WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Coming off a six-touchdown route of the 49ers on the road, the Rams will face another division foe in Week 11, the Seattle Seahawks. And this time, first place in the NFC West is on the line. Two of the hottest teams in the league, both with 7-2 records, will go head to head on Sunday, with the Rams donning their Nike Rivalries "Midnight Mode" jerseys.
Ahead of the game, head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford spoke with the media about their preparation for Seattle. Here are the most significant quotes and talking points from those press conferences.
"I've seen a lot of the same things that made him great last year in Minnesota (from Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold). I think he's in a really good system, I think he does an excellent job of recognizing whatever the coverages are and being able to get the ball where it should be. You can see, he does a great job playing in timing, rhythm, he can activate all parts of the field, and then some really cool stuff happens when he goes off-schedule." - McVay
The Rams were one of the only teams to contain Darnold last year, when he led Minnesota to a 14-3 record in the regular season before getting blown out 27-9 by Los Angeles in the wild card round. But McVay has been impressed with his command in a new offense midway through the 2025 season. "I'm seeing a guy that's playing with a lot of confidence that's been earned," McVay said, "and it's a continuation of a lot of the stuff that got him the deserved recognition last year."
Having played against both Darnold and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak with the Saints last season, they have some familiarity with both, but they have each evolved to their current circumstances. Kubiak specifically "has adjusted to the personnel that he has in Seattle," McVay said. His core principles are similar, but he's playing into the strengths of his players.
Defensively, Seattle runs a lot of stunts at the line of scrimmage, and McVay said, "They know how to rush off of one another." Some of them are naturally occurring and others are schematic, but both have been consistent themes in head coach Mike Macdonald's defenses over the years. Similar to the Rams, Seattle gets plenty of opportunities to rush the passer because "They're earning the right to be in a lot of favorable situations because of how efficient they are on some early downs."
"It's on us as players to bring those plays to life, execute them. If there's issues, try to fix them out there at the line of scrimmage and make sure we're getting in and out of good plays and go out there and play good, sound football. That's kind of been the recipe for us, no matter what's getting put out there on the defensive side of the ball, we have thoughts on what we want to try to do, and go out there and execute them." - Stafford
The Seahawks may have one of the best defenses in the NFL this season. They scored two defensive touchdowns last week against Arizona. But nothing they can do will dictate how the Rams operate their offense. The fact that Seattle has a complex pass rush scheme and plays a lot of nickel defense will surely factor into the game plan, but between those white lines, it's simply about executing that plan.
Seattle has a "big, physical, powerful front," Stafford said, and their defense is "playing at a really high level" from the front to the backend. He added that slowing down Seattle's frequent stunts will require constant communication from the offensive line, something center Coleman Shelton "really excels at."
The magnitude of this game has made waves in the media, but Stafford, calm as ever, said, "It's a big game because it's the next one for us." While Stafford understands why some people increase the significance of divisional games, he said, "It's just another opportunity for us to go get better."
