Rams-Seahawks Betting Preview: Trends, Props, Pick For ‘Thursday Night Football’

Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season begins Thursday night with an NFC West showdown in the Pacific Northwest.

The Seahawks are set to host the Rams for the first of two head-to-head matchups between the division rivals this season. This will mark the sides’ first meeting since Los Angeles ended Seattle’s season in the Wild Card round of the 2020 playoffs with an impressive win at Lumen Field.

Both teams are coming off divisional clashes. Seattle gutted out a 28-21 win over the 49ers in San Francisco, while LA was dealt its first loss on the campaign by the Arizona Cardinals, who improved to 4-0 with a convincing victory at SoFi Stadium.

Here is our betting preview for the Rams-Seahawks tilt. The line, total and all props are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

(-1.5) Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks
Total: 54

BETTING TRENDS
While Seattle has a leg up on Los Angeles in the NFC West standings, the teams enter Thursday night with identical ATS records. The Rams narrowly failed to cover a 4-point spread in Indianapolis where they earned a 27-24 triumph over the Colts. But Sean McVay’s club didn’t need the 1 point it was given at home when it downed the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 10.

Week 4 was an important showing for the ‘Hawks. After topping Indy to start its season, Seattle was edged out by the Tennessee Titans as a 6.5-point favorite and was pretty handily beaten by the Minnesota Vikings in a game it laid 2 points.

The OVER has cashed in all four of LA’s games to date, with totals ranging from 46 to 55. On the flip side, the UNDER hit in three of Seattle’s first four games.

PROPS
First-half line, total
Rams -1, 26.5

First touchdown scorer
Cooper Kupp +750
Chris Carson +800
Tyler Lockett +850
Darrell Henderson Jr. +850
Alex Collins +900
DK Metcalf +900
Robert Woods +1000

Passing yards
Matthew Stafford over/under 299.5 yards
Russell Wilson over/under 274.5 yards

Rushing yards
Darrell Henderson Jr. over/under 67.5 yards
Russell Wilson over/under 24.5 yards
Sony Michel over/under 23.5 yards

Receiving yards
Cooper Kupp over/under 85.5 yards
DK Metcalf over/under 75.5 yards
Tyler Lockett over/under 69.5 yards
Robert Woods over/under 59.5 yards
Van Jefferson over/under 43.5 yards
Tyler Higbee over/under 40 yards

PICK
Matthew Stafford OVER 2.5 passing touchdowns (+125)

To say Stafford has come to Tinseltown as advertised would be an understatement. The veteran signal-caller has exceeded expectations thus far with the Rams, as he currently ranks fourth in the league in passing yards and second in touchdown passes. Stafford should be able to pick apart the Seahawks, who currently are allowing the fifth-most passing yards per game.

Seattle recently was thrashed by quarterbacks not as good at Stafford. Kirk Cousins threw for 323 yards with a trio of scores in Week 2 and rookie Trey Lance, who still needs plenty of polishing, racked up 157 yards with two scores in limited action last weekend. With a pretty weak backfield, LA should continue to employ a pass-happy offense and there’s really no reason to believe Stafford won’t light it up.