Three Takeaways From Rams’ Crushing Loss

The Los Angeles Rams couldn't pull off a victory against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16, and they've split the divisional series with them. This is a game the Rams could've easily won, but they couldn't finish the job.

The Rams were up 16 points in the 4th quarter and couldn't capitalize on their big lead. They let their foot off the gas, and that was enough for Sam Darnold to fight back and put his team in a position to win. What are some of my biggest takeaways from this terrible loss?

Three Biggest Takeaways

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Renewed Focus

The only silver lining of this loss for the Rams is that it may have been what this team needed. This game was one of the few times this season when the Rams looked sloppy on both sides of the ball. They had eight penalties and still had nearly double the time of possession as the Seahawks did.

Puka Nacua has had himself a week, with his name turning up in the news repeatedly for different things. Calling out the referees, it's just been all bad for the young wideout. He had a chance to walk away from this game with his head held high, but he chose to continue to indulge in childish tendencies and add fuel to the fire.

Puka Nacua deleted this tweet he sent immediately after the game: https://t.co/gDaWcWIUNZ pic.twitter.com/hWtGwXn18W
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) December 19, 2025

In a now-deleted post, Nacua made his feelings known about the officiating of the game immediately after the game had ended. Even Sean McVay was confused as to how the Seahawks were given that 2-point conversion, but there's a way that you go about it.

It certainly wasn't Nacua's fault the Rams lost this game. He had a blistering 225 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 receptions. However, it wasn't the referee's fault they lost this game, and he'd be the first one to admit it. It's been a week of lapses in judgment from the young Rams star, and all he can do is hope to be better next week.

Regression in the Run Game

Dec 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) runs the ball against Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) during the fourth quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Coming into this matchup, the Rams' rushing attack had found a rhythm and was contributing to the overall effectiveness of their offense. Against the Seahawks, their longest rush was for 9 yards, and they only picked up 124 total yards of offense rushing the ball.

They were able to control the clock and pace with their consistent short-yardage runs, but they were killed by explosive plays made by the Seahawks running backs. Kenneth Walker III had his long touchdown run, but Rashid Shaheed's lone carry of the game was for 31 yards.

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs to score a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The explosiveness of their run game disappeared, and it cost them in their biggest game of the season. Both of their running backs averaged about 3 yards per carry. That can't be the case for them moving forward. The Seahawks' defensive front may be elite, but the Rams showed no signs of switching up their game plan or strategy.

It was clear that the Seahawks made halftime adjustments to win the game, while the Rams felt like they were sitting idly by once they got their offense going. I appreciate McVay wanting to pound the rock and avoid putting the ball in harm's way, but he's going to have to stay aggressive throughout the game. This loss puts their season in a sticky situation, and they have to win their final two games if they want a chance at getting back to their coveted placement atop the NFC West.

MVP Performance

Just like Nacua, you can't say Matthew Stafford is one of the biggest reasons why they lost. His play was flawed at times, but that's a result of how good the defense is for the Seahawks. He threw the ball 49 times and completed 28 of those passes, for 457 total passing yards and three touchdowns to accompany his performance. He tied his second-best QBR this season with his performance against the Seahawks.

Winning does matter with the MVP award, but I feel like Stafford had such an insane game, this loss doesn't do as much damage to his MVP case as it could've been. He's two good performances from locking up the award, the first of his long career.

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