Summarizing the Seahawks' Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
The Seahawks had a clunker in Los Angeles on Sunday night. Whether it be fatigue from so many close games, the Rams gaining momentum, or just the law of averages evening out, it was not Seattle’s night in a 28-12 defeat.
The 2014 movie Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, starring Steve Carrell and Jennifer Garner, can explain what the Seahawks experienced at the L.A. Coliseum.
Terrible
In the movie, everything starts out just completely out of whack and nothing goes right. Much like Seattle’s defense in the first half, as the unit allowed Los Angeles to score touchdowns on three on its first four drives, jumping out to an 18-point halftime lead.
Those touchdown drives were of 75 yards, 76 yards, and 82 yards respectively, as the Seahawks allowed for the Rams to just march down the field unimpeded and gave up 15 first downs. A 21-3 hole at halftime is tough for any team to recover from, no matter the talent.
Horrible
Just as things could not get worse for Alexander and his dysfunctional family, they did. Cars died at inopportune times, someone got sick before a big school performance, and mishaps at work had the parents reeling.
Similarly, just as the Seahawks were busy letting the Rams take a 21-3 lead, they received devastating news that their upstart former first round pick Rashaad Penny will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. He suffered the injury after catching a pass in the first quarter, which seemed to take the wind out of Seattle's sails early.
This injury especially hurts because up until that point, Penny had been playing his best football as a Seahawk over the past two weeks, looking every bit like a first round-caliber talent.
Seattle will have to move on with C.J. Prosise and Travis Homer as relief options for starter Chris Carson.
No Good
A lot of things were “no good” for the Seahawks against the Rams on Sunday night, but the pass protection was particularly bad. Some of that can be pitted on Russell Wilson holding onto the ball too long, but the Rams accumulated five sacks on 11 quarterback hits. Wilson was under duress the entire evening and didn't stand a chance.
Wilson is fourth in the NFL having taken 40 sacks. Along with those sacks, the Seahawks offensive line has allowed 42 additional quarterback hits, seventh worst in the league.
Very Bad
The Seahawks lost without scoring an offensive touchdown. That was not without chances in the red zone. Twice, the Seahawks got inside the opposing 20-yard line but didn't find the end zone. Seattle had a 3rd and 3 from the Rams 15-yard line, but Wilson took a sack.
Late in the game, Seattle had 1st and 10 from the Rams 11-yard line and thanks to holding and false start penalties, they were forced to settle for another Jason Myers field goal.
If those six points turn into 14, it’s a one-score game and who knows what happens. Penalties killed multiple drives including back-to-back holding calls on the last drive of the game.
Now, the Good News...
The nice thing is, the Seahawks are still 10-3 and very much in control of their own destiny. It’s simple - if they win out, they win the NFC West and likely get the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Like any good movie, there is a moral to the story of the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The young Alexander wisely says “"you gotta have bad days, so you can enjoy your good days even more.”
Such is true with the Seahawks, who are in the middle of a fantastic season and know how to bounce back from defeat. A loss like the one to the Rams in L.A. can clarify things for the players and intensify the desire to finish strong, which could make that run through January all the more enjoyable.
