnold talked about how the team cleaned things up in the second half of the game. “I think it was great,” he said. “First of all great adjustments by our coaches, by us as players being able to take those adjustments and run with it and execute it. And I think that was it.”
Now, the Seahawks will have to use those adjustments against a red-hot Rams team on Thursday.
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
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