Pick: Rams +3.5
Odds: -110
$100 Could Win You…$190.91
On Saturday, January 9th, NFC West divisional rivals the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks will clash in the first NFC Wild Card game of the Playoffs.
This will be the third matchup between these two teams this year as they both have captured one victory apiece.
The Rams come into this game banged up with question marks at the QB position. Seattle has their own concerns with start safety Jamal Adams’ availability a huge concern.
Which team will be able to overcome their injuries to win the Wild Card matchup? Kickoff inside Lumen Field is at 4:40PM ET.
First Look: Rams travel to Seahawks for second ever playoff meeting between the two teams
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 5, 2021
Rams vs Seahawks Live Odds and Betting History
The following odds are courtesy of BetOnline:
| Teams | Spread | Money Lines | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | +3.5 (-110) | +165 | Over 42.5 (-110) |
| Seattle Seahawks | -3.5 (-110) | -190 | Under 42.5 (-110) |
| Betting Data | Los Angeles Rams | Seattle Seahawks |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 Record | 10-6 | 12-4 |
| 2020 Home | 6-2 | 7-1 |
| 2020 Away | 4-4 | 5-3 |
| 2020 ATS | 9-7 | 8-8 |
| 2020 ATS Home | 5-3 | 6-2 |
| 2020 ATS Away | 4-4 | 2-6 |
| 2020 O/U | 4-12 | 7-9 |
| 2020 O/U Home | 0-8 | 3-5 |
| 2020 O/U Away | 4-4 | 4-4 |
Rams vs Seahawks Wild Card Game Preview
Seattle and Los Angeles have played against each other 46 times. Seattle leads the all-time series at 25-21. The Rams are 5-2 in the last seven meetings.
The Seahawks are 16-8 all-time in home games against the Rams. They’re 13-3 in the last 16 meetings at Seattle. These two teams have played one time in the postseason. Los Angeles defeated the Seahawks in Seattle.
Los Angeles Rams Summary
The Los Angeles Rams finished 10-6 on the season and were constantly in contention with Seattle for the NFC West crown until the end of the regular season.
Los Angeles started off 4-1, but went 6-5 the rest of the way. They ended up 3-3 in the division and were swept by the last place 49ers.
Yet, heading into December, the Rams were ahead of Seattle for the division lead. However, LA dropped two of their last three games including a home contest against the Jets, which was arguably the biggest upset of the season.
Then Los Angeles lost on the road at Seattle, which cemented the Seahawks as the NFC West champs. A win in Week 17 over the Cardinals locked the Rams into a Wild Card spot and knocked Arizona out of the Playoffs.
In the Seattle game, Rams QB Jared Goff broke his thumb and had surgery the next day. It’s unknown if he will start in this Wild Card game.
This will be the 4th time that the Rams have made the Playoffs in the last five seasons. They lost in the Super Bowl to the Patriots in the 2018-19 season.
The Rams are 3-6 in Wild Card games and 21-26 all-time in the Playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks Summary
The 12-4 Seattle Seahawks started off red hot going 5-0 out of the gate. QB Russell Wilson was lighting up the scoreboards and on pace to break NFL passing records. Then came a stretch where the team went 1-3 and passed the halfway mark at 6-3 on the season.
Questions surrounded the defense after they gave up a record setting number of points and many critics began jumping off the Seattle bandwagon.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said a decision on the status for safety Jamal Adams (shoulder) vs, Rams will be taken all the way up to gameday https://t.co/2tZOICZEEM pic.twitter.com/xie0wTgjYg
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 5, 2021
The defense turned things around and really led the charge as the Seattle offense stopped soaring as high as they did in the beginning. The Seahawks closed out the season going 6-1, winning four straight, and taking the NFC West title after going 4-2 in the division.
Seattle has most of their star players healthy and ready to go in the Playoffs. Unfortunately, star safety Jamal Williams is battling shoulder injuries and could miss the game.
This will be the 4th straight season that Seattle has made the Playoffs. In fact, since 2000, they have gone to the Playoffs 13 times with this weekend’s Wild Card game being the 14th.
The Seahawks have gone 3-1 in their last four Wild Card games and are 9-5 all-time in this round. Seattle has a 17-17 mark in the Playoffs throughout their franchise’s history.
Head to Head Betting Trends
- Rams are 6-4 SU in last 10 games
- Both teams are 5-5 ATS in last 10 meetings
- The Under is 6-4 in last 10 contests
- Seattle is 13-3 SU in last 16 home games
- Rams are 5-2 SU in last seven matchups
Los Angeles Rams Betting Trends
- 10-3 SU in last 13 NFC games
- 5-6 SU as an Underdog
- 12-6 SU in last 18 divisional games
- 1-2 SU as a road Underdog of 3.5 to 7pts
- 3-0 SU in last three January games
- 5-1 SU against winning teams this season
- 8-4 ATS in last 12 NFC games
- 12-6 ATS in last 18 divisional games
- 2-5 ATS in last seven Saturday games
- 5-1 ATS against winning teams this year
- Under is 11-2 in last 13 games
Seattle Seahawks Betting Trends
- 6-1 SU in last seven games
- 7-1 SU in home games this season
- 8-1 SU as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5pts
- 10-3 SU as a favorite this year
- 7-4 SU in Wild Card games
- 3-6 ATS in last nine divisional games
- 3-6 ATS in last nine January games
- 6-7 ATS as a favorite this year
- 4-8 ATS in last 12 games
- 4-5 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5pts
- 7-3 ATS in Wild Card games
- Under is 7-1 in last eight games
The Seahawks opened as the favorite with a spread as high as 5 points. Since then, the spread has come down to 3.5 points in favor of Seattle with most NFL betting sites. The Over/Under opened at 43 points and has come down to an O/U of 42.5 total points.
