Rams’ Division Rival Has Crippling Weakness

The Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks were neck and neck when it came down to who would win the NFC West last season. Despite having the same record, the Seahawks had a sizable lead in games early in the year, but the Rams won the NFC West due to their strength of schedule.

The Rams already had the Seahawks' number last year, but they went out and signed Sam Darnold to be their starting quarterback, a move that has proved to be decisive for analysts and fans alike. Some may argue that he should be taken seriously, and his time on the Minnesota Vikings has rejuvenated his career.

Others look at how he had a meltdown at the end of last year to prevent the Vikings from going anywhere meaningful in the playoffs, and this shift doesn't move them on how good the Seahawks will be next season.

Many are quick to point out how the Seahawks have now placed Darnold in a division with the Rams, the team that sent him packing in the playoffs, and dominated against him. While a change of scenery may work to his benefit, it doesn't change that the Rams' defense had him seeing ghosts on the field.

The Rams' defense will only get better from here on out, and Darnold will have to adjust quickly if the Seahawks want any chance at remaining competitive. Garrett Podell, sports writer for CBS Sports, points out that how Darnold responds to pressure in mandatory minicamp will be a good indicator of how successful he'll be with the Seahawks.

"Darnold was in the perfect situation with the Vikings. Now, he's on a Seahawks team that had massive offensive line issues in 2024. Seattle allowed a 39.4% quarterback pressure rate in 2024, the third highest in the league last season.

Darnold melts when pressured: He was pressured 49 times combined in Week 18 at the Detroit Lions and in a wild-card round loss at the Los Angeles Rams, and the Vikings were blown out twice as a result. 

Yes, Darnold can't get hit in practice, but it will be interesting to see how he acclimates to becoming the Seahawks quarterback with rookie 18th overall pick Grey Zabel at one guard spot next to two other youngsters at center (third-year lineman Olusegun Oluwatimi) and at the other guard spot (second-year lineman Christian Hayes). It's possible to track quarterback pressures and sacks in non-contact drills".

The Rams will be looking at their games against the Seahawks as easy wins if Darnold doesn't manage to step up and get past his crippling weakness that he's had his entire career. If he cannot, the Rams will continue to be up against the Seahawks, which only helps them secure the division for a second year in a row.