Rams’ fatal flaw that Seahawks can expose in NFC Championship Game

Story by

Story by
Rams’ fatal flaw that Seahawks can expose in NFC Championship Game

Ben Strauss, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Thu, Jan 22, 2026 ·

4 min read

About Our Ads

Rams' fatal flaw that Seahawks can expose in NFC Championship Game appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for the franchise's most important game in over a decade. Seattle will host the NFC Championship on Sunday with a chance to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2015. But they will have to get past their division rival to make it happen.

The Los Angeles Rams were consistently one of the best teams in the NFL throughout the 2025 season. LA and Seattle split their regular-season games, which were collectively decided by just three points. That should show how evenly matched both teams are.

As a result, the Seahawks will need every single edge they can get to win this game. They are off to a good start by playing in front of the 12's.

But Seattle cannot stop there. They need to diagnose one or two weaknesses in the Rams, and constantly exploit them, if they want to give themselves the best chance to get back to the Super Bowl.

Do the Rams have an Achilles' heel that leaves them vulnerable? And if so, how can the Seahawks capitalize on that weakness to gain an advantage?

Below we will explore the Rams' fatal flaw that the Seahawks should exploit during the NFC Championship.

The Rams should be worried about their special teams unit

Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

On the face of it, special teams being the worst problem for the Rams is a sign of just how good the team really is.

That said, the Rams have put enough gaffes on tape this season to have me worried about their special teams unit on Sunday. Let's go over a few to make my point.

We'll start with LA's 26-23 loss against San Francisco back in October. That game featured multiple special teams mistakes that contributed to the Rams losing the game.

It all started in the fourth quarter, when Joshua Karty had his extra point attempt blocked. That kept the score at 20-20. Just a few drives later, the Rams committed a huge holding penalty that erased a 26-yard punt return by Xavier Smith . That mistakes made life more difficult on the Rams, though Karty was able to nail a 48-yard attempt to force overtime.

However, Karty failed to land a kickoff in the landing zone during overtime, which gave the 49ers the ball at the 40-yard line.

It should be no surprise that the Rams cut Karty and replaced him with Harrison Mevis just weeks later.

Another perfect example was Seattle's overtime thriller over Los Angeles back in December.

It all started with a Rashid Shaheed punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter. That blew the game wide open. Mevis also missed a 48-yard field goal attempt with just over two minutes left in regulation. That could have been the game-winning kick if he made it.

The outcome of that game ended up being significant, as it ended up giving Seattle enough of an edge to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Finally, let's look back to LA's Wild Card victory over Carolina.

The Panthers blocked a punt in that game that ultimately led to a go-ahead score. If not for a game-winning touchdown pass by Matthew Stafford , the Rams could have seen their entire season end right there.

How can the Seahawks take advantage of the Rams' weak special teams unit?

But how can the Seahawks take advantage of the Rams' special teams woes in the NFC Championship?

This feels more like a weakness that Seattle's coaching staff needs to be aware of when making situation decisions. Especially since it is difficult to manufacture big plays on special teams.

One nugget of knowledge is that Mevis is not a long-distance kicker. His longest field goal of the season is from 52 yards, but that was back in November. Since then, his longest is a 46-yard attempt against the Panthers.

The Seahawks need to understand that the Rams may be willing to go for it on fourth down when outside of Mevis' field goal range. There's also the outside chance that McVay may even decide to punt when he should otherwise attempt a long field goal.

Perhaps that knowledge could inform how the Seahawks deploy their defense around midfield.

Seattle also needs to remember that Rashid Shaheed exists. They might even cook up a trick play of some kind of a kick return to try and create a big play for Shaheed.

Ultimately, the Seahawks may just need to play the Rams as close as they possibly can. The advantage they have on special teams could end up being the difference that gets them back to the Super Bowl.

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: