Jan. 21, 2026, 9:35 a.m. PT

The Los Angeles Rams are headed to Seattle to play the Seahawks for the second time this season. And while L.A. is used to playing on the road against their NFC West rival, meeting them in the NFC championship game adds a little wrinkle of history that isn’t on the Rams’ side.

NFL teams that play home games indoors (which the Rams do at SoFi Stadium) have never won on the road in a conference title game that’s played in an outdoor stadium. Since the NFL-AFL merger, away teams who play indoors are 0-15 in these scenarios (h/t @QBgami on X).

The most recent example is the 2024 Detroit Lions, who lost in the conference title game to the San Francisco 49ers in 2024.

Here is the full breakdown of the road indoor teams playing outdoors in conference title games:

2023 Lions: Lost to 49ers in NFC title game, 34-312017 Vikings: Lost to Eagles in NFC title game, 38-72015 Cardinals: Lost to Panthers in NFC title game, 49-152014 Colts: Lost to Patriots in AFC title game, 45-72008 Saints: Lost to Bears in NFC title game, 39-142004 Falcons: Lost to Eagles in NFC title game, 27-102003 Colts: Lost to Broncos in AFC title game, 26-162000 Vikings: Lost to Giants in NFC title game, 41-01995 Colts: Lost to Steelers in AFC title game, 20-161994 Cowboys: Lost to 49ers in NFC title game, 38-281991 Lions: Lost to Washington in NFC title game, 41-101989 Vikings: Lost to Washington in NFC title game, 17-101979 Oilers: Lost to Steelers in AFC title game, 27-131978 Oilers: Lost to Steelers in AFC title game, 34-51977 Vikings: Lost to Cowboys in NFC title game, 23-6Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.

History is not on the Rams’ side, here. But one thing that is in their favor is that L.A. has played in Seattle 10 times during the Sean McVay era, including one playoff game (which the Rams won in 2020). He’s 6-4 in those games.

This matchup also pits the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense vs. the league’s No. 1 defense in the playoffs for the first time since 2014. This history also isn’t on the Rams’ side, as the No. 1 scoring offense that year (the Denver Broncos) lost in the Super Bowl to the No. 1 defense (the Seahawks).

That’s a lot of history to try and overcome, but the Rams have shown they’re one of the best teams in the NFL throughout the year. At least this time they’ll face a familiar opponent in not-that-unfamiliar territory.