NFC Championship Game Early Odds & Preview: Rams vs.Seahawks
Written by: Varun Sharma
Last Update: Wed Jan 21, 2026, 3:29 pm ET
Read Time: 7 minutes
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The NFL Playoffs this year have been absolute cinema. We've had offensive shootouts, we've had defensive games, snow games, and big come from behind games. We've seen two divisional matchups already in the playoffs and we're being treated to one more in the Conference Championship.
The Seahawks will host the Rams at Lumen Field this week with a trip to the Super Bowl hanging in the balance. The stakes could not be higher and I can't wait to talk about this game. Let's jump right into it.
With so much to talk about in the Championship Round, we're taking an early look at the odds and doing a quick preview of these two big time matchups. For more information on the AFC Championship Game, click here and check out Danny Burke's preview piece for the Patrtiots/Broncos.
For additional information on picks, props, moneylines, and more on today's slate, take a look at our NFL Picks Page or our NFL Odds Page.
For more information on the NFL Playoffs, check out our NFL Playoff Betting Hub.
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Early Odds Preview
The line for this game opened at 2.5-points towards the Seahawks, took a short dip to 3-points and then quickly made it's way back to the 2.5-point line we currently see. This will be third matchup between these two teams and the second consecutive year we see Sam Darnold and Matthew Stafford face off in the playoffs.
The two teams split the first two meetings, both teams winning at home and both games be decided by less than a field goal. The two teams combined for just 40 points in Los Angeles but scored a total of 75 points in their most recent matchup in Seattle. The total for this game opened at 47.5 but it's now ticked down to 46.5.
It's only Wednesday as of writing this, but splits are showing a big early percentage of the handle on both the Rams spread and the over. With three full days still remaining before game day, I'd keep a close eye on this spread because it feels like oddsmakers are hesitant to give out the hook with Los Angeles.
The Hawks scored 41 points on their own last week and now face off with a Rams team that ranks #1 in points scored. The total feels accurate despite this being a divisional matchup and Championship Round Game.
Betting Odds
Odds via Lucky Rebel, an industry leader in the sports betting world.
Team Preview – Seahawks
Legion Go Boom
The Seahawks looked unstoppable last week. Seattle opened up the game with a 95-yard punt return touchdown by Rasheed Shaheed and they could've just stopped there. The Niners would only score 6 points in the Divisional Round and this Seahawks defense held them to just 236 total yards of offense.
The Hawks defense forced 3 turnovers, held Brock Purdy to just 140 pass yards and kept Christian McCaffrey under 80 total yards from scrimmage. On the offensive side, Sam Darnold threw the ball jus 17 times, completing 12 passes or 124 yards and 1 touchdown.
Kenneth Walker ran for 116 yards, 3 touchdowns and averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Walker handled the bulk of the rushing load last week, especially after the injury to Zach Charbonnet.
Sweet Sammy
Let's take a second and talk about Sam Darnold. Like I said, Darnold wasn't needed last week, but that won't be the case this week. The Rams bring in the #1 ranked offense in the NFL and it's why Darnold and this offense will need to keep up. The Seahawks are more than capable of doing so. Seattle ranks 3rd in points, 8th in passing yards, 10th in rush yards and 3rd in yards per play.
Darnold's been the key to this this Kubiak offense and it's why he managed win 14-games in his first year with the Hawks. He's now thrown for 4,000 yards in back to back years, thrown 25+ touchdowns in back to back years and now won 14 games in back to back years. Darnold's fresh off his first career playoff win and I'm sure he's hungry for more.
Darnold finished 5th in pass yards, 4th in completion percentage over expectation and 1st in highly accurate throw percentage. He's had back to back big years and he's done it for two different franchises. Now he sits one game away from his first ever Super Bowl appearance.
Team Preview – Rams
Most Valuable Gunslinger
In all likelihood, Matthew Stafford will be the 2025 NFL MVP and it's well deserved. Stafford lead the league with 4,707 pass yards, 46 touchdowns passes and finished with the 2nd best passer rating. He completed 65% of his passes on the year and threw a career high 46 touchdown passes at age 37. Stafford's lead the team to 12 wins this year and he's the reason they have the #1 ranked offense in the NFL.
The Rams are scoring an average of 30.5 points per game this year. The team's averaging 3.7 touchdowns per game (1st) and 126.6 rush yards per game (7th). Last week the team looked bothered by the cold and the heavy snowfall didn't help. The offense scored just 20 points and Stafford was held without a touchdown pass for the first time all year.
The Rams' offense ranks 2nd in EPA/per play this year, 1st in success rate, 2nd in EPA per dropback and dropback success rate. They've been one of the most efficient aerial attacks in the league and outside of just Stafford it's been the play of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams.
Nacua lead the league in receptions and finished the year with 1,700 yards and 10 touchdowns. Adams missed four games this year, still lead the NFL with 14 receiving touchdowns and remains the most dangerous player with goal to go.
Rams' House
This game may be on the road, but the good thing about defense is that defense travels. The Rams rank 10th in points allowed this year, 3rd in opponent redzone efficiency, 6th in sacks and finished top-5 in pressure rate. Los Angeles has forced the 5th most turnovers on the year and we saw it last week.
The Rams forced Caleb Williams into 3 interceptions last week, with the most important coming in overtime. After a quick punt from the Rams to start overtime, the Bears were marching down field. From about the 50-yard line, Caleb throws a ball in the direction of DJ Moore and Kam Curl makes the biggest play of the year; interception.
The Rams would then move the ball down field and kick a game winning 42-yard field goal. Defense wins championships.
Check back into Betting News later this week to get our updated bets on both the AFC and NFC Championship games, and also look at our 2026 NFL Playoffs: Schedule, Bracket, Odds, and Expert & Consensus Picks page</a> for more information.
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