Comparing Rivals: How Do Seahawks, Rams’ Defenses Stack Up Against Each Other?
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Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) sacks Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) in the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images [/caption]
RENTON, Wash. - While an NFC West title or a playoff spot cannot be clinched on Sunday afternoon, the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams will face off in the biggest game of the 2025 season thus far, putting their respective 7-2 records on the line with a chance to jump into sole possession of first place in the division.
Understanding the magnitude of the game, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald acknowledged Sunday’s situation will be a different one than his team has encountered to this point. But at the same time, the message has remained unchanged, seeing it as just another test in the regular season.
“Every time we go out there, it's going to be a test of what kind of team we can become,” Macdonald said. “This is a different scenario that we haven't necessarily been in yet, but last week was a scenario we haven't been in. We haven’t been in a situation where we're coming off a decisive victory and coming back home. So that was last week, this is this week, now we're going to play the Rams on the road for the first time this season. Every week's a new challenge and the guys have been up for them.”
Looking ahead to the much-anticipated first matchup between the NFC West rivals this season, how do Seattle and Los Angeles’ top-five ranked scoring defenses stack up against each other? And who holds the edge at each positional group?
Defensive Tackle
When it comes to trench play on defense, the Seahawks and Rams both have formidable front lines offering depth, versatility, and pass rushing bite. A strong argument can be made that both units belong in the discussion for top 10 - if not top five - defensive lines in the NFL right now, as they have been equally ferocious against the run and hunting down pass rushers.
Los Angeles yields a formidable starting tandem of Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, who each produced eight sacks a piece last season to help the Rams win the NFC West and advance to the divisional round. But while Turner has 27 pressures this year, he and Fiske have combined for only 2.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits through the first nine games, struggling to come close to replicating their numbers from a year ago. In contrast, Leonard Williams has picked up where he left off last season with five sacks already, putting him on place to match his 11.5-sack production from 2024, while Byron Murphy has elevated his game tremendously as a sophomore with five sacks and 10 quarterback hits and both players have been stalwarts stuffing running backs.
Not having Jarran Reed, who landed on injured reserve two weeks ago, hurts Seattle’s depth a bit. But even without him, the duo of Williams and Murphy has been substantially more productive than Turner and Fiske this season, and the emergence of Brandon Pili and Mike Morris has helped offset Reed’s absence, giving the Seahawks the superior group between two talented lines.
Edge: Seahawks
Edge Rushers
Tag-teaming with Fiske as a rookie sensation, Jared Verse more than lived up to the hype as a top-20 pick last season for the Rams, finishing with 18 quarterback hits and 4.5 sacks, and he’s built off that with an even better second year so far. Ranking in the top 10 among edge defenders with 57 pressures, he’s set to obliterate that sack mark with four already this season, while Byron Young has become a bona fide pass rushing maestro with an elite first step and explosive quickness to blow past opposing blockers, using those tools to tally a team-best nine sacks in nine games. Both players already have 17 quarterback hits apiece and have caused major problems.
But even though Boye Mafe and Derick Hall have combined to record just a single sack so far this season, the Seahawks stack up quite well against the Rams off the edge, offering more depth to rotate at the position with plenty of star power of their own. Demarcus Lawrence has proven he has a ton of gas left in the tank with four sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 11 quarterback hits to go with two defensive touchdowns, while Uchenna Nwosu has finally rebounded from a string of injuries to return to 2022 form with five sacks and 10 quarterback hits. Mafe and Hall have held up well defending the run, contributing to a top-five rushing defense with firm edge setting and contain.
If this comparison only relied on starters, Los Angeles would get a slight nod due to Young’s sack total and Verse’s all-around disruption as one of the NFL’s top rising defensive stars. But Lawrence and Nwosu have been equally as productive and even without sack numbers, Mafe and Hall bring more teeth as rushing threats than any of the Rams’ backups, making this as even of a positional matchup as possible and leaving a coin flip to make a selection.
