The Seahawks and Rams are clearly the class of the NFC West and among the very best in the NFL as well, as they both proved by eclipsing 40 points in blowout wins against division opponents Sunday.

They have been on a collision course for division dominance for weeks now – and that head-on clash is coming in Week 11 as the pair of 7-2 teams finally square off.

Both teams have been completely dominant over the last month or so – winning four straight and each scoring over 100 points in the past three games. The Rams have scored 111, winning all three by an average of 22.7 points – including a 42-26 win over San Francisco on Sunday. The Hawks have scored 109, winning by 18 per game – including a 44-22 win over Arizona on Sunday.

Both teams are very similar – getting great quarterback play off very deceptive and effective schemes and dominance from their defenses.

Does this offense, described by Rams receiver Davante Adams, sound familiar?

“They see 13 personnel go out there, a bunch of tight ends, they think it’s run-heavy — and we go out and run play-action, and it limits some of the things they’re doing.”

That’s Sean McVay’s offense – and Klint Kubiak’s.

Matthew Stafford has thrown four TD passes in all three of those wins – playing some of his best ball at age 37. Sam Darnold has led the NFL in EPA. He played a perfect game against Washington in Week 9 before suffering from three turnovers this week (after he already had helped the Hawks to an insurmountable lead).

The Rams have the best defense in the league – on the order of what the Hawks faced when they beat Houston 27-19 three weeks ago.

Darnold and Cooper Kupp both have personal scores to settle with the Rams. Darnold’s 2024 season with the Vikings ended in a nine-sack domination by L.A.’s defense – a rough finish that created a lot of doubts from many about Darnold. He probably would love to prove all of those folks wrong once and for all. Kupp of course signed with Seattle after the Rams cut their longtime star – it goes without saying he will be bringing his best against his former team.

While the Rams have the No. 1 EPA defense and No. 2 scoring defense, the Hawks are also pretty elite (seventh in EPA and fifth in scoring). The Hawks are actually fourth in EPA since Week 6, after they gave up 38 points to Tampa Bay and Mike Macdonald got his banged-up secondary straightened out.

Stafford and the Rams faced Houston’s stellar defense in Week 1, winning 14-9, but have not gone against a defense as good as the Hawks since then. The Colts’ defense is a top-10 unit, and the Rams beat Indy 27-20 in Week 4. But the Hawks are another level – even if they are missing Jarran Reed and Julian Love (both on IR) and are not sure Ernest Jones IV (knee) will be available (bet that he will though, as he also has an axe to grind against the Rams).

The Hawks have been using a “it takes all 70” approach all season – and Macdonald said they did it again to blow out Arizona (Seattle’s 10^th straight win over the Cardinals).

Tyrice Knight stepped in for Jones and created two sack-fumbles that DeMarcus Lawrence returned for touchdowns. Drake Thomas and Ty Okada combined for a handful of big plays.

“It’s our team’s DNA,” Thomas said. “It’s a consistent message from the top down, and we all buy into it. You see that on the field. When someone steps up and makes a play who hasn’t been playing, it’s like no drop-off.”

They certainly won’t be able to have a drop-off against the Rams.

Macdonald told Albert Breer of SI.com: “I think the trap is to say, ‘OK, this is different.’ They’re a really good team. They’re a team that we’re going to need to be able to beat. But, to me, you don’t give your team the best chance to win if you start making it about them.

“You have to understand how they operate. You’ve gotta nail your game plan. But what’s gotten us to this point is us playing the best version of ball that we can play.” 

If they keep playing their best ball, the Hawks can show everyone that they might be THE team to beat in the NFL this season.

“What we’re building here, we all feel like we have something special,” Jaxon Smith-Njigba said, “and we just want to keep it going and protect what we have.”