Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl (3) celebrates with safety Kamren Kinchens (26) after intercepting a pass intended for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore (not pictured) during overtime of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images David Banks-Imagn Images

Why Rams Are Underdogs Entering NFC Championship Game

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Michael Canelo | Last updated Jan 20, 2026 7:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Rams will travel once again in these playoffs in the NFC Championship Game. The Rams will take a second trip this season to face their NFC West rival, the Seattle Seahawks. This will be the third meeting between these two teams this season.

Both teams won a game apiece, and both games came down to the last play. That will likely stay the same in the NFC Championship Game. These two teams know each other very well, and it is going to be a great one.

The Rams want their revenge from the last time they were in Seattle. The Rams lost in overtime, and that made them drop from the No. 1 seed to the No. 5 seed. It also made this game take place in Seattle instead of Los Angeles.

But the Rams are not going to be thinking about that. They have been road warriors in this playoff run, and they are not going to back down. They are looking for this key victory to get them a step closer to winning it all. That was the goal since the start of this season.

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Rams are underdogs in NFC Championship

The Rams have opened up as underdogs. That is no surprise, as they are taking on a good team in the Seahawks that dominates in their divisional game. The Seahawks are also the No. 1 seed, and that home-field advantage is something that the Rams want to take away early in this game.

“The NFC West has looked like the best division in the conference for most of the season, and now the division will have two teams playing for a spot in the Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks will host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday as favorites," said Dan Santaromita of The Athletic.

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In Week 16, the Seahawks won an overtime thriller in one of the best games of the season. The Rams led by 16 points with less than 10 minutes to go, but Seattle scored two touchdowns and succeeded on two-point conversions both times to tie the score. In overtime, the Rams scored first on a touchdown, but the Seahawks responded with a touchdown and completed a hat trick of two-point conversions to win 38-37.

The Seahawks returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and never looked back in a dominant 41-6 home win against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday. The Rams endured cold weather, a snowy field, a raucous Chicago crowd and a miraculous fourth-down touchdown in the final minute to beat the Chicago Bears 20-17 in overtime.”

David Banks-Imagn Images

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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