LOS ANGELES \u2014 Jared Verse leaned over the microphone during his Thursday press conference, dripping sweat from the Rams\u2019 first full practice ahead of their NFC championship game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Still catching his breath, the outside linebacker admitted, \u201cThe energy\u2019s just different this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everyone\u2019s taking the same approach,\u201d he continued. \u201cEvery step you take is a lot more mindful. If you make a mistake on the field, people that beforehand weren\u2019t calling it out are calling it out saying, \u2018Hey, let me get that play again. Let me get that one more time. Let me get this rep again.\u2019 Seeing that just makes me want to get to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Verse wasn\u2019t ready to share his thoughts about this week\u2019s opponent, turning to look at his public relations handler and repeating the message he had received prior to the presser: \u201cI\u2019m not supposed to give any bulletin board material.\u201d<\/p>\n
It had to be the Seahawks this week, right? These two teams have circled each other since the Rams won the NFC West last winter<\/a> based off a tiebreaker, denying Seattle the opportunity to play for a postseason spot before their Week 18 matchup<\/a>.<\/p>\n Since then, the teams have squared off in two heavyweight bouts. The first was a Rams win in Inglewood<\/a> that required a last-second missed field goal by the Seahawks. The second was a Seahawks win in Seattle<\/a> that shifted on a punt return for a touchdown and a two-point conversion on an incomplete backwards pass.<\/p>\n And now they meet for the third time this season, a trip to Super LX at stake, and the league\u2019s best-scoring offense and best-scoring defense to settle it.<\/p>\n Mike Macdonald\u2019s arrival as the Seahawks\u2019 coach was a fitting foil for Rams head coach Sean McVay. Macdonald\u2019s five-defensive back scheme was designed to attack the way McVay\u2019s offense \u2013 proliferated around the NFL as it has been \u2013 attacks space.<\/p>\n So as these past two years have unfolded, the Rams\u2019 coaching staff has learned what it takes to plan between games against Macdonald.<\/p>\n \u201cLike I\u2019ve told you guys before, when you talk about offensive play-callers and you can watch the film and see an ownership and an understanding from an all-22 perspective and intent behind what they\u2019re trying to get done, that\u2019s how I feel about him,\u201d McVay said. \u201cThey do a great job of accentuating their personnel and being able to adjust and adapt. I think he\u2019s got a great feel for the flow of a game as a play-caller too.\u201d<\/p>\n Then you get more granular and you get the fun stuff within the matchup. Quarterback Matthew Stafford against former Rams linebacker Ernest Jones IV, former dueling partners in practice now leading their units against each other. Receiver Cooper Kupp<\/a> trying to get revenge against the Rams<\/a>, the team for whom he was Super Bowl LVI MVP<\/a>.<\/p>\n And the Rams\u2019 defense in their fifth game against Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold in the past two years.<\/p>\n