Thursday Night Football Predictions: LA Rams vs Seattle Seahawks Expert Picks, Odds & Best Bets for Week 16

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Tutu Atwell (5) is congratulated by wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) after he ran for a touchdown on an 88-yard pass play in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts.

Ricky Dimon

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Since graduating from Davidson (The College That Stephen Curry Built), I have been writing about sports -- just about any and all you can think of! -- and coaching tennis in Atlanta, GA. Beyond the four major sports, I am an avid tennis fan and cover the ATP Tour on a daily basis. If I'm not busy writing, you can generally find me on a tennis court or traveling the world wherever a sporting event takes me. For Ricky Dimon media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

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Rams vs Seahawks predictions & NFL TNF picks

Chris Farley’s Rams vs Seahawks spread pick: Seahawks ML (-108)

Evidently both the Rams and Seahawks were mentally distracted in Week 15 since neither outfit put out their best performance, but one certainly played better than the other. The Rams started slow against the Lions, tied at halftime 17-17. Then they took off, scoring 17 unanswered points in the third quarter while cruising in the fourth. Even in a high-stakes, emotional battle, Matthew Stafford and his colleagues had no problem moving the ball against a fiery, motivated Lions’ roster. Los Angeles accrued 514 total yards and 30 first downs. They also scored a touchdown on four of six red-zone possessions. It was ultimately another sterling performance by a group that’s as intimidating as any in the NFL. An asterisk from the Week 15 victory was the unfortunate loss of Devante Adams, who incurred a hamstring injury. He’s unlikely to play Thursday, which is a big loss, especially near the endzone (Adams has a league-high 14 receiving touchdowns this season).

The Seahawks were clearly looking ahead to this heavyweight matchup in Week 15. Sam Darnold and the offense generally underwhelmed, producing just 18 points, 314 total yards, and 15 first downs. The Colts’ defense came to play, as did the Seahawks, who allowed just 3.7 yards per play and 215 total yards to the Phillip Rivers’ led visitors. The Seahawks defense has an edge in Week 16, since they outrank the Rams in both EPA per pass (5th) and EPA per rush (1st).

Los Angeles and Seattle will enter Week 16’s showdown with 11 wins each, competing not only for the NFC West crown but potentially for the #1 seed in the conference. In that sense, this is akin to a playoff matchup, with much riding on the result. Normally we side with the more experienced leadership in those instances, which means typically we’d pick Super Bowl winning coach Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. But these circumstances are a bit different.

In a “prove-it” game, Darnold and the offense collapsed in Week 11. Although they gained plenty (414 yards), Darnold threw four interceptions, stonewalling several trips in the red-zone (they were just 1-4). But statistically the Seahawks outmatched the Rams in nearly every category except turnovers, including a 26-12 lead in first downs and better efficiency on third downs, too (7-16 compared to LAR’s 2-11). Los Angeles also went scoreless in the third and fourth quarters, held in check by a stingy Seahawks’ defense. Back in Seattle and with vengeance adding extra motivation, we must side with the home team.

Chris Farley’s Rams vs Seahawks total prediction: Over 44.5 (-104)

In their first battle the Seahawks left a ton of points on the board. In short, game one ended up being an odd, low-scoring affair (40 total points), so naturally the marketplace thinks it’ll be a repeat with the division and possibly #1 seed on the line. We disagree. Seattle produced a ton of offense in the initial clash (414 total yards, 26 first downs), but turnovers upended many of their drives. Sam Darnold threw four interceptions, easily his most mistake-prone performance of the season. The Seahawks are also coming off a clunky offensive showing (18 points in Week 15), but it’s not their norm. This season they’ve averaged 27.7 points per game at Lumen Field, and it’s likely they discarded preparation for the Colts with this big clash ahead.

The Rams’ defense is one of the best in the NFL according to some metrics, mainly EPA, but we’ve seen cracks in the foundation at times, especially against elite offenses. Last week they allowed 34 points to the Lions at home, for example. The Rams’ defense also doesn’t have “that guy” yet, and they’re a young group, which means they’re prone to mistakes in these big spots.

Of course, the Rams are one of the NFL’s best offenses by nearly every metric, so we’re less concerned there. Even their rushing attack has come around, ranked 8th overall in EPA per rush. They’ll need it against the NFL’s best run-resistance. The Rams will likely be without Devante Adams on Thursday, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Lions, but Matthew Stafford and his surrounding cast have enough talent to make up for his loss. We get why the market thinks a big NFC West battle will conjure more defense, but we still have to side with these two scintillating offenses. The second half should be particularly potent, once both quarterbacks settle in.

Read NFL pro bettor Chris Farley’s full analysis for his Rams vs Seahawks TNF predictions

Rams vs Seahawks player prop bets

Best Rams vs Seahawks player prop bet: Terrance Ferguson (LAR) Over 16.5 receiving yards (-110)

Davante Adams is listed questionable as of Wednesday, but there is little doubt he is expected to play in this game. Adam Schefter this week on the Pat McAfee Show shared his surprise at the thought of playing Adams on a short week with this hamstring injury despite the importance of the game. My expectation is that the Rams continue to lean on that 13 personnel ( 3 tight ends, 1 running back) that they have had so much success with since Week 7. Over the last 2 weeks, all 3 Rams tight ends have played more than 60% of the snaps — and last week that number jumped to 75%. It was their base package before the Adams injury, and I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t double down on it Thursday night.

