For a Seattle Seahawks team that is so used to playing on home field that they win almost all the time, it was the Los Angeles Rams that managed to deliver not just a loss but perhaps a crushing loss in a big way.
The Rams beat the Seahawks 42-7 in Seattle on Sunday, in a game that likely could deal a big blow to the Seahawks repeating as NFC West champs, and it was game where the Seahawks could’ve had the opportunity to tie for the NFC West lead and instead choked it away.
This has been one of the biggest disappointments of the Seahawks in recent memory, not just because they lost on home turf, which they don’t do often, but because they were blown out at home, which rarely happens, albeit if at all. For many, including the media, it’s an unacceptable loss and it’s one coach Pete Carroll summed up pretty well in his press conference.
He told reporters, “We’ve not seen us play like that and seen that kind of result…So it’s on all of us to hold ourselves accountable. We didn’t do that right, from any aspect of it.” No, they didn’t. They had a chance to perhaps tie for the lead in the NFC West on their home turf, and they blew it. If that wasn’t enough proof, try looking at the scuffle that happened between defensive stars Earl Thomas and Bobby Wagner. They weren’t happy about what the game was turning out to be, and they took out their anger by screaming at each other.
Biggest Takeaways
From the get-go of this game, I believe the one thing that lifted the Rams over the Seahawks was their ability to have great field position when they were given it. On every scoring drive they had, they started either at midfield or within Seahawks territory, and they utilized that to get a good running game going. It ultimately led to 244 yards against this Seahawks defense that doesn’t have their stars, including 152 and three touchdowns thanks in part to Rams running back Todd Gurley III, who really shouldn’t have had this kind of game in a place where it’s hard for opposing running backs to get any kind of traction.
The Rams also won thanks in part to their defense, who got after Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, sacking him seven times while forcing two turnovers. Clearly, the offensive line for the Seahawks did not help Russell Wilson in this game, and it was a heavy consequence, as it allowed the Rams defense to have a dominant day on the defensive side of the ball.
Winners and Losers
The biggest winner was the Los Angeles Rams, who will most likely gain the NFC West crown if they manage to win in Tennessee next week. But in this particular game, the Rams won on their running game. Gurley won on the day and that’s why he’s the MVP. Nobody else had the kind of day he did and in a place where you don’t expect a guy like this to thrive. The Rams defense also won as well, thanks in part to how they pressured the offense and how they got after the quarterback.
The biggest losers of this game? Well, everybody on the Seahawks. Both offense and defense. As I said before, Russell Wilson was sacked SEVEN times. Where was the offensive line when it was needed to protect him? Clearly they weren’t awake and ready for that game, and they allowed the Rams defense to run all over them. The special teams also lost this game, especially when they were trying to prevent a kick return. They allowed the Rams to start with decent field position and then turn it into points after points after points.
A Disgrace By The Seahawks
This has been the most embarrassing game that I’ve seen out of the Seahawks recently. Unfortunately, I’m not going to say that the Rams played well today and had a game they deserved to win. I can’t say that here. They should not have had the game they had on Sunday. And look, Todd Gurley III and Jared Goff are great players and they could have a chance to get to the Super Bowl if they keep playing like this, but this was a disgrace on the part of the Seahawks. They played like a team that didn’t care about winning this game or even making an effort to move the ball downfield and try to get points. The offense was a mess, the defense was even worse, the special teams was atrocious and Pete Carroll did a fabulous job by saying everyone is accountable, because he’s right.
The blame is on everybody. In reality from this game, there really is no winners. There’s a bunch of losers and it’s all right on the Seahawks players and coaches. The Rams took this game, ran away with it, and are now looking to rewrite the NFC West with them as the new kings. The Seahawks gave that right to them. They could miss the playoffs. And that will not sit well with the people in Seattle and the reporters who expect this team to be in it year after year.
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