Ben Perks by

The Seahawks face the Rams in Los Angeles on Thursday night to kick off Week 5 of the NFL. The two National Football Conference West football teams will be looking for a win to boost their playoff chances. Although it’s only the beginning of October, both teams have a chance to take a huge step toward the NFC West crown in this compelling matchup. Get insights and the latest odds for the first game of Week 5.

The Rams travel to Lumen Field as the sportsbooks’ favorites despite losing 37-20 to the Cardinals on Sunday. It was a below-par performance from the LA franchise, but it will take more than one poor game to stop sportsbooks from seeing the Rams as the favorites in most matchups.

MVP favorite Matthew Stafford will now be aiming to lead the Rams back to winning ways against a Seattle Seahawks defense that gives up big plays. Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp had been the best quarterback to wide receiver duo in the first three weeks but against the Arizona secondary, the Rams’ duo struggled to click. Stafford finished the game against the Cardinals with 26 of 41 for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Whereas, Kupp had his quietest game of the season so far, only managing five catches for 64 yards.

The Seahawks, however, are coming off an impressive 28-21 Week 4 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Although the bounce-back win, which improved Seattle’s record to 2-2, did not come easily, Thursday’s game against the Rams gives the Seahawks a chance to get back into the NFC West race.

The key to this NFL matchup lies in the quarterback position. In previous games, the Seahawks always had the edge under center with Russell Wilson. However, the Rams have closed the gap by adding Stafford – a player certainly closer to Wilson’s talent level than Jared Goff.

The Rams are now a much more explosive outfit than they were with Goff and can go toe-to-toe with Wilson and the Seahawks. Still, a shootout is unlikely because both teams usually want to run the football to open up big-play opportunities. Although the Seahawks usually play solid defense at home, the Rams have two of the best defensive players in the world right now in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. Therefore, this game could be a low-scoring affair.

Familiar Foes

The Rams and Seahawks have faced off three times in the last 12 months: they played two traditional regular-season games last season and faced off in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. In the previous three games, the Rams have come out on top twice.

Last Ten Meetings Between the Rams and the Seahawks

  • 01/09/2021 – Los Angeles Rams 30 @ Seattle Seahawks 20*
  • 12/27/2020 – Los Angeles Rams 9 @ Seattle Seahawks 20
  • 11/15/2020 – Seattle Seahawks 16 @ Los Angeles Rams 23
  • 12/08/2019 – Seattle Seahawks 12 @ Los Angeles Rams 28
  • 10/03/2019 – Los Angeles Rams 29 @ Seattle Seahawks 30
  • 11/11/2018 – Seattle Seahawks 31 @ Los Angeles Rams 36
  • 10/07/2018 – Los Angeles Rams 33 @ Seattle Seahawks 31
  • 12/17/2017 – Los Angeles Rams 42 @ Seattle Seahawks 7
  • 10/08/2017 – Seattle Seahawks 16 @ Los Angeles Rams 10
  • 12/15/2016 – Los Angeles Rams 3 @ Seattle Seahawks 24

*This matchup was played on neutral ground in London.

Get the latest odds for every NFL Week 5 game.

Ben Perks
Writer

Ben is a sports journalist & part-time trader with a passion for finding +EV bets. Ben lives in Madrid, Spain where he enjoys the live poker scene, and sunshine where he covers UFC, MLB, NHL, NBA, as well as tennis betting.