The Seattle Seahawks are the Super Bowl champions for a reason. They dominated everyone throughout the season except for one team: the Los Angeles Rams. Still, they beat them. However, Matthew Stafford delivered, so what happened? A defensive star revealed the reason for the failed attempt to beat the champs in the NFC Championship Game.
Despite Stafford throwing for 374 yards and three touchdowns, the Rams lost 27-31 against Seattle. Jared Verse, who is an outstanding linebacker for the Rams, appeared on The Pivot podcast. He revealed that the defense had no answers for the Seahawks offense.
“When we started having trouble, we didn’t know what to do. Like some of us on the defense, some, you know, I’m going to take full blame, too,” Verse said. “Like, there were a couple of times I’m like, but they’re running the other way. Like, I don’t know what to do. I can’t chase. Like I’m not that fast. I can’t chase him on the backside. What do I do? So when we had some troubles, we just kind of like mentally shut down.”
The Rams defense just won one of three battles against Seattle
Rams and Seahawks played three times this season. The regular season series saw them divide wins, but the NFC Championship was won by Seattle too. However, the one that the Rams won was thanks to their defense, not Stafford.
In Week 11, the Rams were able to intercept Sam Darnold on four occasions. However, after that, the Seahawks offense adjusted and became unpredictable for the Rams. However, Verse also pointed out that it affected the defense mentally on how to approach the plays.
The Rams might catch a break for next season
The Rams will have a shot at revenge next season. In fact, they’ll have two, as they are divisional rivals. However, the Seahawks might need to adjust more, since Klint Kubiak left his offensive coordinator job to become the Raiders’ head coach. Now, the Seahawks’ offense will enter a whole new style and playbook.
This might give the Rams defense a better outlook for 2026. They don’t have to deal with Kubiak no more. That might help Rams defensive coordinator Chirs Shula gameplan against the Seahawks.