Geno Smith, Seahawks Outlast Depleted Rams in 27-23 Thriller
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Receiving a far stiffer test than expected from the injury-ravaged Rams on the road, the Seahawks overcame their own injury issues behind a standout performance from Geno Smith to edge their NFC West rivals in a 27-23 win, improving their record to 7-5 on the season.
Throwing for a career-high 367 yards, Smith remained his usual efficient self completing 71 percent of his passes and threw a trio of touchdown passes to Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant, and DK Metcalf. Sparking the defense, cornerback Tariq Woolen recorded his sixth interception of the season and Uchenna Nwosu tallied two sacks in a hard-fought road victory.
Here are five quick takeaways from an unexpected thriller at SoFi Stadium:
1. Putting a bow on a fantastic outing, Smith delivered in the clutch with his first game-winning touchdown drive as a Seahawk.
Even without Aaron Donald or Terrell Lewis active, the Rams made life challenging for Smith all afternoon, racking up three sacks and four quarterback hits in the first half alone. The veteran could be seen barking at rookie running back Ken Walker III on the sideline after a missed blitz pickup on the Fox telecast and the front line as a whole struggled to keep him clean. Those issues continued in the second half when Smith got blasted on Seattle's opening drive of the third quarter by Michael Hoecht, who exploded off the right side and hit him as he reared back to throw, leading to a lost fumble that thwarted a promising drive.
But through it all, Smith persevered and even with seemingly every one of his running backs banged up and pass protection questionable most of the game, he put the offense on his back in the closing moments. Coming through heroically in the clutch and silencing his remaining critics, he engineered his first game-winning touchdown drive inside two minutes to play since way back in 2014, when he still was with the Jets. Masterfully working the pocket, he completed six out of nine passes on the drive, including connecting with Tyler Lockett for a 10-yard hook up on 3rd and 10 to prolong the possession. Showing off his elite arm strength, he capped off the statement drive firing a dart to DK Metcalf in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown to put his team in front for good with 36 seconds to play.
2. Red zone efficiency continues to be a major concern for Seattle leaving points on the board inside the opposing 20.
While Smith punctuated Seattle's last drive with a scoring toss to Metcalf to improve the team's red zone numbers to 50 percent for the game, finishing drives remains an area where the team still has room for improvement. Playing against a short-handed defense missing Donald and multiple starters, Smith didn't have any issues leading the offense deep into opposing territory, only for those possessions to stall. Midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks had advanced to the 15-yard line on an 11-yard completion to Lockett. But after a short completion to Metcalf set up 3rd and 3, Leonard Floyd came flying off the edge to smash Smith on the ensuing play, forcing an incompletion and a short Jason Myers field goal.
After the Rams answered back with a field goal drive of their own to trim the deficit to 17-16, Smith again went to work, moving the Seahawks back into the red zone on just six plays. Sparking the drive, he hooked up with Lockett on a crosser that went for 27 yards deep into opposing territory. But just like the previous possession, they weren't able to finish off the drive in the end zone as Will Dissly was tripped up for a minimal gain on a tight end screen and Smith threw a dangerous incompletion to Noah Fant in the back of the end zone on third down, leading to another Myers field goal. The lack of a rushing attack without healthy ball carriers notwithstanding, against a superior opponent, leaving as many as eight points on the field in such situations could have spelled doom.
3. Bobby Wagner gave his former team a rude welcome to his new stomping grounds with a video game-worthy stat line.
One of the biggest storylines heading into Sunday's contest, Wagner played against the franchise he starred for over the past decade and showed why he will eventually be a first ballot Hall of Fame selection. Though he downplayed the significance of playing the Seahawks in a different uniform, he wreaked havoc from the middle in numerous ways. Blitzing his way into the backfield, he registered a pair of drive-ending sacks on Smith in the first half to help limit his former team to just 14 points.
After halftime, Wagner continued to make crucial plays to keep the Rams in the game even as the Seahawks found success moving the ball downfield. Facing 2nd and 12 from the opposing 38-yard line, Smith looked to have a short completion to Tony Jones Jr., but the savvy linebacker managed to pry the ball from the running back's hands as he went to the ground for a spectacular interception. This likely wiped another three possible points off the scoreboard and led to a field goal for Los Angeles. Starring throughout the contest, Wagner made the most of his first revenge opportunity seven tackles, an interception, two sacks, and three tackles for loss.
4. Unable to remedy run defense woes, the Seahawks got gashed for over 150 yards on the ground again.
While the Rams had their share of injuries on defense, the loss of Donald paled in comparison to the attrition that has taken hold on offense for Sean McVay's squad. Without Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, and multiple starters along the offensive line, they weren't expected to provide much of a fight for the Seahawks. However, taking a few pages from the Raiders after they ran for almost 300 yards last weekend, they found immediate success mixing Cam Akers and receiver Brandon Powell in a misdirection-heavy run game, marching 77 yards on 10 plays on the opening possession of the game to take an early 7-0 lead. In the first half, Los Angeles ran the ball 19 times for 94 yards with Akers scoring the lone touchdown.
After halftime, the Seahawks only yielded 77 rushing yards, but the still surrendered more than five yards per carry. Though some quality plays were made, including a 3rd and 1 stop by defensive tackle Al Woods in the fourth quarter, the unit would turn around and allow big plays on the ground with run fit breakdowns and missed tackles. Quarterback John Wolford came back on the ensuing fourth down and rolled out to his left without any defender in contain, rushing for 14 yards to extend the drive. Two plays later, Powell cut upfield after taking a handoff on jet motion and found a big crease, nearly busting free for a touchdown on a 20-yard carry. Giving up 171 yards to one of the NFL’s worst rushing offenses, it wasn’t the positive step forward coach Pete Carroll and his staff hoped for despite being victorious.
5. As the run defense remains MIA, Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor spearheaded a ferocious pass rush that helped put the game away late.
Much like the run defense, Seattle's pass rush regressed during a two-game losing streak as the defense managed only one combined sack against Tom Brady and Derek Carr. The lack of pressure contributed significantly towards the team's inability to make third down stops and get off the field in those two defeats, but Sunday's opponent provided a perfect remedy for that problem with Los Angeles ranking 30th in Pro Football Focus pass blocking grades. Though it took time for the rush to warm up, Taylor's hit on Wolford on 1st and 10 led to Woolen's sixth interception, which set a new franchise rookie record and turned the opponent away with no points. Nwosu kept things rolling after the two minute warning in the second quarter when he found his way to the quarterback and punched the ball out of his hands for a strip sack. The Rams recovered, but the play forced them to settle for a field goal and kept the Seahawks in front 14-13 at half.
Out of halftime, Seattle managed to turn up the heat a bit more rushing the passer and consequently found better success manufacturing quick defensive drives. Moments after Smith's fumble was recovered by Taylor Rapp, linebacker Jordyn Brooks came through the line on a third down blitz untouched to blow up Wolford and lead to a three-and-out possession. Getting to the quarterback a second time on 3rd and 7 at the Seahawks eight-yard line, Nwosu thwarted another strong drive by Los Angeles early in the fourth quarter, forcing them to settle for another Gay field goal. Then, after Smith put his team back in front late, Taylor helped put the nail in the coffin by shooting inside on a tackle-end exchange stunt for a quick first down sack, setting the stage for Cody Barton's game-sealing interception.
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