The Seattle Seahawks are going to win their crunch match-up with the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Lumen Field. At least that’s what the vast majority of readers believe.
The Seahawks and Rams meet Sunday in what may be the teams’ most important game of the season. Seattle is 10-4 and in first place in the NFC West. L.A. is 9-5, just one game behind. So this could be the contest that determines who wins the division.
Therefore, this week’s Seattle Sidelines poll asked readers to pick the winner between the Seahawks and Rams.
POLL: Who wins Sunday’s crucial game between the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field, which could decide the NFC West? Full context, including a look at the two teams, here: https://t.co/PI9hPf810P
— Nick Patterson (@NickHPatterson) December 21, 2020
Add up the votes between the poll posted on The Herald’s website and the one posted on Twitter and it’s a rout. Nearly three-quarters of the responders — just a smidgen under 75% — picked Seattle to win Sunday’s game, while just a hair over 25% went with the Rams.
So Seahawks fans are feeling confident about their chances.
There are good reasons for the optimism. Seattle is rounding into form as the postseason approaches. The Seahawks have won four of their past five, and the defense that was leaking yards at a historic pace early in the season has corrected its course and actually been the team’s strength during this five-game stretch.
Meanwhile, the Rams had been playing well until an inexplicable home loss to the previously-winless New York Jets last Sunday. Given Seattle thrashed the Jets 40-3 just one weekend earlier, it’s hard to ponder the Seahawks losing to team that was felled by New York.
However, if there’s a team that’s had Seattle’s number in recent years it’s the Rams. L.A. has won the past two meetings against the Seahawks, as well as five of the past six and eight of the previous 11. The Rams prevailed 23-16 when the teams met in Week 10 at SoFi Stadium, and the gulf between the two teams sure felt a lot wider than the difference in the score.
This game will let us know how much of the turnaround in Seattle’s defense is real and how much is a schedule illusion. The Seahawks first saw defensive improvement in their Week 11 victory over Arizona, which is a probable playoff team. However, the past four games came against Philadelphia, the New York Giants and Jets, and Washington, which are among the worst offensive teams in the NFL — and two of those didn’t even have their No. 1 quarterback available against Seattle. The Rams aren’t an offensive juggernaut, but they present a greater challenge than the Seahawks have had in more than a month.
The scenario is simple for Seattle: A victory gives the Seahawks their first NFC West title since 2016. If the Rams win the teams go into the final weekend tied, with L.A. holding the tiebreaker by virtue of sweeping the season series. Seattle finishes the season at San Francisco, while the Rams conclude with a home game against the Cardinals.
The Seahawks are hoping the final weekend has no consequence for them, at least as far as the division is concerned. Based on the results of the poll, the readers believe it won’t.
— Nick Patterson, Herald writer
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