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# Marquee Matchups to Watch as Seahawks, Rams Duel in NFC Championship Game
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/marquee-matchups-to-watch-seattle-seahawks-los-angeles-rams-nfc-championship-game/
- Published: 2026-01-25T15:44:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:56:39.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Game Day, Seahawks, Sam Darnold, Ken Walker III, George Holani, Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Jarran Reed, Ernest Jones, Drake Thomas, Nick Emmanwori, Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, Josh Jobe

Continuing a postseason that has been defined by NFC West grudge matches, the Seattle Seahawks will look to continue a storybook second season under the direction of coach Mike Macdonald when the upset-minded Los Angeles Rams travel to the Pacific Northwest for a much-anticipated NFC Championship Game rematch.

Splitting their regular season series, the Rams got the upper hand in a defensive showdown in Week 11, escaping with a 21-19 win when kicker Jason Myers’ 61-yard attempt came up well short of the crossbar as time expired. The Seahawks enacted revenge in dramatic fashion five weeks later at home, as Sam Darnold threw a game-winning two-point conversion to tight end Eric Saubert in overtime to cap off a 38-37 thriller on Thursday Night Football.

With a spot in Super Bowl LX hanging in the balance, which matchups will decide who wins the NFC West rubber match? Here are six marquee positional battles to watch on Championship Sunday at Lumen Field:

\*All stats courtesy of TruMedia unless otherwise stated.

**Seahawks tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas versus Rams defensive ends Jared Verse, Byron Young, and Josaiah Stewart**: Despite missing two practices this week with a new foot injury, Cross’ status never seemed to truly be in doubt and he returned on Friday looking healthy and ready to roll across from Lucas, ensuring the Seahawks would be at full strength along the offensive line. After missing three games with a hamstring strain, the former top-10 pick played sharp in his first game action in nearly a month in the Divisional Round, allowing no pressures on 16 pass blocking snaps while dishing out several strong blocks to help Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet find running room. Lucas played one of his best games, yielding just one pressure on 19 pass protection snaps while levying two massive blocks that sprung Walker for touchdown runs.

The Seahawks will be hoping to see Cross and Lucas replicate their performances in the NFC Championship Game, but they will face a far tougher challenge than the undermanned 49ers could present a week ago. Verse created substantial problems for the two bookends with his blend of speed and power back in Week 16, tallying seven pressures and a sack, and he equaled that pressure total in the first matchup in Los Angeles five weeks earlier. This matchup could ride on the health of Young, who the Rams expect to play despite missing two practices during the week and being limited on Friday. The team leader in sacks (12) and quarterback hits (29) made his first Pro Bowl in 2025 and possesses an electric first step as a complementary pass rushing weapon, making his status nursing a knee injury one that bears watching closely. If he’s limited or doesn’t play, Stewart has been productive in limited action with three sacks and six quarterback hits, but he’s not near the athlete off the edge.

**Seahawks cornerbacks Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Josh Jobe versus Rams receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams**: It’s been a rare event over the course of the 2025 season for Seattle’s cornerback group to be exploited by an opposing quarterback, but after holding Matthew Stafford to 130 passing yards in Week 11, Los Angeles went nuclear throwing the football all over the yard with 457 passing yards in Week 16\. Even without Adams in the lineup across from him, Nacua went off with 12 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns, regularly coming wide open for explosive plays downfield, including a 41-yard score to open overtime. Xavier Smith added a 48-yard reception against a busted coverage and tight ends Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson each had 27-yard receptions as well with the Rams finishing the night with 10 explosive pass plays and Stafford averaging a gaudy 9.3 yards per attempt.

Everyone in the secondary had a hand in the uncharacteristically poor performance in coverage for the Seahawks, though the cornerback group wasn’t to blame for most of the 20-plus yard pass plays. Witherspoon allowed Smith to run past him wide open on what appeared to be a coverage miscommunication, which contributed for most of the 85 yards he surrendered, Woolen gave up a short touchdown to Nacua on a no-look pass from Stafford but only allowed four yards total on two catches, and Jobe allowed five catches on 10 targets for 36 yards while contributing two pass breakups. The Rams were able to carve up zone coverage calls all night long, but Stafford averaged just 1.9 yards per attempt against man coverage and wasn’t much better averaging 3.9 yards per attempt in Week 11, so Macdonald may opt to put his corners on islands one-on-one more often in the rubber match as a means to prevent Nacua and a healthy Adams from going off again.

**Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold versus Rams safeties Kam Curl, Kamren Kinchens, and Quentin Lake**: Pre-dating Darnold’s arrival in free agency and continuing the trend in both regular season games this season, the Seahawks have been haunted by Rams safeties over the past couple of years. In 2024, Kinchens burned former starter Geno Smith with a pair of interceptions, including picking him off in the end zone and returning the pass more than 100 yards for a touchdown as the Rams went into Lumen Field and stole a victory that ultimately won them the NFC West. In that same game, Jaylen McCullough also picked off Smith, as safeties combined for three turnovers to fuel a comeback win on the road. Throwing four picks in Week 11 at SoFi Stadium, Kinchens again starred by producing two of those interceptions off of Darnold, baiting him into contested throws that he undercut for crucial turnovers.

