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NFL: Thursday Night Football Preview

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – The NFL’s week 16 kicks-off with one of the biggest games of the 2025 regular season, and one chock full of playoff ramifications when the Los Angeles Rams visit the Seahawks in the Emerald City on Thursday night. The NFC West rivals enter with identical 11-3 records atop the conference. The Seahawks have won four consecutive games since a Week 11 loss at the Rams. That victory has Los Angeles atop the NFC standings, with Seattle currently in the top wild-card spot.

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A win on Thursday night very well could propel the Rams to the division title and home-field advantage in the NFC. A loss, and Los Angeles risks going on the road throughout its playoff run. And whichever team loses risks falling into a tie with 10-4 San Francisco, which plays at Indianapolis on Monday night.

ODDS AND TRENDS
The Seahawks are a consensus 1.5-point favorite at home. The line has held steady this week at BetMGM, where the Rams have been backed by 64% of the total spread-line bets and 59% of the money.

Los Angeles’ moneyline has also been popular, drawing 67% and 57% of the action, respectively, while shifting from -115 to +105.

The total points line of 42 is down significantly from opening at 45.5, due in large part to the unknown status of Rams wide receiver Davante Adams. The Over has been backed by 61% of the money.

PLAYER PROPS
–Rams TE Terrance Ferguson Over 19.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at BetMGM): Ferguson figures to be one of the beneficiaries of Adams being doubtful to play due to a hamstring injury. This has been the most popular Rams-based player prop at the book, even though the rookie has only one catch for 6 yards over his past five games. Ferguson has six catches for 144 yards and one touchdown on the season.

–Seahawks QB Sam Darnold 200+ Passing Yards (-223 at DraftKings): This has been the most popular player prop at the book with Darnold topping 200 passing yards in 11 of his past 13 games. He threw for 279 in the first matchup, but also was picked off four times. Seattle’s offense failed to score a touchdown last week and has struggled in the first half much of the season. If you’re looking for a bigger potential pay out, Darnold is -125 to throw for 220+ and +133 to throw for 240+ yards.

INSIDE EDGE
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is known for his play-action passing game. However, Seattle ranks third-worst in the NFL with a success rate of just 39.3% on plays with motion this season, according to Inside Edge’s Remarkable engine.

KEY STATS
–Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford leads the NFL with a passer rating of 126.2 on passes to the right side of the field this season.

–Seattle’s defense ranks second in the league in opponents’ scoring, allowing just 17.3 points per game.

INJURY REPORT
Rams coach Sean McVay said he likely would wait until game time to make a decision on Adams, who aggravated the injury while running a deep route on Sunday in Los Angeles’ 41-34 victory against visiting Detroit.

“I’m not ruling anyone out,” McVay said Tuesday. “He just got his hamstring. He felt it a little bit, and it’s something he’s been dealing with, and he’s as tough as it gets. Want to be able to see what it looks like with the time we have.”

Adams has twice previously dealt with hamstring issues this season, his first with the Rams. He has 60 catches for 789 yards.

Rams defensive end Braden Fiske (ankle) is listed as questionable.

Stafford is a leading MVP contender with a league-leading 37 touchdown passes and 3,722 yards through the air, second only to the 3,931 of the Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott.

Seahawks left tackle Charles Cross, who sustained a hamstring injury on Jason Myers’ game-winning kick Sunday, was ruled out of the contest on Wednesday.

“We’re just trying to gather the info right now, exhausting all options to see how fast we can get him back,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of Cross.

FLUTTERING HAWKS
While the Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba leads the NFL with 1,541 receiving yards, the rest of the offense has stalled. Seattle’s offense has scored just six first-half points in each of its past three games (not counting an interception return for a TD).

The Seahawks likely will need more than that against a Rams team that has scored 40-plus points in each of its past two contests.

“We just need to get together and understand the game plan and execute at the end of the day,” Smith-Njigba said. “And I’ll leave it at that.”

Seattle managed a season-low 50 rushing yards against the Colts, with Kenneth Walker III totaling just 17 yards on nine attempts.

“We didn’t run it the way we wanted to,” Macdonald said. “It’s kind of a little bit of everything right now. A little bit late in the year to be saying that. So, I mean, we got to pick it up, really, on all fronts.”

“What a crazy week to be playing on a Thursday,” McVay said. “This is a good challenge. … It’s a blessing to be able to play in meaningful games this late in the season.” –McVay, who admitted he hasn’t gotten much sleep this week after his wife Veronika gave birth to son Christian Alexander McVay on Monday morning.

