ESPN’s Peter Schrager says Rams hype ‘out of control,’ not to overlook Seahawks

Based on how a lot of the media is talking about the Los Angeles Rams going into the 2026 season, it would be easy to forget that they’re not the defending Super Bowl champs. That of course would be their rival in the NFC West, the Seattle Seahawks.

NFL Preview: Seahawks’ biggest obstacle to repeating is Rams

There’s at least one member of the national media who remembers that last fact – and how last year’s meetings between the Seahawks and Rams went: ESPN NFL analyst Peter Schrager.

On Wednesday’s Pat McAfee Show, Schrager threw some cold water on all of the praise the Rams have been getting after a big offseason where they traded for defensive stars Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, and got future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald to come out of retirement.

Here’s what Schrager said:

I have never seen a team have the hype and the bandwagon as full, having lost two of three games to an opponent in their division (from the year before), in the history of this sport. … The Rams’ hype and bandwagon is out of control. It’s spilling over with whoever and whatever.

The Seahawks are sitting up there very quietly in their Pacific Northwest haunts, watching as everyone else talks about the Rams as they bring back JSN (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) with a happy extension, and they bring back Devon Witherspoon with a happy extension, and they bring back Leonard Williams and (Rashid) Shahid and (Derick) Hall, and bring in a first-round running back (Jadarian Price) who they’re very excited about.

So as… everyone assumes I’m just going to be – what’s the term the kids use, glazing (Rams coach) Sean McVay? I don’t love any bandwagon where we’re doing segments on the morning shows, ‘The Rams or the field?’ That doesn’t feel right with the NFL. Let’s not forget about those Seattle Seahawks and their madman of a coach, Mr. Mike Macdonald.

Brock and Salk weigh in

Schrager’s comments caught the attention of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, who shared them during the daily Blue 88 segment on Thursday.

“Who is the one national media voice that has never wavered when it comes to these Seahawks?” Mike Salk asked longtime FOX football broadcaster and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard.

Responded Huard: “This fella on McAfee’s show yesterday, Peter Schrager, he’s never wavered.”

Huard related what Schrager said to what he took from the season of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that featured the Seahawks during training camp and aired its final episode on Tuesday night.

“The more I listen to that, the more that my main theme of ‘Hard Knocks’ I think carries through that much more,” Huard continued. “And that is, we play for December and January, because that’s when you’re gonna see the Rams. Now if you had the Rams in the opener, if you had them in the first month and a half, does that change some of that? I don’t think so. I don’t think so. I think they’re still playing the long game.

“But certainly getting the Rams in (both Week 16 and Week 18) I think is very beneficial for the Seahawks.”

Brock Huard answers three football questions during Blue 88, which airs regularly at 7:45 a.m. during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk (6-10 a.m. weekdays).

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