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That seems highly unlikely, leaving the Rams to rely on Wolford once again. It’s not a great situation for head coach Sean McVay and Co. to be in right now. Even if Goff is able to go, it’s not like he was setting the world on fire ahead of suffering the injury.
In fact, the former №1 pick had thrown three touchdowns against three interceptions in his previous three starts. That included a horrendous performance in a 20–9 loss to Seattle in Week 16.
The backdrop here is a Seahawks offense led by MVP candidate Russell Wilson, who accounted for 42 touchdowns while leading Seattle to over four touchdowns per game during the regular season.
I fully expect the Rams’ top defense to keep this close for a while with Aaron Donald doing his thing against Wilson. I just can’t pick an upset given Goff’s struggles and the fact that he’s unlikely to even play in this one.”
Ben Rolfe writes: “So much about this matchup depends on the availability of Jared Goff. If Goff is under center and healthy, then the Rams have a chance to repeat their Week 10 victory. However, the Seahawks defense has continued to improve in the second half of the season.
Week 17 was the first time they allowed over 20 points since their Week 11 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. It is hard to see how the Rams win this game without Goff. The Rams offense relies on the run game, and with Wolford under center, the Seahawks can key on that aspect of the game.
We know the Seahawks can score 20 points even against good defenses, and that might be enough against a Rams offense that is struggling. Our pick for this NFL playoff game is for the Seahawks to win and cover the spread.”
So which Wilson are we going to get in the Wild Card round? The Wilson that set the league on fire or the Wilson that misfired on deep throws to D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and struggled to push the football down the field?
It might not matter quite as much in a matchup against the depleted Rams, but if the Seahawks expect to make a deep postseason run the team’s best chance is in its All-Pro quarterback playing like one and not the game manager that he has been for the final stretch of the season.
For the first half of the NFL season Wilson was on pace for over 4,700 yards and 56 touchdowns. By letting “Russ cook,” and throwing the ball on 61 percent of its plays, the Seahawks were toting over 37 points per game, a ridiculous figure.
Wilson slowed down in the second half of the year as Seattle leaned more on its running game and emerging defense to claim the №3 seed in the NFC Playoffs. As a result, Wilson finished with a pedestrian* 4,200 yards and 40 touchdowns in the regular season.
The 2021 NFL Playoffs begin Saturday, and the second game of the day pits the Los Angeles Rams against the Seattle Seahawks. The division-rivals will square off for the third time this season, with both teams winning at home.
The Seahawks possess home-field in this matchup after producing a 12–4 overall record in 2020. The Rams snuck into the NFL playoff bracket with a Week 17 win and finished 10–6.
Kickoff is at 4:40 p.m. ET in Seattle. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Seahawks as 3.5-point home favorites, while the Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 42 in the latest Seahawks vs. Rams odds. Before you make any Rams vs. Seahawks picks and NFL predictions, see what SportsLine’s resident Rams expert, R.J. White, has to say.
Wolford led the team with 56 yards in the Rams’ win, giving offensive mastermind Sean McVay another avenue to explore in his gameplan. By contrast, Goff’s season-best mark in rushing is 23 yards.
The Rams offense already features a high volume of play-action passes and pre-snap motion with Goff at the helm, but imagine the kinks McVay can add with a quarterback that features legitimate rushing versatility.
Goff had surgery Dec. 28 on his broken thumb, but he has been limited in practice this week, potentially paving the way for him to make a return to the lineup. He is officially listed as questionable.
Unfortunately, that is about as promising as it gets for the Washington passing attack. And a lackluster Washington offensive line that has struggled in pass protection, surrendering 50 sacks (second-most in the NFL) during the regular season, will still have to contend with a stout Tampa Bay pass rush that racked up 48 sacks during the regular season (fourth).
The only silver lining for Washington here is that the Buccaneers will be without star linebacker Devin White (on the reserve/COVID-19 list), who leads Tampa Bay in tackles and ranks second on the team with nine sacks.
But the Bucs still have plenty of firepower on tap with Jason Pierre-Paul (team-leading 9.5 sacks), Shaquil Barrett (8), and Ndamukong Suh (6). And the blitz-happy Bucs aren’t going to pull any punches in their bid to get to the wounded Smith and/or Heinicke on Saturday night.
