The Seahawks host the Rams on Sunday in the NFC championship game, the third meeting between two teams that, throughout the season, looked as if they might be on a postseason collision course. The Seahawks finished the season on top of a loaded NFC West, then began their postseason against one division foe, the 49ers, setting up an NFC championship game against another division opponent, the Rams.

"I think it's cool how great our division is," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. "You know, we really wouldn't want it any other way."

Here are five things to watch when the Seahawks host the Rams in Sunday's conference championship game:

1. Which team makes the plays down the stretch in what seems destined to be a close game?

The Seahawks' Week 11 loss in Los Angeles and their dramatic Week 16 win over the Rams played out very differently, stylistically. Seattle's defense kept the Rams offense in check for much of the opening game, but the Rams won on the strength of four interceptions. Five weeks later, both teams put up big numbers on offense, and the Seahawks prevailed in overtime after erasing a 16-point deficit.

But one thing those games had in common was that they both went right down to the wire. In Week 11, the Seahawks nearly overcame their four turnovers, cutting into Los Angeles' lead before getting the ball back with one final possession to potentially win it. That drive ran out of time with the Seahawks just past midfield, however, and Jason Myers was unable to make the 61-yard game-winning attempt. In the rematch, the Seahawks fought their way back thanks in part to a Rashid Shaheed punt return touchdown, a long Sam Darnold touchdown pass to AJ Barner, and a final game-winning drive in overtime that was capped by a touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a two-point conversion catch by Eric Saubert.

And over the course of eight quarters plus one overtime period, the Seahawks and Rams were separated by only one point (58 for the Rams and 57 for the Seahawks), and one yard (830-829). Given all of that, it seems very likely that, however Sunday's game shakes out, be it a low-scoring defensive battle or a high-scoring shootout, the result will come down to which team makes the crucial plays down the stretch.

"They're a really good team, they play hard," Macdonald said when asked about the close matchups with the Rams. "They play together. They've got really talented players. Got a great scheme. It's just a great matchup. It's right where we should be at this point of the year. It's pretty cool."

For Seahawks fans looking for good omens, the Seahawks have played two close NFC championship games at home, and prevailed in both, a win over the 49ers that ended with Malcolm Smith's end-zone interception of a pass tipped by Richard Sherman, and an overtime win over the Green Bay Packers in which the Seahawks overcame a big early deficit and five turnovers.

2. Can the Seahawks avoid the turnover issues from the previous meetings?

The Seahawks have played two straight games of turnover-free football, a big reason why they were in control throughout consecutive wins over the 49ers, and they have a plus-seven turnover differential during their current eight-game winning streak, a big improvement from earlier in the season.

Prior to starting that winning streak, however, the Seahawks lost to the Rams while committing four turnovers, all of them interceptions. The Seahawks had three more turnovers in the second meeting, though they were able to overcome those and earn a win.

"They got a really good defense," said offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. "Those guys are very well-coached and just great players all around. All we're trying to do is just be better than the last game. We have turned it over and that's what they do as defense. They do a great job of taking the ball away. We got to execute at a higher level."

And while there has been a lot more focus on the turnovers committed by Seattle's offense in those Rams games, players on the Seahawks defense know they also need to do their part to force more turnovers, having managed only one takeaway in those two meetings. Seeing as pressure on a quarterback and sacks are the best way to create turnovers, the Seahawks know they need to find ways to get to Matthew Stafford, who was not sacked in either of the previous meetings. As defensive tackle Leonard Williams explained, being better on early downs will create better pass-rush opportunities, and with that, more chances for the ball to potentially be at risk.

"He gets the ball out extremely fast," Williams said. "What they do a good job at is putting them in third and manageable downs. I think they have the shortest distance on third downs in the league, which allows for quick passes. You don't have to sit back and drop and read coverages when you only need three to five yards for a first down. A lot of times he just catches the ball and knows exactly where to put it; sometimes he's not even looking. He's a great quarterback. I think that's why I said I think we're going to have to do a good job on first and second down stopping the run, getting them in a little bit more backed up third downs."

3. Can the Seahawks running game continue its hot streak without Zach Charbonnet?

The Seahawks received some bad news after Saturday's big win over the 49ers, learning that running back Zach Charbonnet will miss the rest of the postseason due to a knee injury.

"I think it needs to be said how important Zach Charbonnet has been to our team and how much we're going to miss him," Kubiak said. "When you think about, what is a Seahawk—a guy that's smart, tough and dependable, that's Zach Charbonnet. One of the most impressive individuals I've been around. You know, a lot of our success has come because of his leadership this year and we're going to miss him."

