The Los Angeles Rams are back in the NFC Championship game! The last time they made it this far, they won the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals for the first of Matthew Stafford's Hall of Fame career.
This NFC Championship will be difficult. They take on their divisional rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, who are the No. 1 seed in the NFL. The last time these two teams met was in Week 16, when the Seahawks did the unthinkable and came back and won in overtime. That was one of the better games of the entire season, and the hope is that this NFC Championship will have that type of dramatic flair.
The Rams are coming off a huge win over the Chicago Bears in overtime on Sunday Night Football. That game was electric, as Caleb Williams had the play of his life, completing an impossible throw from the 40-yard line to an open Cole Kmet in the endzone. That catch forced overtime; however, Williams would throw a terrible interception to end the season, giving the Rams another shot at glory.
Stafford will likely win the MVP this season. Not many players have been able to win the award and the Super Bowl in the same season. The last player to do it was Patrick Mahomes in 2022, and Kurt Warner before that in 1999. Stafford has done nothing but dominate since he arrived in LA under head coach Sean McVay. Stafford has two star receivers, along with a rising tight end, who will be big parts of the game plan.
Let's get some Rams bold predictions firing as they take on the Seahawks.
Bold Prediction No. 3: Colby Parkinson remains TE1, scores TD
Parkinson has become a very good pass catcher for Stafford ever since Tyler Higbee went down with an injury. Higbee is a very good tight end who recently returned to action last game against the Bears. Higbee caught one pass for 27 yards on two targets. Despite that, Parkinson remained a big part of the game plan against the Bears. He caught three passes for 56 yards on seven targets. He and Nacua both ended with 56 yards.
Parkinson will have a similar game where he catches 3-5 passes and reaches the end zone. The tight end scored nine times this season, including one postseason score against the Carolina Panthers. There is no better time for Stafford to have all his weapons back. Puka Nacua and Davonte Adams should get a lot of notice, freeing up Parkinson for a TD.
Bold Prediction No. 2: Byron Young and the defense sack Sam Darnold 4+ times
Byron Young is one of the best linebackers in the league. His name isn't brought up all the time because he plays for a dominant defense with a bunch of stars. However, Young ended the season with 12 sacks and 82 total tackles (45 solo). These are all career highs. Young does not have a sack against the Seahawks this season, but that is going to change on Sunday night. He is going to lead the unit to at least four sacks on Sam Darnold.
Darnold is dealing with an injury, but he did not need to do much in order to beat the San Francisco 49ers last weekend. The Rams will be in a much closer game, and they will get to Darnold for some game-changing sacks. Darnold was sacked four times in their last meeting, but was not sacked at all in the first matchup of the season.
Bold Prediction No. 1: Puka Nacua catches 10+ passes from Stafford
This is a game where you know Stafford is going to find his star player time and time again. Nacua is going to get a few handoffs in this game; however, there is a good chance that he gets targeted 15+ times. I expect the rising superstar to make the most of all the opportunities. Davonte Adams is back and almost 100% healthy as well. Adams being out there and creating matchup nightmares will only help Nacua. It doesn't matter how many catches Adams finishes with, I think Nacua will rack up double digits in a game that could come down to the final series late in the 4th quarter.
Nacua has 28 targets in two playoff games. He's also got 300 receiving yards and 19 catches against the Seahawks this season. The last time they met in Seattle, Nacua caught 12 passes off 16 targets for 225 yards and two touchdowns. There are not many players capable of doing what he can. Seattle, however, contains one with Jaxon Smith-Njigba. These two might be the top two receivers in the game in 2026.
