As the defending champions, the Seattle Seahawks will enter the 2026 NFL season as the team to beat. However, as dominant as they were on both sides of the field, the Los Angeles Rams were a major threat in all three meetings.
Ultimately, Mike Macdonald's team prevailed when it mattered most. They bounced back from a tough loss early in the season and took the final two meetings to claim their spot as the best team in the NFC.
Nevertheless, Rams star LB Jared Verse thinks things could've been quite different last season. Talking to Ratings' DJ Siddiqi, the explosive pass rusher claimed that the Seahawks didn't beat the Rams as much as they beat themselves.
Jared Verse thinks the Rams are better than the Seattle Seahawks
"They got great players. But like I said before, it was nothing that we didn’t expect, or they didn’t throw anything at us that was a left hook or anything like that. It was just things where we beat ourselves," Verse said.
Even though Verse was respectful when talking about his divisional rivals, that should only fuel the Seahawks' fire further. This is perfect bulletin-board material not only for their divisional matchups but for every single game.
Assuming Verse is right and this was just a matter of execution over talent, then there's even more reason to pay attention to detail. If this is just him speaking from emotion after losing in such a big game, then they should feel more motivated to prove him wrong and show that they have the better team.
Whatever the case, the Rams will always be a problem. Sean McVay is a great tactician and offensive guru, though he could be a better game manager. They also have quite a talented roster, and adding Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to the mix will only make them better.
At the end of the day, anything can happen in a win-or-go-home situation. Injuries, fortune, the referees, or even the matchup can go sideways for any team on any given Sunday. Not always is the best team also the one hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy.
That's why the Seahawks, who proved to be the exception to that rule and were, in fact, the best team, can't afford to get complacent now. This is a copycat league, and everybody will be dissecting their film to find as many cracks and flaws in their game plan as humanly possible.
Players shouldn't need any sort of incentive to get the job done every Sunday, especially against winning teams. But since Verse wanted to stir the pot and make a case for the Rams, the Seahawks now have to make sure he doesn't put his money where his mouth is.
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