Rams–Seahawks rivalry

Originally the Seahawks played in the NFC West during their inaugural season in 1976, but would be realigned to the AFC West the following season. Very little connected the Seahawks with any animosity towards their future rivals in The Rams and 49ers respectably for much of their existence leading up to the 2002 division realignment.

Notably, both the Rams and Seahawks encountered issues with fan attendance and outdated stadiums. The Rams would find themselves unable to secure a new stadium in Southern California and would relocate to St. Louis in 1995, meanwhile the Seahawks found themselves increasingly unsatisfied with the declining condition of the Kingdome and would later threaten to relocate to Los Angeles in 1996.[2] Seahawks’ then-owner Ken Behring had even relocated team practices to the Rams’ former training facility in Anaheim briefly until the league threatened to heavily fine Behring and the Seahawks unless they returned to Seattle.[3][4]

The rivalry between the Seahawks and Rams came into existence in 2002 following the Seahawks’ realignment to the NFC West. The first notable matchup between the two clubs occurred in the Wild Card Round of the 2004 playoffs, when the Rams defeated the Seahawks 27–20 in Seattle.

The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a decline in the rivalry as the Seahawks consistently qualified for the playoffs, while the Rams struggled. Seattle won 10 straight meetings from 2005–09.[5][6]

Following the Rams’ return to Los Angeles in 2016 and subsequent playoff success, the rivalry has increased in intensity, however moments of animosity between the two teams would still occur during the Rams' final years in St. Louis.[7]

In a 2013 game in St. Louis, Seattle receiver Golden Tate visibly taunted and flashed his middle finger at Rams’ cornerback Janoris Jenkins following a failed interception on the pass, as Tate returned the ball for a touchdown.[8]

In 2015, Rams’ Punter Johnny Hekker shoved Seahawks’ defensive end Cliff Avril following a 45-yard punt. Seahawks’ lineman Michael Bennett later attempted to tackle Hekker for retaliation, and would later refer to Hekker as “acting like a little girl” in the postgame interview.[9]Following the Rams' victory in Seattle during week 16, Bennett would also take shots at Rams' star rookie running back on twitter Todd Gurley claiming 'he's average to me, personally. I've seen better running backs.'[10]

In 2016, the Rams relocated to Los Angeles. Their first regular season game was against the Seahawks, the Rams would win 9-3.[11] However, the teams headed in opposite directions going forward, as the Seahawks won the division with a 10-5-1 record while the Rams finished 4-12.

The following season, the Rams hired Sean McVay as head coach. Since McVay's arrival, the Rams have won three NFC West titles and have dominated the rivalry, going 8-3 against the Seahawks since 2017.

Aaron Donald sacks Russell Wilson during a Blowout victory in 2017

During a 2018 Rams home game, Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was involved in a large altercation with Seahawks offensive guard Justin Britt that involved multiple players. McVay intervened to prevent any penalties from being issued towards the team.[12] The Rams would go on to win the game and complete a season sweep of the Seahawks, en route to a 13-3 record and a Super Bowl LIII appearance.

During another Rams home game in 2019, Rams’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Seahawks’ then-rookie receiver DK Metcalf engaged in an altercation following Ramsey breaking up three pass attempts intended for Metcalf.[13][14]

The 2020 season started off with the Rams winning the first of the two matchups that year in a hard fought week 9 defeat of the Seahawks 23-16. However; the second matchup of the season the second meeting would ignite tensions between the two clubs. following a close battle to win the division in the 2020 season with Seattle securing the NFC West following a win over the Rams in Seattle in week 16. Seahawks safety Jamal Adams celebrated during a press conference by lighting a cigar and taunting various people on the Rams and declaring “it feels good don’t it Rams?” to the cameras.[16][17] The Rams were set to face the Seahawks in an NFC Wild Card matchup that year in Seattle following their victory and subsequent elimination of the Arizona Cardinals during the final week of the season.

Leading up to that game, Seattle had not lost a playoff game at home since losing to the Rams in 2004. The Rams had benched quarterback Jared Goff prior to the game due to a fracture within his thumb and were forced to start backup QB John Wolford against the Cardinals in the prior game. Later in the first quarter of the game, Jamal Adams would land an illegal low helmet-to-helmet hit on Wolford, knocking him out of the game.[18] Goff would later be forced off the bench and managed to lead the Rams to a 30–20 victory over the Seahawks, ending their 10-game home playoff winning streak.

Following the game, Rams’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey was seen by cameras exclaiming the Seahawks should “they outta take their hat and their T-shirts down to Cabo for the rest of the off-season."[19] Jared Goff would later voice his initial satisfaction with the victory as he felt offended by Adams’ cigar gesture.[20]

During the offseason, the Seahawks sought to lure Rams' tight end Gerald Everett in free agency, in addition to their hiring of Rams' pass game coordinator Shane Waldron as their Offensive Coordinator.

The two teams met again in week 5, the Rams with a 4-1 start to the season, Seattle with a modest 2-2.[21] Following a Rams win in Seattle, the two teams would endure different seasons, the Rams went on to win 5 out of their next 8 games before the week 15 matchup. The Seahawks would win 3 of 8 and find themselves 2 losses away from playoff elimination. The Rams managed to sweep the Seahawks for the first time since the 2018 season, and Seattle would find themselves eliminated from playoff contention following a loss to the Chicago Bears the very next week. The Rams would go on to finish the season with a 12-5 record and win Super Bowl LVI, meanwhile the Seahawks would find themselves at a 7-10 record, their first losing season since 2011.

The 2022 offseason marked a rather drastic time of change for Seattle, longtime quarterback Russell Wilson was traded in a blockbuster deal with the Denver Broncos to help Seattle regain draft picks following their own trade for Safety Jamal Adams. Most Notably; Rams’ star Defensive Tackle Aaron Donald had recorded 15 sacks against Seattle, more than any other opponent, along with the most sacks of quarterback Russell Wilson by a team in his career.[22] Another notable change, the Seahawks made the decision to release Pro Bowl Linebacker Bobby Wagner, the final remaining member of the Legion of Boom defense. Wagner would ironically sign with the Rams on March 31st for a 5 year contract worth up to $65 Million.[23]

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