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, quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receiver Puka Nacua, outside linebacker Jared Verse, offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur and defensive coordinator Chris Shula 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."
"(Smith-Njigba) requires and deserves all the attention that he should get, but they have other guys that can hurt you (too). So, it's about, you don't want to put all your resources into stopping one guy and now another guy gets an opportunity. So, it's just that fine line, that balance." - Shula
Smith-Njigba may be on pace to break the NFL's single-season receiving yards record, but he's far from the only weapon on Seattle's offense, one of which the Rams know quite well. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp spent the first eight years of his career in Los Angeles, and now plays for their division rival. Shula said that "he's still a great player" and they are moving him around to take advantage of his skill set, adding that it will be "tough" to game plan against him, just like it was when he was "killing" the Rams' defense in practice all those years.
Shula said that they've known Darnold to be a quality NFL quarterback since he beat L.A. in SoFi Stadium as a member of the Jets in 2020. "We thought he was a legit quarterback. We knew he was. He just needed a good system and good guys around him," Shula said. This Seahawks offense is completely different than the one L.A. saw last year, as Kubiak has taken over at offensive coordinator, and it's one that the players execute at a high level in both the run and pass game. So, they can't rely too much on the film from last year's matchups.
"You name the coverage, (Macdonald) has it. You name the pressure, he has it, but it just seems the players have such command over what's being asked of them and I always attribute that to great coaching and obviously having the right players in the right spots. So, there's not a weakness on this defense." - LaFleur
Macdonald has always done a good job of mixing his play calls and being unpredictable as a defensive coach, dating back to his days with Baltimore as their defensive coordinator. But the Rams' offense is rolling just as much, if not more, than Seattle's defense with Stafford leading the way. When asked what Stafford has done differently this season to achieve the exceptional stats that he has through 10 weeks, LaFleur said, "Nothing. I think it's just one of those years right now. This guy, for 17 years, has played at such a high clip, even if he always hasn't gotten the recognition, particularly nationally."
The Rams' increased usage of 13 personnel, and how the Seahawks respond to it defensively, has become a big storyline ahead of the divisional showdown. LaFleur had some experience coaching that personnel in San Francisco, although it was more often 22 personnel with a fullback instead of a third tight end. He's had a lot of fun creating "tight plans" and giving players "clear expectations" for their roles on those plays.
"Honestly, I'm hoping that he doesn't take (his jersey) off (after the game). Because if I see him take it off for somebody else (to swap with them), I might hit somebody on our team." - Nacua
It's safe to say that Nacua wants that Seahawks jersey with "Kupp" on the back for himself, and he said that he expects to get it sent in the mail in return for his own. Kupp was Nacua's biggest mentor during his first two years in the league, and he learned from Kupp's "attention to detail and preparation," whether he was taking notes, watching tape or working out. Despite them being divisional adversaries now, Nacua said that Kupp is always "a phone call or a text away."
Meanwhile, the zone-heavy Seattle defense will put the Rams' "fundamentals to the test," Nacua said. He added that there are certain games that you circle on the scheduled, and this is one of them not just because of Kupp's return to SoFi Stadium, but also because it'll feature two high-powered NFC West foes.
"The way (Darnold) reads the field is a lot different (than last year). Before, a little bit of pressure (and) he would not make the read that was best at the time, got a little panicked, but now he's kind of staying cool, calm under pressure, especially in the pocket." - Verse
The Rams' nine-sack performance against Darnold's Vikings last season is a thing of the past. He's a different player in a different system playing at a different level, especially under pressure. He also plays behind a "strong" and "relentless" offensive line, the type that will cut off even the backside defender on runs, Verse said.
Offensive lineman Charles Cross, who Verse will likely line up across from for most of the day based on each of their positional tendencies, is "a lot better than he was last year," Verse said. He praised the tackle's improvement in terms of setting his feet, taking on power rushes and resetting his hands. Still, "Everybody has their weaknesses, and that's something that we're gonna try to get after," Verse said.
