from The Athletic…NFL insider playoff predictions: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6992850/2026/01/23/nfl-insider-playoff-predictions-coaches-pick-conference-championships/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983&userId=603890&source=dailyemail

The Athletic has been asking the same NFL coaches and high-ranking team executives for their game predictions through the first two rounds of the playoffs.

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No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (14-3, 1-0) vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams (12-5, 2-0)
Kickoff: Sunday, 6:30 p.m., Fox
Expert picks: Seahawks 6, Rams 3

The winner here may very well be the Super Bowl favorite, as the Seahawks and Rams have looked like the two best teams in the league for most of the second half of the season.

They already had one clash that could go down as the game of the year, as the Seahawks held serve at home, 38-37, in an overtime thriller in Week 16. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold delivered a strike to tight end Eric Saubert for the walk-off 2-point conversion to overtake the Rams for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

The Seahawks have won eight consecutive games, including back-to-back eviscerations of the San Francisco 49ers, first with the top seed on the line in the regular-season finale and then in the divisional round. Their last four wins have come against NFC playoff teams.

Facing the NFL’s top scoring offense and the likely MVP in Stafford, the top scoring defense has a chance to solidify its place in history.

While the Rams have won three in a row, they’ve looked more vulnerable with a 5-3 record since Week 13. They blew a 10-point lead in the wild-card round against the Carolina Panthers before erasing a pair of fourth-quarter deficits in the 34-31 win, and the Rams needed overtime Sunday to survive the Chicago Bears, who had a sudden-death possession with a chance to advance.

Though the Rams haven’t been as aesthetically pleasing as they were during much of their 9-2 start to the season, they have gotten the job done. And with head coach Sean McVay and MVP candidate Matthew Stafford, they are always capable of taking down anyone.

Stafford led the league with 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns. Wide receiver Puka Nacua led the NFL with 129 catches and 107.2 yards per game, while wideout Davante Adams topped the league with 14 touchdown receptions. Running back Kyren Williams had 1,252 yards on the ground and 13 total touchdowns.

“(The Rams) will focus on stopping the run to make Sam Darnold beat them,” an executive said. “I just trust (McVay), Stafford and Puka.”

The Seahawks might have the best defense in the league. They led the NFL in points allowed and ranked third against the run, sixth in takeaways (25) and tied for seventh in sacks (47). They’ll need a terrific game against the Rams.

It may truly come down to Darnold, though. While the Seahawks have backed him with 172.3 rushing yards over their last four games, they’ll have to make up for the loss of Zach Charbonnet, who tore his ACL on Saturday against the Niners. Charbonnet had 236 yards and four touchdowns over the last four games, but top back Ken Walker has 364 rushing yards and four scores during the same stretch.

Darnold had a strong first season with the Seahawks, but turnovers are always a concern. He had 14 interceptions this season and has had at least 11 picks in all six of his NFL seasons as a full-time starter. Darnold had four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the Rams in Los Angeles in Week 11, but he survived a two-pick night in the home victory over the Rams. Darnold shouldn’t have to be flawless, but he will have to be a driving force in the win.

And if these NFC West foes recapture the drama that captivated the rest of the league in Week 16, it would be a nice way to set the stage for two weeks of Super Bowl hype.

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.

They do the Rams/Seattle game at about 20:39 in. Interesting, they also talk about Caleb Wms and the divsional game at 16:03 in. Cosell is not as impressed with CW as the rest of us.

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

Scott Kacsmar@ScottKacsmar
Matthew Stafford has take Mike Macdonald’s defense to overtime in 3-of-4 meetings since 2023.