Aaron Donald is widely considered the NFL’s best defensive player, but you can make a case for Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey as the most impactful defender considering he essentially wipes out the opposing team’s №1 receiver each week.
DK Metcalf against Jalen Ramsey (2 games): 6.0 targets per game, 4.0 receptions per game, 43.5 receiving yards per game, 0 touchdowns
DK Metcalf against other cornerbacks (14 games): 8.4 targets per game, 5.4 receptions per game, 86.9 receiving yards per game, 10 touchdowns
Ramsey has won the one-on-one battle handily and figures to have the upper hand in the third matchup of the season.
With Metcalf battling with Ramsey on the outside, it falls on Tyler Lockett to shoulder the receiving load. He didn’t quite live up to the task in the two matchups against the Rams this season.
While Los Angeles deploys a balanced, effective offensive attack, the Rams are reliant on a strong defense. Los Angeles led the NFL in allowing only 18.5 points per game and also finished as the №1 defense on a yardage basis, giving up only 281.9 per game.
Led by All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Los Angeles was elite in putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks with 53 sacks, and the Rams limited the opposition to only 17 passing touchdowns, leading the league.
Sports’ fantasy and gambling editor, White enters the postseason on a sizzling 76–52–5 run on spread picks, returning $1,805. It’s no surprise, as White has cashed huge twice in the world’s most prestigious football handicapping competition, the Las Vegas SuperContest.
White also has had a sharp eye for the tendencies of the Rams, posting a remarkable 33–16–1 record in his last 50 NFL picks against-the-spread involving Los Angeles. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Metcalf exploded in his second NFL season. He had the seventh most receiving yards (1,303) and led the Seahawks with 10 touchdowns.
At times, Metcalf (6-feet-4, 229 pounds) was perhaps the NFL’s scariest deep threat, brandishing a unique combo of speed and strength that little cornerbacks can match.
Russell Wilson (first 8 games): 37.1 attempts per game, 298.1 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 61 pass %. Russell Wilson (last 8 games): 33.3 attempts per game, 194.5 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 55 pass %.
Vincent Frank writes: “Despite seeing John Wolford lead them to a playoff-clinching win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, there’s certainly some concern in Los Angeles right now. Will Jared Goff be ready to go in the wild card round of the NFL Playoffs against the division-rival Seattle Seahawks after suffering a fractured and dislocated thumb in his throwing hand back in Week 16?
The team also may not know until later this week whether top receiver Cooper Kupp can play. He missed Week 17 after testing positive for COVID-19.
Seattle is the NFC West champion and on a four-game winning streak. The Seahawks and Rams split two low-scoring meetings this season, each winning at home.”
Pete Fiutak writes: “Is Jared Goff able to go? How healthy is the rest of the Ram offense? It won’t matter — the defense will pick up the slack. This is a flaky LA team that could just as easily get blown out from jump as it could roll through with a stunning run. Seattle’s defense that’s had so many issues this year will get exposed further.”
Oliver Hodgkinson writes: “The NFC West rivals have split the season series for the past two years. This year, they get a series decider as the NFC West champion Seattle Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams on NFL Wild Card Weekend. Despite losing 20–9 in Week 16, can the Rams get a surprise result over their bitter divisional rivals?
They’ve been a genuine Jekyll and Hyde team in 2020. Defensively they’ve been strong all season with Aaron Donald at their heart. They’ve allowed the least passing yards per game in the NFL and the third least rushing yards per game. However, offensively they’ve been very hit and miss behind much-maligned quarterback Jared Goff.
With homefield advantage and Russell Wilson as a game-winning difference-maker, the Seattle Seahawks should advance to the divisional round with a narrow win. After a terrible start, the Seahawks defense has held teams below 20 points in five of the last six games. I don’t believe the Rams offense has enough to buck that trend.”
The Seahawks were one of the top teams in the NFL at home this season, posting a 7–1 record, which could pay even more dividends against a Rams team that has uncertainty at the quarterback position.
Los Angeles relies on the running game offensively, and Seattle finished the regular season as a top-five team in run defense, giving up 95.6 yards per game and only 3.9 yards per carry.
On the offensive side, Seattle was a top-10 scoring team, producing 28.7 points per game, and Russell Wilson is indisputably one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
One of the cornerbacks capable of slowing down Metcalf, though, will line up against him in the first round.