Once Week 16 arrived, Darnold didn’t have to worry about Lake, the multi-faceted safety/slot defender who may be one of the three most invaluable players on Chris Shula’s defense, and he took advantage throwing for 270 yards. But the versatile playmaker returned from injured reserve for the playoffs, while Curl picked off Caleb Williams in overtime to help the Rams push past the Bears in the Divisional Round. Between those two players, the ball-hawking Kinchens, and McCullough, Los Angeles has a quartet of safeties who have a penchant for coming up with clutch turnovers. Darnold will have to execute a fine balancing act between remaining assertive seeking big plays downfield and accounting for Shula’s aggressive safeties as if they are land mines in coverage, and how he fares in that regard may hold the key for whether or not the Seahawks get a shot to vie for the Lombardi Trophy in two weeks.

**Seahawks defensive tackles Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, and Jarran Reed versus Rams guards Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila, center Coleman Shelton**: With Williams headlining the unit as a first-time All-Pro selection, Murphy enjoying a breakout sophomore season, and Reed remaining reliable as both a run stuffer and interior pass rusher, the Seahawks have typically dominated games in the trenches up front defensively. But to the Rams credit, in large part due to how quickly Stafford gets the ball out of his hands and strong scheming by McVay to take pressure off the offensive line, Seattle’s defensive line hasn’t been near as effective in the two prior games between the division rivals. In Week 11, Avila, Dotson, and Shelton didn’t give up a single combined pressure, neutralizing a vaunted defensive line in the pass rushing department. Dotson left early in Week 16 and Justin Dedich struggled some stepping into his stead, allowing three pressures and a hit on Stafford, but the quarterback still wasn’t sacked.

This isn’t to say that Williams, Murphy, and Reed didn’t make any impact at all in those two games. Murphy had six pressures to go with two run stops while Williams had five pressures and a key quarterback hit in the fourth quarter of the Week 16 comeback win. Both players had at least three run stops in the Week 11 loss at SoFi Stadium as well, helping limit Los Angeles to just 34 rushing yards in the second half. But if the Seahawks have any intention of winning a second straight game at home against the Rams, they have to find a way to drum up more pressure on Stafford, particularly with their front four that has been so good at doing so for much of the season. Simply getting pressures won’t be enough, as another game with Williams, Murphy, and Reed being held to one quarterback hit or less and no sacks again would be a recipe to cook up locker room cleanout on Monday.

**Seahawks running backs Ken Walker III and George Holani versus Rams linebackers Nate Landman and Omar Speights**: Keying the offense in both games against the Rams, Walker has been at his very best against a front seven that has shown more leaks defending the run in the second half of the season as well as the playoffs. After rushing for 67 yards, catching three passes for 44 yards, and scoring a touchdown in the Week 11 loss, he ripped off a 55-yard touchdown run and set up Seattle’s first touchdown drive with a 46-yard screen reception in the Week 16 rematch. His ability to hit home runs in the run game and create matchup problems against linebackers such as Landman and Speights in coverage has been a thorn in the side of Shula’s plans, and his presence may force adjustments that open up opportunities for receivers and tight ends, particularly in the play action passing game.

With that said, Charbonnet’s season-ending injury looms large heading into Sunday for a couple of reasons. For one, Walker hasn’t had a single game this season with 20 or more carries, so it remains to be seen how he will handle an increased workload, especially with Holani returning as his primary backup having last played in a game in late November. Pass protection also will be under the microscope, as Charbonnet has been one of the NFL’s best at stifling blitzers and that aspect has long been viewed as a major area of concern for Walker. Holani could be the right fit to fill that role, but he has just two pass blocking snaps in regular season games in his career, and the Rams may test him and Walker early by blitzing Landman, who had 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits during the season. Missed assignments from backs in pass protection could be an X-factor to keep an eye on with Darnold dealing with an oblique injury.

**Seahawks linebackers Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas, safety Nick Emmanwori versus Rams running backs Kyren Williams and Blake Corum**: Now with 27 straight games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, the Seahawks have been as stout defending the run as any team in the NFL dating back to the second half of the 2024 season. Earning Second-Team All-Pro honors, Jones has been a massive part of that success, as he eclipsed 125 tackles in his first full season with the team. Thomas came up just short of his first 100 tackle season and the position-less Emmanwori finished second among safeties with eight tackles for loss, as both players made a significant impact in Seattle wrapping up 2025 with the third-ranked run defense for yards allowed and top run defense for yards per carry average. For all of the success Seattle has had defending the run, however, Los Angeles has been one of the few teams able to find success on the ground against Macdonald’s defense this year.

Taking pressure off Stafford by regularly setting up favorable third down conversion opportunities, the Rams rushed for 175 yards and five yards per carry in the first half of the two regular season games against the Seahawks, including averaging 7.7 yards per carry in the first two quarters in Week 11\. The defensive line has to do a better job of keeping blockers off linebackers at the second level, and at the same time, Jones, Thomas, and Emmanwori have to be able to play fast and get downhill to beat those blocks as well. If the second level defenders can help generate stops closer to the line of scrimmage or behind the line more often and regularly force the Rams into second and third and long situations, that could turn the tide squarely into Seattle’s favor against a potent offense. But allowing Williams and Corum to efficiently average more than four yards per carry and keep the Rams ahead of the sticks would put McVay right in his play-calling wheelhouse.