During a 20-game Super Bowl season, the Seattle Seahawks went to battle with the Los Angeles Rams three times.
It was quite a crash course for Seattle 2025 first-round guard Grey Zabel in getting acquainted with his team's budding archrival.
"I hate the Rams, but I love the Rams because it is mano a mano, best on best," Zabel said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast.
In two regular season showdowns and one classic NFC Championship Game, the Seahawks-Rams trilogy was decided by a combined total of seven points.
Los Angeles emerged as the NFC West's – and really the NFL's – top dog after a Week 11 21-19 win, but a 38-37 overtime Week 16 triumph for Seattle set it on a path forward as the NFC's top seed.
In the NFC Championship Game, one proclaimed to be a true matchup of the league's top two teams, the Seahawks prevailed, 31-27, in a nail-biter sandwiched in between blowout Seattle victories in the Divisional Round and Super Bowl.
"Just talk about a clash of three completely different games," Zabel said of the Rams donnybrooks. "We didn't play well the first game and then the second game it was kind of a slow start and then we got hot late in the game and then the third game … we kind of got hot earlier in the game and then we really couldn't separate ourselves and it was just kind of a heavyweight boxing match in the end in that NFC championship. It was unbelievable."
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The rivalry resulted in plenty of respect earned from Zabel, who sought out Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner after the loss.
"Kobie Turner is like my kryptonite right now in the game of football," Zabel said. "Like, I don't know what it is. He's just got my number. He just works me every single game. But uh it's so cool cause, like I said, as much as you want to hate the Rams, they're all really good dudes, across the board. And like, Kobie for an instance, he's out there and he just smiles. He just plays the game for the love of the game. No, no question about it. And it was sad deal cause he got a little banged up and he couldn't finish that NFC Championship Game. So, the moment after the game was done, I just went and talked to him, and talked how awesome he was and what a great game it was and how fun it is competing against him."
Fortunately for Zabel – and the fans – plenty more fun is on the schedule as the Seahawks and Rams figure to be contenders again in 2026 when they lock up at least two more times.