The Seahawks and Rams went back and forth in a tightly contested NFC West clash that needed extra time to decide a winner. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, that winner was the Rams, who moved to 4-4 while knocking Seattle into last place in the division at 4-5.
Here are five things that stood out for the Seahawks 26-20 overtime loss on Sunday at Lumen Field.
Seahawks’ mistakes loom large: When the Seahawks look back at this one, there will be plenty of plays and sequences they can point to where they dropped the ball. It started early on when, on Seattle’s second drive, quarterback Geno Smith mishandled a high snap to put the Seahawks well behind the chains. They gained 22 yards back on a Smith pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but then Smith thew a ball behind Smith-Njigba on third down that it went off the receiver’s hands for an interception. That ended up being a preview of what was in store for most of the rest of the game. The Seahawks also had two big pass plays to Smith-Njigba called back by holds, including a drive-killer that would have been a first down while trailing 20-13 late in the fourth quarter. There was another bad snap, this time well over Smith’s head while he didn’t appear ready for the snap, that accounted for a 22-yard loss. And Smith had two of the most costly plays when he threw interceptions inside the Rams’ 10-yard line on consecutive drives in the second half. The first was returned 103 yards to put Los Angeles up 20-13, and the second came with his team close to tying the game late. To top it off, Seattle couldn’t pick up a fourth-and-1 try in the red zone in overtime, which opened the door for Los Angeles’ game-winning drive. All in all, it was an ugly performance it what was a very winnable game.
Attempt to establish run is mostly ineffective: The lack of a rushing attack has been a hot topic for Seattle and one that head coach Mike Macdonald has addressed several times over the past few weeks. The Seahawks entered the matchup with the Rams with the league’s lowest percentage of runs plays ran at just 33.7%, but they showed a real commitment to trying to establish their run game, especially with standout running back Kenneth Walker III. Five of their first six plays from scrimmage were run plays to Walker, who finished with 50 yards on 13 carries in the first half. For reference, Walker had more than 14 carries only once in his previous six games this season. But the run game was never efficient. Walker logged just 29 yards on 10 carries the rest of the way and Seattle finished the game averaging just 3.3 yards on its 33 carries.
A positive development on defense: For the first time in weeks, the Seahawks were stout against the run. After allowing 155 or more yards on the ground in each of the past four games, they surrendered just 68 yards on 24 carries and held standout Los Angeles running back Kyren Williams to 69 yards on just 3.1 yards per carry. One of the more impressive aspects was Seattle’s ability to keep the Rams from breaking any big plays on the ground, as nine yards was the high-water mark for the rushing attack. Another area that the success against the run showed up in was how it kept Los Angels from extending drives. Seattle allowed Buffalo to pick 14 first downs via the run last week, but the Rams were able to do so just four times on Sunday, including zero times in the first half. Overall, it may have been the best performance against the run all season for a team that has struggled mightily to stop it.
JSN delivers his best game: The Seahawks were sorely missing star DK Metcalf in last week’s loss to the Bills, as the passing game never really got going and there was a clear lack of a deep threat. Second-year receiver Smith-Njigba changed that in a major way against the Rams. There was the interception that went off Smith-Njigba’s hands early on a throw behind, although one that was catchable. But the Ohio State product went on to have the best game of his young NFL career, hauling in seven receptions for a career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns. Smith-Njigba came through when it mattered most, too. He had multiple long catches to help aid scoring drives early and came down with two big plays, including the 14-yard TD grab, on the late Seahawks drive that forced overtime. This was the type of performance the Seahawks have been waiting on from their 2023 first-round pick.
Fant’s return further highlights challenge at RT: The Seahawks received a welcomed return this week with opening day starter George Fant coming back from a knee injury he suffered in Week 1. The return of Fant meant Seattle was no longer starting a rookie who is less than a full year removed from playing D-II college football. However, Fant left the game after just two series with a knee injury (it was unclear if it was the same knee when the injury was announced) and did not return. That thrust sixth-rounder Michael Jerrell back into the lineup at right tackle, and he had his share of struggles. For what it’s worth, Fant didn’t look ready to be back out there in the limited action he did get. It’s no secret the Seahawks are missing Abraham Lucas, who was designated to return to practice from the physically unable to perform list last week, and it would be huge if he is ready to play after the next week’s bye.
