Offensively we have the unit that can take on this excellent Seattle defense. Their strength is when they need a score, Stafford can manufacture completions with his no look throws and arm strength. Only thing that can counter that is quick pressure. And the run game threat is there, meaning the OL can fire off and dictate a bit too. So I think if the OL has a strong day the offense is going to perform well and create enough snap volume to wear them down. If not, we go home.
Defensively we've made it to the conference title game with a legit weakness at corner, because of the strength of our front. And I think that front should be able to stop the run and harrass Darnold. Defenses tend to take over in the playoffs. Not every game but it happens a lot. It's why on that podcast as they noted the top defense has beaten the top offense 8 out of 9 times in playoff matchups. In fact there are top offenses from the regular season that have laid an egg vs just average defenses that step up in the playoffs. Happens quite a bit. So while that sounds ominous for our top ranked offense, truth is the Rams have a very dangerous defense of their own if their corners can hold up.
All that aside I think this is going to be another trenches game where it comes down to taking advantage of redzone trips. So for both teams having a strong ground game would be very powerful. If you give Stafford a good ground game, for example, you're up shit creek even if you have an elite defense. And Darnold, who is playing through an injury, is no doubt praying their run game gets going. In the end though I would say that even though Stafford has been streaky as fuck since Dotson's been out, I expect he's going to be in good form in this game. The ball won't be frozen and slippery this week. He knows MacDonald's scheme and tendencies so it's about surviving the early game wrinkles that get added. So it's about taking good care of the ball early, being conservative and playing field position early on until 9 gets in the flow of the game. And from there I expect the Rams pass game to be sharp and if so I like our chances.
Way more confident with this game than I was going into Chicago. Hope that translates well.