Vrabel didn’t offer specifics, but his framing was telling: the Rams’ ability to generate X plays against Seattle is the kind of tape teams keep revisiting, especially as games tighten and margins shrink in January.
Explosive plays—defined as runs of 10 yards or more or passes of 20 yards or more—can swing postseason games by shifting field position and forcing aggressive play-calling. Vrabel stressed that any successful plan must translate to chunk gains whether the ball is handed off or thrown.
For Seattle, the concern is real. Over the last 10 weeks of the season, Seattle’s defense allowed an explosive play on 10.0% of opponent snaps, second-best in the NFL in that span. In the early season window (Weeks 1–6), Seattle ranked third with a 6.5% rate. The Seahawks’ playoff rate rose to 16.1% after the NFC Championship loss to the Rams, the highest single-game mark of the year with 15 explosive plays surrendered.
The Rams’ approach—testing defenses both vertically and horizontally—remains a focal point of study because Seattle has been a common opponent in these matchups. Vrabel’s acknowledgement that coaches keep a library of successful tendencies highlights how competitive tapes travel and influence game plans across teams and eras.
Vrabel stopped short of promising a copy-paste blueprint, but his comments reinforce a core NFL truth: big plays often decide high-stakes games, and teams continually hunt reliable ways to create them, regardless of scheme or opponent.
As Super Bowl week advances, the focus on explosive plays will loom large for Seattle and any opponent aiming to neutralize or exploit them. The Rams’ “X plays” tape, and its influence on future game plans, will be closely scrutinized by teams hoping to convert chunk gains into victory.
