The Los Angeles Rams can take firm control of the NFC West if they beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. and sweep the season series between these divisional rivals. Los Angeles won the first meeting in Seattle by two points and can essentially end Seattle's slim hopes for challenging for the NFC West with another win at LA Memorial Coliseum. Both clubs fell last week, as the Rams suffered their first defeat of the season in a shootout at New Orleans, while Seattle squandered several opportunities in a home loss to the Chargers. The Rams are nine-point favorites after the line moved as high as 10. The over-under for total points scored is 51 in the latest Rams vs. Seahawks odds. Before you lock in your Rams vs. Seahawks picks, make sure you hear what SportsLine expert R.J. White has to say.

The renowned prognosticator has cashed big in the prestigious Las Vegas SuperContest two of the last three years and has now turned his eye toward Sunday's game. White has a strong history of success in handicapping these NFC rivals, as evidenced by his incredible 22-7 record on against the spread picks involving Seattle or Los Angeles over the past two seasons.

Two weeks ago, White advised SportsLine members that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers would push the Rams to the wire and recommended backing the nine-point underdog. Sure enough, it was a tight game from the outset as Los Angeles held on for the 29-27 victory. Anyone who followed White's advice pocketed a comfortable winner. 

Now, he has scrutinized Seahawks vs. Rams from every possible angle to reveal a strong point-spread pick that he's sharing only at SportsLine. 

White knows the Rams will be eager to restore their winning ways after they fell short against the Saints in a potential NFC title-game preview. Their defense was torched for 346 yards and four touchdown passes from Drew Brees, who hit Michael Thomas with a 72-yard TD for the decisive score in the fourth quarter. But on the bright side, Los Angeles overcame a 21-point deficit in a 21-minute span in the second half to forge a 35-35 tie with 9:48 left to play. 

Jared Goff passed for 391 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but saw a fourth-down pass broken up on a potential game-tying drive.

The Rams still have the league's top-rated offense and the home team is on an 8-3 spread run in their series with Seattle. But they aren't a sure thing to cover against a Seahawks club that has exceeded projections and proven it can compete with Los Angeles. 

White knows that the Seahawks have impressed this season. Seattle is still in the playoff hunt even after the club underwent a serious roster overhaul and has few familiar faces left from the core that helped the team reach two Super Bowls. The continued playmaking from quarterback Russell Wilson was expected to remain constant, and he has delivered. Wilson is completing 66 percent of his attempts for 18 touchdowns against just five interceptions. 

But perhaps a surprising source of offense has come from a rushing attack that ranked a lowly No. 23 in the NFL last year. The Seahawks are now No. 3 in the NFL and have the top-rated rushing attack since Week 3, averaging 160 yards per game. Chris Carson, a seventh-round draft pick in 2017, leads the way with 497 yards and two scores. Carson is dealing with a hip injury, but is expected to play Sunday. Running back Mike Davis impressed last week with over 100 yards from scrimmage.

We can tell you White is leaning toward the Over, but his much stronger play is on the side. He has scrutinized Rams vs. Saints from every angle and found a crucial X-factor that causes one side of the spread to hit hard. He's only sharing it at SportsLine.

Who covers in Seahawks vs. Rams? And what crucial X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side you need to jump on Sunday, all from the top NFL analyst who's hitting an astounding 76 percent of his picks involving these teams.