The Seahawks and Rams are familiar foes, having played each other twice this year. They split the season series and now get a tiebreaker matchup in the most critical game of their seasons.
Los Angeles narrowly defeated Chicago in the Divisional Round, needing overtime to secure the victory. Meanwhile, Seattle stomped all over San Francisco, looking very much like the Super Bowl favorites.
Seattle is a 2.5-point favorite and -155 on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +130 on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 47.5 points.
Here are the top first touchdown prop bets for the NFC Championship game between the Seahawks and Rams.
Seahawks vs. Rams first touchdown scorer prop bets
Seahawks D/ST first touchdown scorer (+2800)
Two weeks in a row? That would be bonkers, but it’s not extremely farfetched. Seattle’s defense is one of the best units in the NFL, leading all teams in points allowed and ranking sixth in yards allowed. This was on display during the Divisional Round against the 49ers. San Francisco scored just six points and totaled 236 yards, as Seattle recovered two fumbles and intercepted one pass.
The big play in that matchup was Rashid Shaheed’s 95-yard kickoff return touchdown to start the game. Duplicating that is incredibly difficult, but a defensive score is still very much possible.
The Seahawks scored two fumble return touchdowns this year, which tied for second in the NFL with the Saints, Cardinals and Steelers. Only the Texans had more (3). Seattle also had one pick six, falling behind the Browns, Panthers, Bears, Jaguars and Buccaneers. The Seahawks are one of five teams to have at least three defensive touchdowns this year (Texans, Saints, Steelers and Browns).
This is a long shot, but given how dominant the Seahawks’ defense was last week, it’s not a ridiculous bet, especially at +2800.
Kyren Williams first touchdown scorer (+750)
At +750, Kyren Williams feels like a sleeper pick for first touchdown scorer of this game. He scored two rushing touchdowns last week and one receiving touchdown in the Wild Card matchup. He’s an essential part of this Rams’ offense that ranks No. 1 in both points and yards.
The main concern isn’t with Williams, however. It’s Seattle’s run defense. As mentioned before, the Seahawks have one of the best defensive units in the NFL. Their run defense is their strong suit, allowing the fewest yards per carry, second fewest rushing touchdowns and third fewest rushing yards. Even Christian McCaffrey, one of the best running backs in the league, ran for 35 yards on 11 carries last week.
Williams could have a similar problem, which is likely the reason he’s at +750 odds. That said, he’s an active member of the passing game, which is where the Rams will primarily attack. Seattle still has a great pass defense, ranking second in yards per pass, fifth in interceptions, seventh in touchdowns and 10th in yards. Still, teams prefer to pass against Seattle, as the pass defense ranks 28th in pass attempts allowed.
Unlike many other players on this list, Williams regularly gets scoring chances on the ground and through the air. This gives extra value at +750, while others have shorter odds.