Seattle for the Marbles

Hayden Winks@HaydenWinks
Rams at Seahawks should feel like a Super Bowl. Two best teams by far. Tickets should be infinity dollars.

Greg Beacham@gregbeacham
Rams LB Byron Young has some knee soreness, and CB Emmanuel Forbes has a shoulder issue from Chicago. Sean McVay says the injuries aren’t expected to sideline either guy in Seattle. The Rams came out of last night relatively healthy.

The value of Cooper Kupp and his effect on JSN.

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“We don’t think about that last game too much,” Rams safety Kam Curl said, via Sam Farmer of The Los Angeles Times. “[Seattle] got lucky and won it in the end. I feel like we’re the better team.”
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” he added.

Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
Rams S Quentin Lake won’t practice due to an illness. They’re hopeful it’s a small bug.

OLB Byron Young will rest his sore knee. They’re being careful with him.

CB Emmanuel Forbes Jr. will be limited with the shoulder.

Just a walkthrough today.

PARAM

Since the NFL expanded in 2002 and went to 4 divisions in each conference, this is just the 6th time (in 48 CCG) that division rivals have matched up. What is really strange is the NFC West has had 3 of them (3 of the last 4 times it’s happened). The others are Philly/Washington last year, Green Bay/Chicago in 2010 and Pittsburgh/Baltimore in 2008. Weird.

2025 Rams/Seattle
2024 Philly/Washington
2021 Rams/San Francisco
2013 Seattle/San Francisco
2010 Green Bay/Chicago
2008 Pittsburgh/Baltimore

The public is riding with the Seahawks over the Rams on @DKSportsbook 😳 pic.twitter.com/1i3kGtG4fm

— ESPN BET (@ESPNBET) January 22, 2026

Macdonald is very likeable. He’s not a dick.

Mike Macdonald
https://www.seahawks.com/video/press-conference-january-21-2026-head-coach-mike-macdonald-previews-nfc-championship-vs-rams

Head Coach Mike Macdonald Previews NFC Championship vs. Rams

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald provides updates on player injuries and discusses the team’s preparation for their upcoming playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. He emphasizes maintaining routine despite the heightened stakes (0:01). Macdonald reflects on the team’s growth throughout the season, particularly highlighting a pivotal Week 11 loss that solidified the team’s identity (10:49). He praises John Schneider’s leadership in building the roster (14:33). Macdonald credits the team’s success to players’ commitment during voluntary offseason workouts, which he believes was crucial in reaching their current position (16:37).

from The Athletic: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6981515/2026/01/18/nfl-super-bowl-playoff-chances-odds-conference-championships/?af_xp=custom&campaign=16570270&deep_link_value=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fathletic%2F6981515&pid=Jeff%20Test&shortlink=btmwkqsq&source=athletic_top_stories_email&source_caller=ui&userId=603890

Jeff Howe and Austin Mock

NFC
No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (14-3, 1-0 playoffs) vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams (12-5, 2-0 playoffs)

The Seahawks have already won the NFC West once this season. They’ll essentially have to do it again to reach the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks and Rams split their two regular-season meetings, and their Week 16 clash might have been the game of the year. The Seahawks won 38-37 in overtime on “Thursday Night Football” to seize control of the NFC West.

Two years ago, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was at mass and prayed the Baltimore Ravens would lose in the AFC Championship Game so he could meet with defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald for their head coaching vacancy. Now firmly entrenched with the Seahawks, Macdonald already has them back in the NFC title game for the first time in 11 years.

The Seahawks beat the brakes off the 49ers, 41-6, in the divisional round for a second consecutive high-stakes victory against that NFC West foe — they also beat San Francisco in the regular-season finale to clinch the NFC’s top seed. The Niners’ last two wins were against the Bears in Week 17 and the defending champion Eagles in the wild-card round, but they looked thoroughly overmatched in two losses to the Seahawks, who appear to still be improving.

Seattle has won eight in a row, including four consecutive wins against playoff opponents by a combined 119-56. Quarterback Sam Darnold has played well when he has limited turnovers, but he has gotten a massive boost from a rushing attack that’s averaged 172.3 yards over the last four games.

They’re built on Macdonald’s defense, of course. The Seahawks sacked quarterback Brock Purdy twice, intercepted him once and recovered two fumbles against the 49ers. In the regular season, the Seahawks led the NFL in points allowed and ranked third against the run, sixth in takeaways (25) and tied for seventh in sacks (47).

Matthew Stafford is a different challenge, though. The MVP candidate hasn’t played up to his standard in the Rams’ two playoff wins, including their 20-17 overtime thriller against the Bears in the divisional round, but he has done enough.

The question is whether the Rams can match the Seahawks’ ascension. While Seattle has looked thoroughly impressive during its late-season run, the Rams are just 5-3 since Thanksgiving, and they haven’t played with the same gear they had displayed for much of the season.

Perhaps, there’s something to be said for collecting scars along the way. And they won’t care one bit about the NFC West T-shirts if they can topple the Seahawks to get back to the Super Bowl.

Zooey wrote:

Seahawks general manager John Schneider was at mass and prayed the Baltimore Ravens would lose in the AFC Championship Game so he could meet with defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald for their head coaching vacancy.

Lord, grant us another
Sam Darnold meltdown.

verily,
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1 Samuel 12:23: “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you”

Zooey wrote:

Mike Vrabel, btw, is the guy who struck Kurt Warner in the head on the pass Lawyer Milloy returned for a pick 6 in the first Rams-Pats SB.

I’m hoping Aaron Donald is there to punch Mke Vrabel in the head right before kickoff.

Yeah, i forgot that was Vrabel. Wasn’t he taking advantage of an injury at LT or somethin like that.

Sigh. Belichex schooled Martz and McVay, i guess. F’ing Patriots.

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from PFF: Final 2025 NFL offensive line rankings — https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-final-2025-nfl-offensive-line-rankings

15. Seattle Seahawks

Best lineup:
LT Charles Cross
LG Grey Zabel
C Jalen Sundell
RG Anthony Bradford
RT Abraham Lucas

After finishing dead last in 2024, the Seahawks’ offensive line was the 14th-best pass-blocking unit this regular season. The unit gave up 137 pressures, including 13 sacks — tied for the second fewest in the league — on 526 pass plays. As a result, their 85.7 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating ranked 14th in the NFL.

First-round pick Grey Zabel endured some growing pains in his first NFL season, but Seattle’s left guard saved his best for last. Zabel earned a 93.5 PFF overall grade in Week 18, which led all offensive linemen for the week.

Best player: Charles Cross
Cross started the season well, but his play declined later in the year. Regardless, he still earned a 76.9 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked 19th among all offensive tackles.