But while Charbonnet, who rushed for 730 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns this season, will certainly be missed, the good news for the Seahawks is that they still have the other half of their running back one-two punch, leading rusher Kenneth Walker III, who after rushing for 1,027 yards in the regular season, kicked off his postseason with 116 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries.

With Walker leading the way, the Seahawks rushed for 175 yards, their fourth consecutive game with over 160 rushing yards and a yards-per-carry average of 4.5 or better. That stretch includes the Week 16 win over the Rams in which the Seahawks averaged a season-best 6.8 yards per carry, including 100 yards on 11 carries for Walker.

"Ken has done a heck of a job," Macdonald said when asked about Walker's play in Saturday's win. "I think you're seeing the results in the past X amount of weeks now of result of really stacking all those reps. I thought this was the most decisive he's run up to this point, and as expected. You just keep getting better and finding ways to improve, especially in the run game. He's done a great job… I thought that was a heck of a performance.

"I've seen a guy that's gotten better through the season. You can't say that about all runners, so that's a tribute to him and how he's taking care of his body."

With Charbonnet out, the Seahawks' options behind Walker included George Holani, who has been on injured reserve, but who returned to practice this week and could be activated for Sunday's game, as well as a pair of veterans on the practice squad, Cam Akers and Velus Jones Jr.

4. How does the Mike Macdonald vs. Sean McVay chess match play out this time after two very different regular-season games?

While neither team's head coach wants to make a matchup about himself, there's no denying that when the Rams and Seahawks play, there is sure to be intrigue about how Macdonald and Rams coach Sean McVay will call the game against each other. McVay has been considered one of the league's best offensive minds since becoming the league's youngest head coach in 2017, and Macdonald now has a similar reputation on the other side of the ball.

Interestingly enough, the better performance by Macdonald's defense came in a Seahawks loss in Week 11, while McVay's offense lit up the scoreboard in a Rams loss in Week 16. In the first meeting in Los Angeles, the Seahawks held the Rams to a season-low 12 first downs, 249 total yards and 130 passing yards, with Stafford, a first-team All-Pro and MVP favorite, having his lowest yardage total of the season, and a 4.6 yards-per-attempt average that was his lowest since 2018 when he was with the Lions. The rematch in Seattle featured a lot more offense and scoring for both teams, with the Rams gaining the most yards (581) and first downs (26) of any Seattle opponent this season. That Week 16 game did, however, also see the

Seahawks buckle down late, getting five fourth-quarter stops, including three consecutive three-and-outs, to help facilitate the comeback.

Those two disparate performances mean both coaches have a lot of information to bring into this third contest, and whichever makes the right adjustments on his side of the ball could be the one hoisting Halas Trophy after the game.

"You've got to give them credit," Macdonald said when asked about the Rams' offensive output in Week 16. "They had great game plan and made a lot of great plays. So they had guys open; when they didn't, they still made some plays. I think the explosives really inflate the stats a lot. The only way you get to a number like that is by some really explosive plays, and those are good plays by them, plays that we have to execute better. But when I'm thinking of that game I'm thinking of, 'Hey, we got punched in the mouth early and then our guys regrouped and were kind of put ourselves back in a position to go win the game defensively.' So there are positives and things you want to grow from that game for sure."

5. Can special teams be an X-factor again for the Seahawks?

When the Seahawks needed a spark against the Rams in Week 16, Rashid Shaheed came through with a 58-yard punt return touchdown that got Seattle's comeback going. And when the Seahawks opened their divisional round game against the 49ers, Shaheed set the tone for a dominant win with a 95-yard kick return touchdown to open the game.

Those touchdowns, two of the three scored by Shaheed with the Seahawks, who also returned a kickoff for a touchdown against the Falcons, are just a couple of the several impact plays the Seahawks have made on special teams this season. In addition to Shaheed's three return touchdowns, the Seahawks also got a 95-yard punt return touchdown from Tory Horton earlier in the season, a kickoff recovery touchdown from Goerge Holani, a lot of clutch kicking from Jason Myers, field-position-altering punting from Michael Dickson, blocked field goals from Nick Emmanwori and Julian Love, a blocked punt by D'Anthony Bell, and great kickoff coverage throughout the season.

In other words, special teams play has been a big, big part of Seattle's success this season, including in some of their biggest wins of the year, and in what figures to be another close game, being the team that can get an edge on special teams could make all the difference.

"Special teams, that's our X factor," Love said. "That's our special weapon."