Field Gulls
If there’s a divisional matchup that consistently comes down to the margins, it’s the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. The standings matter, the history matters, but what usually decides these games shows up on the All-22: spacing, leverage, timing, and who is forced to abandon their original structure first. Awesome matchup between Sean McVay and Mike Macdonald.
From Seattle’s side, the equation is straightforward but unforgiving: limit negative plays, avoid turnovers, and keep the offense on schedule. From Los Angeles’ perspective, the question is more complex: how does McVay stress a defense that is explicitly built to survive stress?
Simulated looks, late safety rotation, and edge alignments force quarterbacks to speed up even when the rush doesn’t immediately win. That matters against a Seahawks offense that has been far more efficient when it can dictate tempo.
On early downs, Seattle’s offense has shown its best stretches when:
The quick game is emphasized (slants, sticks, speed outs).
Motion is used to clarify coverage and simplify the post-snap picture.
Play-action is tied directly to downhill run looks, not window dressing.
When those elements are present, the offense stays on schedule and avoids the obvious passing situations where the Rams’ disguise package becomes far more effective.
When they aren’t:
Reads get late.
The middle of the field closes quickly.
And turnovers tend to follow.
The All-22 from the first meeting tells a consistent story: most of the damage came from hesitation, not reckless decision-making. The Rams don’t need to dominate snaps — they just need one late throw, one extra hitch, one quarterback forced off his first read.
Seattle’s path on offense:
Screens and checkdowns to punish aggressive fronts.
Play-action from under center to hold linebackers.
Attacking intermediate zones before safeties can gain full depth.
Rams’ advantage:
Conflict by design vs. discipline by construction
This is where the tape gets interesting.
Sean McVay remains elite at manufacturing conflict for defenders — stressing linebackers and safeties with motion, condensed splits, and layered route concepts. The goal is to force a single defender to be wrong, even if only for a beat.
Mike Macdonald’s defense is built to remove that beat.
On film, Seattle consistently:
Maintains leverage rather than chasing plays.
Keeps safeties patient in two-high shells.
Asks linebackers to close throwing windows instead of attacking the mesh point.
The statistical result is a defense that may concede short gains but limits explosives — especially off play-action.
For the Rams, that means execution has to be clean:
When Kyren Williams is consistently generating efficient early-down runs, the offense opens up. Play-action regains...
