Seahawks NFC Championship set
Who, when, and how are you going to watch?
The Seattle Seahawks will host the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game next Sunday on Fox. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 3:30 PT.
The Rams beat the Chicago Bears 20-17 in overtime to advance.
The Rams and Seahawks split the season series with neither game decided by more than two points. These were the two best teams in the NFL in the regular season, so it is fitting that the NFC Championship game comes down to Seattle and L.A..
The AFC Championship game will feature the last two teams that the Seahawks faced in the Super Bowl as the Broncos host the Patriots at noon. Who do you want to win that one?
The Rams barely escaped Chicago as Matthew Stafford went 20-of-42 and was sacked four times. The Bears had a win in their grasp after another unbelievable last minute throw by Caleb Williams, but Williams was intercepted in overtime on a pass that would have likely given Chicago the victory if D.J. Moore was anywhere close to it.
I just wanted to give you an update on what’s happening in the next round and to share your thoughts on the weekend with other Seaside Joe subscribers.
I’m thrilled we get a chance to beat the Rams again. We have Shanahan’s number, now it’s time to show McVey we have his number as well. I’d rather face the Pats. I think it will be a better opponent than facing a backup QB who hasn’t played in a year. Beating a Stidum led team would be anticlimactic.
Here’s why that’s good. The Bears beat themselves tonight. And they did so multiple times, by playing scared and going for it on 4th down and failing, repeatedly. Williams is amazing, but sometimes talent makes you blind. His final INT was such an example. I don’t think Seattle operates that way. And I don’t think the Rams’ D is very good. They’re beatable and they look to have regressed rather than progressed since Seattle played them in the regular season. They’re getting leakier. If the Bears had stuck with the run and forced the Rams to defend it more consistently and taken the risk out of Williams’ game (and put him in play/run action more) they would have won. Seattle can do just that.
Here’s why it’s bad. The Rams have Stafford. And when he had to be good tonight, he was. Luckily, Seattle can get pressure with a base look, which the Bears could not and Seattle is also better in base against the run. Arguably, the Rams are healthier on offense but less healthy on defense. Stafford and Nakua are why this will be a game. It won’t be like the pasting of the 9ers. I bet odds makers say it’s close to a toss-up. You have to hope, however, for Seattle weather. The Rams have now had five more quarters of softening than the Hawks; and they’ll play this game with one fewer day of rest than Seattle. They fly home now, late, adjust on Monday with all their bumps and bruises, and have to head north just a few days later. It’s not the regular season. They want revenge, but Seattle will have every motivation, not just the SB, to prove they’re better.