Ferguson is easily the most athletic of the bunch and viewed as more of an oversized receiver than tight end in the traditional sense. This season he has had 17 targets, 6 receptions and 144 yards — good for 24 yards per catch. The fascinating part is that his average depth of target is 19.6 with 5.5 YAC — and yet we get this line at 16.5. Observationally, Matthew Stafford missed Ferguson last week on what would have been a walk-in 30+ yard touchdown, and Ferguson couldn’t complete a TD catch in the back of the endzone later that game. My point is that it has been a point of emphasis to get the ball into Ferguson’s the hands. A lot will be made about Colby Parkinson’s returning to Seattle, especially with the recent string of games he has put together — but I view Ferguson as the “splash play” tight end of the group.

Lock in Prop Holliday’s best TNF player prop bet for Rams vs Seahawks

Rams vs Seahawks TD scorer best bet: Kyren Williams (LAR) anytime touchdown scorer (+125)

On the Los Angeles side of things, the Rams offense has been one of the best in football all season long, and we can expect another solid showing on Thursday. Even against an excellent Seattle defense, there should be avenues for the Rams to see success on the ground and through the air. That’s where Kyren Williams comes in, as the dependable Rams running back has 10 touchdowns on the season while averaging just under 5 yards per carry in the process. Williams can also catch passes out of the backfield, which could come into play against a Seattle defense that should look to heat up Matthew Stafford and make things uncomfortable for the Rams downfield passing game. Look for Williams to find the end zone for a fourth consecutive contest on Thursday.

Rams vs Seahawks TNF TD scorer prediction: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (SEA) anytime touchdown scorer (+115)

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more productive receiver than Jaxon Smith-Njigba this season. The Ohio State product is playing like a first team All-Pro in 2025, and he could potentially even putting his name into the Offensive Player of the Year conversation given his performances over the past couple of months. The Seahawks top wide receiver has tallied 4 touchdowns over the last 4 weeks, and he also saw great success against the Rams a few weeks ago, a game in which he finished with 9 receptions and 105 receiving yards. We can expect his connection with Sam Darnold to be strong once again on Sunday, especially since this is a favorable matchup against a secondary that this Seattle offense should be familiar with. While this is a pretty safe pick, I can’t ignore how good Smith-Njigba has been all season long.

Los Angeles Rams vs Seattle Seahawks Same Game Parlay

Rams -1.5 over Seahawks (+102)

The Rams just might be the best team in the NFC. Heck, they might even be the best team in the entire NFL. A recent loss to Carolina was clearly an aberration, because Los Angeles has otherwise been on an absolute roll since Week 5. Head coach Sean McVay’s squad has won 8 of its last 9 games, a hot stretch that includes victories over 4 opponents that would be in the playoffs if the regular season ended today. That doesn’t even count this past weekend’s 41-34 win over Detroit, a team that is certainly playoff material even though it is currently occupies the first spot out of the postseason in the NFC. This 8-1 run by the Rams is highlighted by a Week 11 victory over none other than the Seahawks – a 21-19 decision in L.A. The home side picked off Seattle QB Sam Darnold 4 times and also limited the ‘Hawks to 3.9 yards per carry. Since its Week 8 bye, the only team with a winning record that Seattle has defeated is Indianapolis (8-6) — which was playing with a 44-year-old under center in Philip Rivers.

Under 44.5 (-115)

To the surprise of no one, this week’s forecast is terrible in the Pacific Northwest. A downpour is expected for Thursday, which certainly wouldn’t be a favorable development for either offense. And even in ideal conditions, the scoreboard would not be expected to light up in this matchup between the Rams and Seahawks. After all, only 40 total points were posted when these 2 division foes squared off 2 months ago in Los Angeles. Neither defense has slowed down much since that result. The Seahawks are #4 league wide in total defense, #2 in points allowed, #3 against the run, #2 in yards per rushing attempt allowed, #7 against the pass, #1 in opponents’ yards per pass attempt, #4 in sacks and #5 in turnovers forced. The Rams are #4 in scoring defense, #9 stopping the run, #8 in yards per pass attempt allowed and #6 in turnovers forced.

Kyren Williams (LAR) to record 60+ rushing yards (+109)

As good as Matthew Stafford is, moving the ball through the air is not going to be easy on Thursday night – not for either team. One, buckets of rain would be detrimental. Two, Seattle’s pass defense is outstanding. The Seahawks are surrendering only 191.4 yards per contest through the air on 6.0 yards per attempt. Head coach Mike Macdonald’s club is solid against the run, too, but not entirely dominant. Williams should be able to find some running room, just as he did in the previous head-to-head showdown. The Notre Dame product ran for 91 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries. The ‘Hawks dominated the time of possession by almost 38 minutes to the Rams’ 22; that’s why Williams got only 12 carries. He should get a lot more on Thursday. Williams has already surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in 2025 and has rushed for 72 yards or more in 6 of the past 7 contests.