PREDICTION
Seattle’s offensive line already was struggling before losing Darnold’s stalwart blind-side protector for this game. Minus Cross, the Seahawks will continue to struggle running the ball and Darnold will be prone to the types of poor decisions under duress that put Seattle in a 14-3 hole in the first meeting. –Rams 23, Seahawks 20

–Field Level Media

NFL: Rams Make a Stand

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INGLEWOOD – LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and the surging Los Angeles Rams strengthened their playoff chances with a 30-22 victory against the visiting New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.

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Stafford passed for 328 yards and threw touchdowns to Puka Nacua, who had 164 receiving yards, and Demarcus Robinson as the Rams (8-7), who entered the game in possession of the final wild-card berth in the NFC, won for the fifth time in six games.

Derek Carr passed for 319 yards, including 123 to Chris Olave, and three touchdowns, but two of them came after the Saints (6-7) fell behind 30-7.

The Rams received the second-half kickoff and drove to the Saints 3 before stalling, and Lucas Havrisik kicked a 22-yard field goal that gave them a 20-7 lead.

Kyren Williams ran for 10 of his 104 yards and a touchdown that pushed the lead to 27-7 and Havrisik added a 32-yard field goal before Carr threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson.

Carr connected with A.T. Perry for a 35-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion to Olave to trim the lead to 30-22 with 3:53 left, but the Rams recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Los Angeles started its first possession at its 5 and the 14th play of the drive was a 2-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Nacua on fourth-and-goal, giving the Rams a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Rams drove to Havrisik’s 20-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead, but missed an opportunity to increase the lead when Havrisik was wide left on a 47-yard field-goal attempt.

The Saints broke through when Carr connected with Rashid Shaheed for a 45-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 10-7.

New Orleans turned the ball over at the Rams 42 with 56 seconds left in the half when Carr threw an incompletion on fourth-and-5.

Five plays later, Stafford threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Robinson that increased the lead to 17-7 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

LA Rams Face Panthers, New Coach

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Field Level Media Report) – The coaching change with the Carolina Panthers has been a much-scrutinized topic this week. Perhaps to some degree that has overshadowed the struggles of the defending Super Bowl champions. The Los Angeles Rams are 2-3 and looking shaky, particularly on offense.

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They’ll try to get that turned around against the visiting Panthers (1-4) today in Inglewood.

Matt Rhule is out as Carolina’s coach, unable to make it through his third season. Steve Wilks, with a background as a defensive coach, takes over as interim head coach.

“I want to be a part of trying to turn this thing around,” Wilks said. “My history with this organization before is when we won three straight NFC South championships, so I know what it takes.”

This is the second time in four seasons that the Panthers have an interim coach. Ron Rivera was fired before completing the 2019 season, with Perry Fewell taking over for the rest of that season, though that move came in early December.

There’s more time to salvage this season, though it looks like the Panthers will have to do it with a backup quarterback. Nearly lost in all the news coming out of Charlotte is that quarterback Baker Mayfield is likely to be out with an ankle injury. He didn’t take any practice reps Wednesday.

So, this means P.J. Walker will be ready to make his first start of the season for the Panthers. He ended up in a fill-in role last year.

“This situation coming up now, we’ll see what happens on Sunday,” Walker said. “Every day I prepare as if I’m playing, so I never really got away from being prepared for games.”

The Panthers have won just one of four home games this season, most recently tumbling 37-15 to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams have scored one touchdown in each of their past two games in falling to the 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Despite those shortcomings, receiver Cooper Kupp has maintained strong production with a league-leading 49 receptions to go with 105.4 receiving yards per game. He has scored four touchdowns.

But in general, finding the right formula remains a quest for the Rams.

“We’ve got a decision to be able to make about how we respond and I do trust that this response is in alignment up to this point with exactly what we’re hunting up to have a good performance against the Panthers,” coach Sean McVay said.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is conducting the offense, so the Rams should be well-equipped to turn it around. The problem has been an injury-riddled offensive line that has stripped the unit of much continuity. Matt Skura was signed this week and could be the fourth center used this season.

That has shown up with Stafford being sacked 21 times. Those turned into a pair of fumbles in the Dallas game, pushing the Rams’ turnover total to 12 for second-most in the NFL.

“It’s really hard to beat the other team if you don’t stop beating yourself,” McVay said.

Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner said: “We’ve got to understand that we’re close. We just have to eliminate some of the plays that have hurt us.”

Meanwhile, LA running back Cam Akers will not play for the Rams because of personal reasons, signaling his future with the team suddenly is clouded. The third-year back out of Florida State did not practice Thursday and on Friday.

Panthers starting cornerback Jaycee Horn (ribs) did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

Carolina is 12-9 all-time against the Rams’ franchise.

