The NFC Championship may not be the #1 vs #2 seed like the AFC Championship, but it is without question the marquee matchup on Sunday’s schedule. A showdown between the division-rival Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks is simply must-watch television. Both of their two regular-season battles were thrillers, and now chapter 3 has a Super Bowl berth on the line.
I have been cashing Same Game Parlays left and right throughout the season, including 2 of my 4 efforts during Week 16 (+650 in Packers vs Bears and +600 in 49ers vs Colts). I also hit a +675 play for Texans vs Chargers in Week 17, while we cashed our Bills vs Jaguars SGP in the Wild Card at +900 odds!
Let’s keep the momentum rolling with my SGP for this 6:30 pm ET kickoff on FOX. Also be sure to check out our full Rams vs Seahawks predictions.
Seahawks -2.5 (-110)
Kenneth Walker II to record 100+ rushing yards (+168)
Puka Nacua to score a touchdown (-110)
Parlay odds: +800
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Seattle running back Kenneth Walker II gaining at least 100 yards would obviously work well with a Seahawks win and cover. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Los Angeles receiver Puka Nacua to score a touchdown. But even if he does, there is no reason why the home team can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Seahawks -2.5 (-110)
With the line set at just 2.5 points, oddsmakers are effectively saying that Los Angeles would be favored on a neutral field. Yeah…. That’s a no from me, dawg. Seattle is the best team in football. It won the NFL’s most stacked division (the NFC West) and kicked off its postseason campaign with a 41-6 humiliation of San Francisco. Yes, the Niners were a shadow of their real selves due to a myriad of injuries, but winning any playoff game by 35 points is impressive regardless of the circumstances. The Seahawks find themselves in another fantastic spot this weekend. They have played only 1 game since January 3 and their Divisional Round matchup with the 49ers was on Saturday. The Rams not only had to play a Wild Card game (and a very tough one at Carolina), but their Divisional Round showdown against the Bears was on Sunday. Seattle is more rested and playing at home. It is true that head coach Mike Macdonald’s squad needed OT to beat the Rams in Seattle on December 18, but that was a month ago. A lot can happen in a month – and a lot has. The ‘Hawks are playing even better now and in a more favorable situation.
Kenneth Walker II to record 100+ rushing yards (+168)
Perhaps the best backfield in the NFL has been cut in half, as Seattle’s Zach Charbonnet tore an ACL last weekend against the Niners. That means the ball-carrying duties are now left to Walker and Walker alone. After his backfield mate went down early in the Divisional Round game, Walker tied his season high of 19 carries – which he turned into 116 yards and 3 touchdowns. He has amassed at least 97 yards in 3 of the last 4 outings and now runs into an LA defense that has struggled in recent weeks. It really wasn’t that good against the run during the regular season, yielding 110.8 rushing yards per game on 4.3 yards per attempt. Walker was awesome in both H2H matchups in the regular season, rushing a combined 27 times for 167 yards and 2 scores. The former Michigan State standout torched the Rams for 100 yards on only 11 attempts in Week 16.
Puka Nacua to score a touchdown (-110)
Before being kept out of the endzone by Chicago in the Divisional Round, Nacua had scored at least 1 TD in 4 straight games. That stretch featured 2 against none other than the Seahawks in Week 16. In fact, Seattle is probably still having nightmares about Nacua even though it managed to win that game. The BYU product torched the NFC West champs for 12 catches and 225 yards. Nacua finished the regular season with 10 touchdowns before hauling in 10 of 18 targets for 111 yards and 1 TD in a 34-31 Wild Card victory at Carolina. Nacua also rushed for a touchdown during that win.
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