The Los Angeles Rams are headed to Seattle for the NFC Championship showdown against their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks. Preparation officially began on Wednesday, though in a lighter fashion, as the Rams held only a walkthrough at their training facility. But before even stepping onto the field, head coach Sean McVay raised some eyebrows by flagging health concerns surrounding three key defenders during his press conference.

“As far as practice for today, which you know, it’ll be kind of a walk-through,” the head coach said. “Q (Quentin) Lake, he won’t be there. He’s feeling sick, but hopefully it’s just a quick little bug. BY (Byron Young), we’re going to be smart with his knee. Emmanuel Forbes will be limited with his shoulder. Everybody else will be good to go.”

On paper, this matchup is about contrast. The Rams arrive with the league’s No. 1 offense, while the Seahawks counter with the NFL’s top-ranked defense. But beneath that headline, it’s the Rams’ own defense that’s quietly becoming a concern. Had this been a full practice, Lake and Young likely wouldn’t have participated at all. Lake has been dealing with illness, and Young with a sore knee.

Meanwhile, Forbes would’ve been limited anyway with his shoulder issues as well. McVay did sound optimistic about Lake, suggesting it’s a minor issue. And that matters, considering the 26-year-old has been a steady presence in the secondary. He logged 61 combined tackles and an interception in 10 regular-season games, then added 13 more tackles across the first two playoff rounds.

Young’s situation, though, is a bit murkier. The 27-year-old dealt with knee soreness during last Sunday’s Divisional Round win over the Chicago Bears, where he played a season-low 43% of the defensive snaps. Whether that drop was purely precautionary or tied directly to the knee isn’t entirely clear. But the expectation is still that he’ll suit up against Seattle.

As for Forbes, he exited the Bears game with a shoulder injury and didn’t return. Still, based on how McVay framed it, the concern doesn’t seem severe enough to limit him in the Championship Round. All of this unfolds as the Rams sit 2–0 in the postseason after wins over the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card round and the Bears last weekend.

Now, they’re chasing a 3–0 run with a Super Bowl berth on the line. And while the defensive questions linger, the focus is also shifting to the other side of the ball, where veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has already addressed the challenge of going up against Seattle’s No. 1 defense.

Matthew Stafford addressed whether the Seahawks’ defense is tough to read

Under head coach Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks run a modern, nickel-heavy defense that looks light on paper but is anything but easy to deal with. And that’s exactly why Matthew Stafford hasn’t been shy about admitting some concern as he gets ready to face a division rival with the league’s No. 1 defense this weekend.

“Yeah, a little bit,” the quarterback said when asked if the Seahawks’ defensive versatility makes it tough for him to read them. “I think they’re able to build a bunch of structures both in the back end and the fronts with ‘nickel defense’ out there. And they love to be in that. They stay in that a decent amount of the time, so it is a little bit different in the fact that they feel like they can create different front and coverage structure issues with their grouping, where a lot of teams, if you’re getting nickel defense, you’re just getting their nickel pass fronts or some of those things. So they do a nice job of changing the stuff up.”

To put that into simpler terms, Seattle isn’t predictable. They usually play with two deep safeties and lean heavily on Cover 2 and Cover 4 concepts, prioritizing big-play prevention over stacking the box. On paper, that should open the door for the run game. In reality, it doesn’t. Instead of a traditional third linebacker, the Seahawks lean on faster, more versatile pieces like Nick Emmanwori and a smaller, quicker linebacker in Drake Thomas. The defense gets lighter. But also, faster, cleaner, and less error-prone.

Top Stories

Josh Allen’s Strong Stance on Sean McDermott’s Exit Revealed After Owner Shared Bills QB’s Role in HC’s Firing

John Harbaugh Fires Giants Coach Battling Cancer as Ravens Block Staff Poaching

Bills Announce Concerning Josh Allen News as Owner Unloads on NFL Refs For Brandin Cooks Incident

Viral 4-Year-Old NFL Picks Girl Faces Death Threats After Cardi B’s Profanity-Laced Rant

‘Desperate’ to Find Help, Cowboys Legend Troy Aikman Shares Medical Update on Chronic Issue

Meanwhile, up front is where everything clicks. Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II command double teams inside, and that changes the math entirely. Once offenses commit extra blockers, linebackers like Ernest Jones IV are free to flow downhill, while edge rushers Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, and DeMarcus Lawrence can attack without protection, constantly sliding their way. Jarran Reed adds fresh power inside when rotations come into play.

That’s why Stafford’s comment matters. He’s not questioning Seattle’s talent. He’s reacting to the uncertainty. This defense doesn’t give clean reads or familiar looks. And with a Super Bowl berth on the line, watching the league’s No. 1 offense try to solve the league’s No. 1 defense is about as compelling as it gets.