After being eliminated from playoff contention, the Seahawks find themselves as slight favorites for Week 18.
A rough finish to the season has now eliminated the Seattle Seahawks from playoff contention. After claiming sole possession of first place in the NFC West in Week 14, Seattle is now out of contention entirely by way of the Washington Commanders’ 30-24 overtime victory against the Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
Since the importance of this game has dropped dramatically following the Seahawks’ elimination, the Rams will likely be resting several key starters for the regular season finale. With this in mind, FanDuel Sportsbook has Seattle as 2.5-point favorites versus Los Angeles.
This all started with a blowout loss to the Packers in Week 15, followed by a much closer defeat vs. the Vikings the next week. Although the Seahawks gained a sliver of hope with an ugly 6-3 win over the Bears on Thursday Night Football in Week 17, it was not enough to prevent their eventual demise. Seattle needed the division-leading Rams to lose to the Cardinals (which they did not), beginning a long list of games that needed to go a certain way for the Seahawks to gain the strength of victory tiebreaker over Los Angeles.
Following losses by the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers, Seattle would only make it to Monday with a win by the Falcons, which did not go as the Seahawks hoped. Now, instead of facing the Rams for a shot at the division title, they will head into Inglewood for the sole purpose of finishing out Mike Macdonald’s first season as the team’s head coach.
Seattle last faced Los Angeles back in Week 9, losing 26-20 in overtime after leading 13-3; this was the Seahawks’ fifth loss in six games, which dropped them to 4-5 following a 3-0 start. The Rams, meanwhile, began the season 1-4 before winning nine of 11 to climb to a 10-6 record and the NFC West division title. Los Angeles’s win at Lumen Field in November was their third in a row, bringing them back to .500 at 4-4.
The over/under for Week 18 is 41.5, which seems a bit high considering how many points these teams have scored as of late. The Seahawks and Rams combined for 19 points in Week 17, which was just three points below the point total during Los Angeles’s recent victory over Arizona. That being said, this is a divisional game in the final week of the regular season, so there is a chance for some sparks to fly.
Either way, Seattle will be looking for some revenge against the Rams next week. The Seahawks have not beaten Los Angeles since Week 18 of the 2022 season, and they have not won at SoFi Stadium since Week 13 of that same season. If nothing else, a morale boost for a deflated squad would be a pleasant way to end the 2024 campaign.