Lacking Urgency, Seahawks Fail to Overcome Sluggish Start vs. Rams
As coach Pete Carroll has preached many times in the locker room after victory, NFL games aren’t always won in the first half. There are four quarters and 60 minutes to play for a reason.
But as evidenced in Los Angeles on Sunday night, teams can certainly dig themselves too large of a hole to successfully climb out of. In the case of the Seahawks, falling behind 18 points at halftime during a 28-12 defeat to the Rams proved to be insurmountable.
“Without question early in the game, they were controlling the tempo and it took us a bit to get, we weren't surprised by it, but we just didn't handle it as well as we would like,” Carroll said after the game. “And it took us a while to get settled down and then once we got settled down, then in the second half was a different game. But it was too much of a surge in the first half to overcome.”
From the opening kickoff, quarterback Jared Goff and the Rams controlled the pace of the game offensively, effectively mixing in no-huddle looks to consistently catch the Seahawks’ defense out of position. Blending in misdirection, pre-snap motion, and play fakes, receivers created separation with ease and ball carriers found ample room to operate in space.
“They were definitely trying to catch us not lined up,” linebacker Bobby Wagner commented. “They did a couple times where they had a successful play hurrying up to the ball. They were trying to do their best to make sure our defense wasn’t set and kinda put us on our heels a little bit.”
Standing comfortably in the pocket, Goff led a trio of first half touchdown drives spanning 75 yards or more, picking up 15 first downs in the process. He finished with 184 yards and two touchdown passes before halftime, helping Los Angeles race out to a 21-3 advantage at the break.
With Seattle’s offense also crawling out of the gate, safety Quandre Diggs felt the team as a whole lacked necessary urgency in the first half and wasn't ready to play, which ended up putting the team behind the eight ball early against a talented divisional foe.
“I think we have to come out with better energy. I think that starts with us, it starts with the leaders, including myself. So, we’ve got to bring better energy as a team in all three phases.”
As a credit to Diggs, he did his best to single-handedly get the Seahawks back into the game out of intermission. On the first possession of the third quarter, he jumped an errant throw by Goff and returned the interception 55 yards for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 21-9.
On the very next drive, Diggs came through for the Seahawks again, running under an overthrown deep ball by Goff and gathering it like a punt for his second pick of the half. Defensive end Rasheem Green pitched in with a blocked field goal moments later to keep their slim hopes alive.
Unfortunately, Russell Wilson and the offense couldn’t capitalize on either opportunity, promptly punting it back to the Rams on both occasions. By the end of the night, Seattle would be held without an offensive touchdown for the first time in 43 games and Wilson’s personal 16-game streak with at least one touchdown pass would be snapped.
Once Todd Gurley punched it in from seven yards out with 11:07 remaining on the clock to push the lead back to 19 points, it was clear Wilson and the Seahawks wouldn’t be pulling off one of their signature comebacks. On this particular night, it simply wasn’t meant to be.
Wilson, along with several other Seahawks players, felt the loss boiled down to struggles executing. Too many dropped passes and penalties kept setting the team behind the sticks, allowing defensive tackle Aaron Donald and a ferocious pass rush to tee off with five sacks and 11 quarterback hits.
“When it comes down to playing a great football team, us being a great football team, we’ve got to execute when it matters and some of those plays we didn’t. And that’s just the truth across the board.” Wilson said.
Though there was a clear, obvious aura of disappointment in Seattle’s locker room as expected, players and coaches collectively viewed the loss as a mere bump in the road and won’t let one game define their season. The team will learn from film and flush the dreadful performance from their memory, shifting focus quickly to next week’s game in Carolina.
Sitting pretty with an 10-3 record and an upcoming matchup with the 49ers in Week 17, the Seahawks still control their own destiny within the division. If they can win out during the final three games, they’ll also be well-positioned to earn one of the NFC’s coveted byes.
“There’s a lot of season left,” Wilson remarked. “Where we’re trying to go, there’s a lot more season left. There’s a lot more things to do. Everything is still out in front of us. We got to take one game at a time and just get better, see the film, figure out how we can get better as a collective group. That’s really the bottom line.”