Edge: Draw
Linebackers
Before the season started, even with Ernest Jones being re-signed and Tyrice Knight coming back for his second season coming off an impressive rookie campaign, the Seahawks faced significant questions at linebacker from outside the facility. But the Rams had even more uncertainty after losing former starter Christian Rozeboom in free agency, leaving former Falcons reserve Nathan Landman and Omar Speights as the projected starters for defensive coordinator Chris Shula in the middle.
To the credit of Landman and Speights, the two young defenders have performed above expectations for Los Angeles. Landman, a former undrafted signee out of Colorado, has allowed two touchdowns in coverage, but he leads the team with 83 tackles and has earned a reputation as one of the best “peanut punchers” in the league creating turnovers with three forced fumbles. Speights has added 40 tackles in eight starts while only allowing 96 receiving yards and no touchdowns in coverage. But neither player has put in the body of work Jones, Drake Thomas, and Knight have for Seattle, with Jones having three interceptions, Thomas surprising with three sacks and five pass breakups as a starter, and Knight recently forcing two fumbles that turned into touchdowns.
If the Rams still employed Jones, who they traded to the Titans two seasons ago, this position battle would be much tighter. But the Seahawks have more athleticism and better all-around linebackers across the board, with an argument to be made that all three of the players atop their depth chart would be upgrades in Los Angeles.
Edge: Seahawks
Cornerback
Injuries have been a theme for both the Seahawks and the Rams at cornerback this season, as Devon Witherspoon, Josh Jobe, and Riq Woolen have all missed at least one game for Seattle and Ahkello Witherspoon remains on injured reserve for Los Angeles. But even with all of the turnover both teams have endured rotating players in and out of the lineup, play has been steady at worst and excellent at best from the position, helping each team hold opponents under 20 points per game.
Even with Ahkello Witherspoon out for most of the 2025 season, former Commanders first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes has turned his career around in Los Angeles, intercepting a pair of passes and producing four pass breakups. Across from him, Cobie Durant and Darious Williams have both made positive contributions, as Durant has a pick and two pass breakups and Williams has allowed just a 45% completion rate with five pass breakups. As for Seattle, Jobe and Woolen have both been sticky with sub-54% completion rates and two combined touchdowns allowed, while ex-Rams starter Derion Kendrick helped fill in for Devon Witherspoon admirably with two interceptions and three pass breakups in two starts.
Both rivals deserve credit for weathering the injury storm in the secondary, but the trio of Witherspoon, Jobe, and Woolen offers more upside than Forbes, Durant, and Williams, giving up four touchdowns as a group compared to the six allowed by the Rams’ trio. With Witherspoon back healthy and bringing the versatility to do damage from the slot, the cornerback room has started to play fully to their potential, making them a top-five caliber defensive backfield.
Edge: Seahawks
Safety
If the Seahawks had Pro Bowler Julian Love available right now, Macdonald’s safety group could be listed as the best in the NFL, as the back end has stayed in great shape even without him thanks to the emergence of Ty Okada, continued stellar play from Coby Bryant, and rapid improvement from rookie Nick Emmanwori. Even without Love, who has missed much of the season with a hamstring injury, Okada has recorded an interception, three pass breakups, and 1.5 sacks in his place, while Bryant has two picks and Emmanwori has been an exciting addition to the defense as a Swiss army knife who excels in the slot and as a box safety.
As for the Rams, Quintin Lake has been Mr. Do-It-All for Shula’s defense, lining up for over 400 snaps in the slot while also playing extensive reps as a free and strong safety, tallying a team-best seven pass breakups, an interception, and a sack. Kamren Curl has been equally productive, not allowing any touchdowns with two picks and two pass breakups for a 72.5 passer rating against. Kamren Kinchens has allowed a 94% completion rate, but just one touchdown with an interception and three pass breakups while logging over 400 snaps at the two safety spots as well, giving Shula a trio of dependable defenders on the back end at his disposal.
At full strength, Seattle would get the nod, as the group has kept rolling without Love and has at least four starter-caliber safeties on the roster. But Los Angeles has a deep safety trio as well with plenty of versatility as a calling card of its own, as Lake, Curl, and Kinchens can play all over the field in similar fashion to Bryant, Emmanwori, and Okada, making this race too close to call.
Edge: Draw
