One year after having a rare sweep of the Los Angeles Rams, things have fallen back to order as the Seattle Seahawks were swept themselves. Seattle lost their rematch to the Rams, falling to them 17-16. The Seahawks have now dropped to 6-4 on the year with a Thanksgiving showdown against the San Francisco 49ers looming large in a few days.
The afternoon started flawlessly for Seattle, who scored on an opening 15-play, 88-yard drive to take an early 7-0 lead. The Seahawks’ defense held strong at their own two-yard line, stopping LA on fourth down. Seattle was able to extend their lead to 13-0, but the Rams scored right before half to give an identical 13-7 halftime score as it was in Week 1.
Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the second half in this one played out similarly when it came to their offensive prowess. Seattle started the game 4/4 on third down, but then were an astonishing 1-for-11 for the remainder of the afternoon. The Seahawks barely avoided another second half shutout, but only managed a lone field goal.
Of course, losing quarterback Geno Smith certainly affected things in a negative way. Smith was injured near the conclusion of the third quarter after taking a big hit from – you guessed it – Aaron Donald. Backup Drew Lock came in, and was unspectacular in relief action. Lock finished the day completing 2-of-6 passes for three yards and an interception.
Smith was able to gut it out and returned for the final drive of the game, trailing 17-16. It was an admirable effort, driving Seattle 38 yards to set up a potential game winning field goal. Instead, Jason Myers’ hot streak came to an end as his 55-yard attempt missed wide right, sealing the loss.
Once again, Sean McVay and the Rams prove they outright own the Seahawks. No matter the year, no matter the circumstances, as long as Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald are in the lineup they always find a way to prevail against Seattle.
It should be noted, however, officiating was highly suspect – and that’s the most polite way I could put it. Los Angeles’ second touchdown was directly aided by a defensive pass interference penalty as the Rams receiver was clearly falling down.
The Seahawks now find themselves in dire straits. The health of Geno Smith, and running back Kenneth Walker III (who left with an early oblique injury) will be under the microscope during the short week before Thursday Night Football. The course of Seattle’s season could very well depend on it.
