No doubt, this should have been a prime-time game.

These are the only two teams ranked top-five in scoring offense and defense. The Seahawks and Rams have the two highest point differentials in the conference. The coach/coordinator/play-caller chess match is going to be must-see.

It very well could be a playoff preview, maybe even an NFC Championship precursor.

But LA's time in the spotlight is coming. That can wait one more week. This first-place brawl against Seattle is best handled in broad daylight.

The NFC West was settled between the Rams and Seahawks in 2024, with an overtime triumph in November proving to be the deciding factor.

In Week 11, the title defense continues, with a chance to show that the Rams run this rivalry, and the division still runs through Los Angeles.

Similar But Different

The Seahawks haven't trailed since Week 6, falling behind 6-0 at Jacksonville before rallying to win on the road.

The Rams haven't trailed since Week 6, falling behind 3-0 at Baltimore before rallying to win on the road.

Each suffered their last defeat in Week 5. Even their Week 8 byes were aligned!

For more on what distinguishes them, here's a fresh episode of Between the Horns with Camryn Irwin, D'Marco Farr, and Maurice Jones-Drew.

Heavy Hitters

This game really is a feast for football nerds. It is the zeitgeist game of 2025, which is why it has the full attention of some of the brightest analysts in the sport.

Sam Darnold and the Seahawks, Matthew Stafford and the Rams. The top two quarterbacks and offenses in the league when it comes to passing from multiple tight end formations. Under-center, play-action specialists. Deep-shot marksmen.

Therefore, one specific dimension that bears monitoring is how these defenses match (or choose not to take the bait against) heavier personnel groupings from the opposing offense. Said another way, an oversimplification of Week 11 could be: Who holds up in sub-packages the longest without suffering any consequence in the run game?

These two defenses are built for exactly this.

At least from the standpoint of the Rams, you also have an offense that ranks third in offensive run efficiency (Seattle is 21st), meaning McVay could opt for more of a ball-control approach, churn the chains, and take a wrecking ball to this Mike Macdonald defense. Remember the first drive of 2023 in Baltimore? Nine straight Rams runs.

Without showing his hand, the head coach was patient enough to field a few questions on this topic in our most recent show.

Run Stop Sign

As for stopping the run and forcing Darnold into some negative down-and-distances – akin to what he had to cope with last January as a member of the Vikings – we knew exactly who to talk to on that front.

Former Seahawk Poona Ford was this week's guest on Rams Revealed. Suffice it to say, if Seattle's offensive gains are as succinct as his answers, LA will be in great position come Sunday.

Even though he's a man of few words, Ford delivered some amazing stories. Who knew Camden Yards had such great water pressure? Does he still have the Aaron Donald jersey? And what's the story behind "Poona," anyway?

Notes of Note

This isn't just a cool visual, it's a sign of how much progress these two franchises have made in one offseason. Last year, both were playoff-worthy. However, the Rams won the division thanks to an overtime triumph in Seattle with a season-long point differential of minus-19! The Seahawks were only plus-7.

Not gonna lie, I was upset about this one. I've been tracking Stafford's career win-loss record for years, waiting for the moment he cracked .500 for the first time, and ESPN jumped the gun at 115-115-1 and stole my thunder. Oh well. His counterpart, Darnold, has as many wins these last two seasons in Minneapolis and Seattle as his entire six-year career prior (with the Jets, Panthers, and Niners).

One of the leading keys to Stafford's season has been staying out of third-and-long, or just skipping third down altogether. Two-thirds of his completions go for either a first down or touchdown. That's a trend that must continue Sunday against a Seahawks defense that scored two touchdowns on strip sacks last week.

Wouldn't mind at all if this turned into a four-quarter game?

No matter how you slice it, this is an incredible offensive collision, orchestrated by two quarterbacks at the top of their games.

Here's a good encapsulation of what the Rams have done to shape-shift since the injury to Nacua in Baltimore.

On Sunday, the Rams have a chance to score 34 points in four consecutive regular season games for the first time in 25 years (the 2000 team strung together eight games from Weeks 1-9).

Going the other way, the Rams defense has a chance to hold a fourth straight opponent under 100 rushing – that hasn't happened within a season for this franchise since 2001 (a five-game streak).

The Seahawks are 11-1 on the road since Macdonald arrived last season, including 10 straight victories (the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest streak in franchise history). According to ESPN, the only two other coaches to win 11 of their first 12 road games are George Seifert (12-0) and McVay (11-1).

Per NextGen Stats, the Seahawks are the only team to not allow a play-action touchdown in 2025. Guess who runs the best play-action offense in the NFL?

Darnold has been sacked only 10 times this season, the fewest of any quarterback in the NFC. The Rams got him nine times in the Wild Card win alone.

Either the Rams will be the first defense this season to keep Jaxon Smith-Njigba under 75 receiving yards…or he'll be the first player in league history to go for at least 75 in each of his team's first 10 games of a season, according to NFL Research.

Watching the West

Much like last week, there's only one other division game in the NFC West this week, as the wounded Niners (6-4) travel to the desert to contend with the spiraling Cardinals (3-6).

Hopefully, the Wild Card bubble is irrelevant in the end, but let's continue to monitor it for the time being, because if Seatle gets out of SoFi with the division lead, the Seahawks could be difficult to catch.

Of particular interest is a matchup between a couple of future Rams opponents in Atlanta. The Falcons (3-6) are currently in line to hand Los Angeles a top-10 pick as they play host to Carolina (5-5).

Meantime, the Bears (6-3) are legitimate contenders. Perhaps the Vikings (4-5) can take some wind out of the Chicago sails this week in Minneapolis.

As for next week's prime time test against Tampa Bay? The Bucs (6-3) will be coming to California after a battle with the Bills. Baker Mayfield and company are the NFC South front-runner until further notice, but that certainly could change before Thanksgiving.