–Field Level Media

NFL

Niners Defense Stops Rams

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SANTA CLARA – (Staff and Wire Service Report  with Field Level Media) – Deebo Samuel caught six passes for 115 yards, including a long catch-and-run touchdown, and Talanoa Hufanga scored on an interception return to help the San Francisco 49ers notch a 24-9 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.

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Jimmy Garoppolo completed 16 of 27 passes for 239 yards and one touchdown and Jeff Wilson Jr. rushed for 74 yards and one score as San Francisco (2-2) won its seventh consecutive regular-season game over the Rams (2-2). Of course, Los Angeles won the biggest recent meeting, beating the 49ers in last season’s NFC Championship Game en route to winning the Super Bowl.

Matthew Stafford connected on 32 of 48 passes for 254 yards with one interception and one lost fumble for the Rams. Cooper Kupp caught a career-best 14 passes for 122 yards, Tyler Higbee made 10 catches for 73 yards and Matt Gay kicked three field goals for Los Angeles.

Nick Bosa and Samson Ebukam each had two of San Francisco’s seven sacks. Bosa leads the NFL with six. Ebukam forced Stafford to fumble on one of his sacks.

Hufanga made his big play when Stafford was trying to rally the Rams from an eight-point, fourth-quarter deficit. Hufanga, who anticipated that Stafford would throw a quick pass to Kupp, jumped the route, made the interception and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to give San Francisco a 24-9 advantage with 6:27 to play.

The 49ers outgained Los Angeles 327 yards to 257. The Rams didn’t have a single 20-yard offensive play.

The Rams controlled the ball for the first 8:12 of the contest, but their drive stalled and they settled for Gay’s 39-yard field goal.

San Francisco then struck as Wilson exploded for a 32-yard touchdown run with 2:46 left in the opening quarter.

Gay booted a 29-yard field goal with 6:22 left in the half before Samuel produced his dynamic 57-yard scoring reception. He caught the ball at his own 49-yard line and later easily eluded Jalen Ramsey’s tackle attempt at the Rams’ 22 en route to giving the 49ers a 14-6 advantage.

Los Angeles had a 16-play, 75-yard drive in the third quarter but couldn’t finish it off. The excursion took 7:43 and ended with Gay’s 26-yard field goal.

Robbie Gould kicked a 25-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter to restore San Francisco’s eight-point lead.

–Field Level Media

Super Bowl Preview: Bengals vs Rams

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Super Bowl LVI (56)

  • February 13, 2022
  • Time: 6:30pm (ET)/3:30pm (local)
  • TV: NBC Sports; Streaming on Peacock
  • Play-by-play: Al Michaels – Expert Analyst: Chris Collinsworth
  • Sideline Reporters: Michele Tafoya, Kathryn Tappen
  • Radio: Westwood One Network; Kevin Harlan, Kurt Warner
  • SoFi Stadium
  • Ingelwood, California
  • AFC Champion – Cincinnati Bengals (13-7)
    • Defeated: Las Vegas (26-19); At Tennessee (19-16); At Kansas City (27-24)
  • NFC Champion – Los Angeles Rams (15-5)
    • Defeated: Arizona (34-11); At Tampa Bay (30-27); San Francisco (20-17).

Rams Coach: Sean McVey

Bengals Coach: Zac Taylor

Notes: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, a 13-year veteran and one time No. 1 overall pick by the Detroit Lions, is one of only five first overall picks to play over 100 games before making it to the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the first second-year QB to start in the Super Bowl since Seattle’s Russell Wilson in 2013. … The Rams are seeking their second NFL title, the first coming in 1999. Similar to Tampa Bay last season, the Rams are enjoying home field advantage at their brand new SoFi Stadium. … The bengals are seeking their first Super Bowl title after losing in 1982 and 1989. Cincinnati is in its 54th season and a loss would mark the league record for most seasons without a championship.

WR Stars: Los Angeles features WR Cooper Kupp, the league’s Offensive Player of the Year who led the NFL in receptions (145), yards (1,947) and TDs (16) this season; Cincinnati counters with Ja’Marr Chase who had 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 TDs this season. His 279 receiving yards in the postseason are already the most among rookies in a single playoffs, and he’s the only rookie receiver to have multiple 100-yard receiving games in a playoffs.

Defensive Stand-outs: The Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald is considered the best defensive player in the league and will be pressuring Cincy QB Burrows while also downing Bengals running backs and receivers. He led the league in tackles with 127. Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (107 tackles, third in the NFL) ranks in the top three in first pressures this season, including the playoffs. Hendrickson was 11th in pass rush win rate (21.9%).