The Los Angeles Rams will conclude their regular-season schedule with a Week 18 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT and will be televised on Fox.
The Rams have already clinched the NFC West after defeating the Arizona Cardinals and winning the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Seahawks in Week 17. The latter came to fruition after the Washington Commanders defeated the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
As a result, the Seahawks have been eliminated from playoff contention. While that is a disappointing outcome for the team, they will still have a chance to affect the seeding of the NFC playoffs.
The Rams can clinch the No. 3 seed in the NFC with a win or tie over the Seahawks or a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss or tie to the New Orleans Saints. In that scenario, the Rams would host either the Commanders or Green Bay Packers on Wild Card Weekend.
However, if the Seahawks defeat the Rams and the Buccaneers come out on top over the Saints, L.A. would clinch the No. 4 seed in the NFC.
The Rams would still get a home playoff game, but have a much more difficult opponent in either the Detroit Lions or Minnesota Vikings.
It remains to be seen how the Rams will approach their regular-season finale against the Seahawks. With the division already locked up, it is possible that the team will rest key starters in Week 18.
The Rams used this strategy last year when they started Carson Wentz over Matthew Stafford in their final game of the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers. Cooper Kupp, Kyren Williams, Aaron Donald and Ernest Jones were also held out of the matchup.
The upcoming game will be the 55th overall meeting between the Rams and Seahawks. The all-time series is tied 27-27, including postseason matchups.
In their previous meeting during Week 9 of the 2024 season, the Rams erased a 13-3 deficit at halftime to defeat the Seahawks in overtime.
Rams legend Eric Dickerson doesn’t believe Saquon Barkley will break record
Another storyline to follow in Week 18 is Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley looking to break Rams legend Eric Dickerson’s single-season NFL rushing record.
Barkley needs 101 rushing yards against his former New York Giants team to surpass Dickerson, who totaled 2,105 yards on the ground during the 1984 season.
There is a chance that Barkley won’t play given that the Eagles have already clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Even if he does suit up, Dickerson went on the record of saying he doesn’t believe Barkley will break his record.
