3 Up, 3 Down: Winners, Losers From Seahawks Week 14 Loss vs. Rams
Following a 28-12 defeat against the Rams, the Seahawks lost their first road game and fell to 10-3 on the year, slipping back into the first wild card spot. Seattle will also have to wait another week to officially clinch a playoff position as well.
From start to finish, the Rams dominated the Seahawks on both sides of the football. Seattle’s offense was held without a single touchdown for the first time this season. The only time the Seahawks entered the end zone was during safety Quandre Diggs’ 55-yard pick six early in the third quarter.
Despite this loss, Seattle still has an opportunity to win the NFC West division and controls its own destiny. To make it happen, they'll need to win all three of their remaining games, including a Week 17 matchup at home against San Francisco.
Let's dive into our three big winners and three losers from Week 14.
Three Up
Russell Wilson
It may seem generous to list Wilson as an "up" candidate in this game. But unfortunately, Seattle dug themselves too deep of a hole for Wilson to pull off one of his usual game-saving comebacks. He completed 22 of his 36 passes for 245 yards along with five rushes for 28 yards. However, the Seahawks’ 21-3 deficit through the first 30 minutes was just too much for Wilson and a stagnant offense to overcome.
Along with Seattle’s first half defensive woes, the offense did very little to help the eighth-year quarterback. Wilson was sacked five times and sustained a pair of inexcusable drops from his receivers, which limited Seattle to just three offensive points. It was far from his best performance, but without any help, it's tough to blame him for the scoring woes.
Chris Carson
Despite a low scoring performance from Seattle, Carson was one of the lone bright spots on offense. The third-year pro rushed 15 times for 76 yards and caught three of his four targets for 15 yards. Carson also kept a pair of drives alive with his impressive grueling rushes on third down, moving the chains on a night where the Seahawks struggled to pick up first downs.
With fellow running back Rashaad Penny forced to leave the game due to an ACL sprain, Carson will likely be utilized even more over the last three games of the season. It's role he's quite familiar with, which shouldn't handicap Seattle's rushing game as he continues to add to his 1,000-plus yard campaign.
Quandre Diggs
Without the performance of Seattle’s rising star free safety, the team would never have had much hope for a comeback trailing by 18 points at the break. While the team came up short, the fifth-year pro gave some much-needed life to the team with his heroics early in the second half.
Along with his five tackles, Diggs intercepted a pair of Jared Goff passes in the third quarter, including one that he returned 55 yards to the end zone to trim the lead to 21-9. Seattle's defense seemed to respond to his energy, limited Los Angeles to just seven points after halftime to keep the game within reach.
Three Down
Receivers
During the first half, the Seahawks were unable to sustain drives due to numerous dropped passes. With Seattle needing one yard on a fourth down conversion in the second quarter, receiver Malik Turner dropped a catchable pass from Wilson, turning over the football at the opposing 24-yard line.
After the Seahawks’ defense held the Rams to a three-and-out, another drop loomed large before halftime. Tight end Jacob Hollister sat wide-open past the first down line, only to have the ball bounce off his chest and fall incomplete. Both these missed opportunities prevented the Seahawks from potentially cutting into the Rams big lead before break.
Defensive Line
After seemingly turning the corner over the previous three games, the Seahawks struggled mightily creating pressure on Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Seattle’s defense generated just four hits on the veteran quarterback, allowing him to comfortably pick apart their defense with 184 passing yards in the first half.
During two of Los Angeles’ four touchdown drives, Goff could've sat in a recliner and thrown touchdowns from the comfort of the pocket. Seattle’s pass rush was expected to take a slight hit with defensive end Ziggy Ansah out with a neck injury, but the coaching staff certainly didn’t expect this brutal effort from their pass rush.
Secondary Play Away from Quandre Diggs
Throughout their loss to the Rams, the Seahawks defense failed to contain receiver Robert Woods and tight end Tyler Higbee. Each of them produced seven catches and combined to amass 214 receiving yards and a touchdown. Higbee reeled in a 33-yard catch that set up the Rams first touchdown of the game to take a 7-3 lead and made several other critical receptions.
As for Woods, the USC product caused the Seahawks problems all over the field. The seventh-year receiver couldn't be slowed down by any of Seattle's defensive backs. During all seven of his receptions, Woods created significant separation, including his two-yard touchdown catch with Shaquill Griffin in coverage in the second quarter.
