The Seattle Seahawks will host NFC West rivals the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday for the NFC Championship Game. They split the season series, with both games decided by less than three points.
Mike Macdonald's team made a major statement against the San Francisco 49ers, while the Rams needed a late-game interception to beat the Chicago Bears in overtime. Then again, anything can happen in the playoffs, especially in a divisional matchup.
That's why the Seahawks need to make the most of every minor edge they can get on this game. Ironically, this time, it might mean daring Matthew Stafford to do what he does best: Sling the football down the field.
Matthew Stafford has struggled with deep passes in the playoffs
As reported by Seahawks podcaster Brian Nemhauser on X, Stafford has struggled mightily with deep passes in the playoffs. He completed 40 of 85 passes (47.1 percent) of his throws of 20+ air yards, logging 1,270 yards and a 99.9 PFF grade in those situations. Now, in two playoff games, he's gone 1 of 10 (10.0 percent) for 36 yards and a 46.1 PFF grade.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that the Seahawks must focus their entire game plan on this, but it certainly gives this team an edge. This defense held opposing quarterbacks to 193.9 passing yards, the tenth-fewest in the league, so they can most definitely hold their own against anybody.
That being said, Stafford has been quite successful in three games against Macdonald's Seahawks. While he completes just 57.0 percent of his passes, he's gone 2-1 and has averaged 295.0 passing yards, 2.3 touchdowns, and 0.3 interceptions with a 95.9 passer rating. Watching him struggle in recent games is a good sign, but they can't be overconfident.
Stafford torched the Seahawks' secondary for 457 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in a 38-37 overtime Seahawks win that came down to the wire. They can't afford this game to be another shootout, especially with Sam Darnold dealing with an oblique injury and Zach Charbonnet out for the remainder of the season.
The Seahawks will go against a borderline Hall of Famer with Super Bowl experience and insane arm talent. But after watching how the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears have succeeded at keeping the explosive plays to a minimum, Coach Macdonald and his coaching staff now have the blueprint to do the same in the biggest game of the season.