What's the Seahawks Fear Factor for the '25 Rams?

The Los Angeles Rams' rivalry with the Seattle Seahawks has always been one to watch since the NFL re-aligned in 2002 to a total of eight divisions. 

Gone were the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers to the newly-formed NFC South, and in came the Arizona Cardinals out of the geographical nonsense that was the NFC East, while the Seahawks arrived from the AFC, which was their conference home since their inception in 1976. 

While the battles weren’t quite Rams vs. 49ers of the '80s and '90s, mostly, or Seahawks vs. 49ers of the new millennium, the two squads are roughly 1,165 miles apart; however, they have been close in the standings an awful lot.

In 2024, the visitors in both battles between the two rivals won as Mike Macdonald's Seahawks and Sean McVay's Rams split. Finishing with identical 10-7 records, The Rams took the tiebreaker.

In 2025, it seems like the Seahawks and Rams are again going to be strong, but the QB situation in L.A. is more stable with Matt Stafford as opposed to Seattle free agent pickup Sam Darnold. The Rams brought in WR Davante Adams and Poona Ford, while Cooper Kupp defected to the enemy in the Pacific Northwest. The coaches are both of high quality, but McVay's accomplishments outweigh MacDonald's as an up-and-comer.

On a recent episode of the L.A. Rams Insider Podcast, Host Claudette Montana and On SI NFL Senior Writer Hondo Carpenter discussed the head-to-head battle coming up in 2025, and if the Rams should fear the Seahawks this season.

"Should the Rams be concerned? No, and I'm going to tell you why. I think that Seattle is on the right path. I love [GM John] Schneider. I think that he does a terrific job. In fact, I think he's a very underrated GM. But that being said, they are rebuilding. It is a new coach. The Rams have the experience, the players, [and] a better roster," Carpenter said.

Hondo concluded, "And I would tell you this, I think the Rams biggest competition in 2025 are the Rams. This is a team that I'm not predicting to get to a Super Bowl, but it would not surprise me. I think this is a loaded team. I think it's a very, very good team with a ton of talent. And so this isn't adisrespect of Seattle, but it's a fact of realization. I live in 'Realville', and quite frankly, the Rams are just better. So no, I don't think it's a concern at all."