Free Wild Card Sports Bet and Prediction: Rams +3.5 (-110)
For the third time this year, the Rams and Seahawks will face off. Each team scored a victory during the regular season.
This weekend’s Wild Card matchup shouldn’t be too different than the other two that took place this season. Both teams have some injury concerns that could hamper their overall success.
In addition to the injuries, the following key factors that will determine this Playoff game’s outcome:
Can the Rams Defense Slow Down Seattle’s Offense?
In the first matchup, the Rams won 23 to 16 as they held Seattle to one of their lowest scores of the season. Furthermore, the Rams forced three turnovers, won the time of possession battle, and held Russell Wilson to under 250 passing yards.
In the second game, the Rams defense played strong as they held Seattle to 292 yards and won the time of possession battle again. Unfortunately, the offense played bad as they scored a season low of 9 points.
The Seahawks are exactly who the Rams wanted, according to Aaron Donald ? pic.twitter.com/yyQ6tKfM4g
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 4, 2021
With that said, the top matchup in this game will be the Rams defense vs the Seahawks passing offense.
The Rams have the league’s top ranked defense as they finished 1st in total yards (281.9ypg), 1st in scoring (18.5ppg), 1st against the pass (190.7ypg), and 3rd against the run (91.3ypg).
Seattle’s Russell Wilson tallied 4,212 yards (9th), 40 TDs (2nd), 13 INTs, and a 73.7 QBR (8th) on the season.
Wilson has two passing weapons in DK Metcalf who finished with 83 receptions for 1,303 yards and 10 TDs and Tyler Lockett who finished with 100 receptions for 1,054 yards and 10 TDs.
Jalen Ramsey on DK Metcalf will be a heavyweight fight. Seattle’s o-line versus Aaron Donald will also be a heavyweight battle. Both of these in-game positional battles will get a lot of TV attention.
Can the Seahawks Defense Continue Their Success?
Since Week 11, Seattle’s defense has allowed just 13.7ppg and 287ypg. In the second matchup versus the Rams, Seattle held the Rams to just 9 points and 334 yards although some of that came in garbage time. They also forced one turnover and had three sacks.
Rams QB Jared Goff had one of his worst performances of the year with a season low rating of 61.6 as he completed 24 of 43 passes for 234 yards and 1 INT. He also broke this thumb.
The concern for Seattle this weekend is whether or not Jamal Adams will be able to play. He’s suffering from shoulder injuries and could miss time. If he doesn’t play then Seattle might be in trouble due to all of the different things that Adams can do.
If he does play, and Seattle’s defense brings their A-game that they showed over the last six weeks, then the Seattle will win this game. Right now, I would put this matchup as a push until we know if Goff and Adams are playing.
The X Factor: Seattle RB Chris Carson
All the talk has been about Russell Wilson and his passing attack this season, but this team really excels when RB Chris Carson is healthy and running the ball.
In his previous four games against the Rams, Carson has averaged 94ypg. When he gets 16 or more carries against the Rams, Seattle has gone 2-1.
Carson didn’t play in the first matchup this season versus the Rams. He did play in the second matchup and did all of the dirty work against the league’s best defense.
If the Seahawks can get Carson at least 16-20 touches, and he maintains his 4.92ypc versus the Rams, then I believe Seattle will be in a good position to win this game.
Betting Trends to Consider
I’m going with the Rams to cover the 3.5 point spread. I believe this is going to be a close game between two divisional rivals. In their last 10 meetings, the Rams averaged 22.2ppg and the Seahawks averaged 19ppg.
The Los Angeles Rams are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 NFC games, 12-6 ATS in their last 18 divisional games, and 5-1 ATS against versus winning teams this year.
Seattle Seahawks is 3-6 ATS in their last nine NFC West games, 3-6 ATS in their last nine January games, 6-7 ATS as a favorite this year, 4-5 ATS as a favorite of 3.5 to 9.5pts, and 4-8 ATS in their last 12 overall games.
I’m taking Seattle to win the game by a FG in what should be a hard fought, smash mouth, physical Wild Card contest.
Rams vs Seahawks Betting Recap:
- Oddsmaker: BetOnline
- Moneylines: LA (+165) vs Seattle (-190)
- Spread: Seattle -3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 42.5 total points (-110)
- Prediction: Seattle 20 – Los Angeles 17
Rams and Seahawks Pick
Rams +3.5 (-110)
Rick Rockwell
As a longtime freelance writer, avid sports fan, former athlete, and experienced sports bettor, Rick Rockwell has risen up the ranks at GamblingSites.org to become the self-professed “King of the Blog” in his first year with the site. …
