Seahawks Fall Short in 20-10 Defeat to Rams, Secure First Losing Season Since 2011

Falling to 5-9 and putting their playoff hopes on ice in the process, the Seahawks officially clinched their first losing season in more than a decade after coming up short in a 20-10 road defeat to the Rams on Tuesday night.

Struggling once again against a defense that has stifled him many times over the years and missing his top receiver Tyler Lockett, Wilson completed just 17 out of 31 passes for 156 yards and failed to throw a touchdown for the third time in six games. Carving up Seattle's short-handed secondary, Cooper Kupp reeled in nine passes for 136 yards and caught a pair of touchdowns from Matthew Stafford to pace Los Angeles, which vaulted into first place in the NFC West with the win.

Here are five quick takeaways from the Seahawks backbreaking loss at SoFi Stadium:

1. Minus Tyler Lockett or not, Wilson missed too many throws in a close game.

Reverting back to season-long trends, Seattle converted on only two out of 10 third down opportunities and Wilson's accuracy issues played a key role in those struggles. At the 4:57 mark in the second quarter quarter, Wilson had DK Metcalf open on a deep corner route that could have gone for big yardage and potentially even six points, but cornerback Jalen Ramsey made a spectacular play to jump the route, get a piece of the football, and force an incompletion. For most of the half, the quarterback had nowhere to go with receivers failing to come open and he took a pair of third down coverage sacks.

Out of the break, Wilson continued to misfire in critical third down situations, particularly when targeting Metcalf. After leading a touchdown drive on Seattle's first possession, he wasn't able to connect with Dee Eskridge on a deep ball on 3rd and 4, leading to a Michael Dickson punt. After the defense forced a three-and-out to give the ball right back to the offense, Wilson again sailed a third down throw to Metcalf on a slant that would have moved the chains. His worst miss came at the 7:58 mark in the fourth quarter, however. Metcalf again toasted Ramsey on a go route and had nothing but green between him and the end zone, but Wilson's throw was poorly underthrown, allowing the cornerback to recover and make a play on the football. Against a quality football team, he simply left too many throws on the field and it doomed the Seahawks in another dreadful 10-point outing emblematic of their season.

2. Weaving and plowing, DeeJay Dallas gives the Seahawks a much-needed boost on the ground.

One week after Rashaad Penny elevated Seattle’s offense with a breakout performance, Dallas took the torch with his finest running as a pro to help key the team’s first touchdown drive and briefly give his team a lead early in the third quarter. Checking in for Penny, who briefly visited the locker room with an undisclosed injury before returning, the second-year back out of Miami immediately provided a spark. On his first run, he picked up seven yards after making a defender miss at the line of scrimmage and then pushing the pile. He followed up with a six-yard run to move the chains.

After Penny briefly came back in, Dallas replaced him in the red zone, juking multiple defenders and falling forward on an eight-yard run down to the Rams' four-yard line. On the ensuing play, he again showed impressive lateral quickness making a tackler miss in the hole and then power spun his way into the end zone to punctuate a physical scoring drive. He wrapped up the game with eight carries for 41 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry while also contributing three catches for 11 yards in the passing game.

3. Seattle’s strategy of bending and not breaking went for broke after halftime.

Based on time of possession and third down statistics, the Rams dominated the first half, holding onto the football 21 minutes compared to nine for the Seahawks while converting on five out of eight third down chances. But as they have done most of the season, the Seahawks’ defense found ways to make stops with their backs against the wall. Early in the second quarter, Stafford made a horrific throw down the hash to Kupp for a gift-wrapped interception to Quandre Diggs. Later in the quarter while facing 4th and 2, linebacker Jordyn Brooks swooped in and knocked the football out of Kupp’s hands for a turnover on downs, helping keep the game at 3-3 at halftime.

Out of the break, however, the Seahawks were plagued by explosive plays in both the passing and running game, leading to a pair of 80-plus yard touchdown drives. After Dallas scored with 9:27 to go in the third quarter, Stafford connected with Kupp for a 32-yard gain with Sidney Jones in coverage to convert on 3rd and 1. On the very next play, multiple tacklers whiffed on Sony Michel, who rocketed off tackle and then powered his way down to the Seahawks six-yard line for a 39-yard pickup. Moments later, Stafford found Kupp for six points to tie the game up. Following Wilson's miss to Eskridge, the defense recovered with a three-and-out. But on the Rams next possession, aided by a drive-extending third down defensive holding call on cornerback Bless Austin, Stafford found Kupp again for a 29-yard touchdown pass while absorbing a hit from Al Woods to take a 17-10 lead they would not relinquish.

4. Feasting on both of the Rams tackles, Carlos Dunlap provided a vintage performance for the Seahawks' pass rush.

Seeing a significant reduction in playing time due to a different role in his second season with the Seahawks, Dunlap hasn't offered the pass rushing bunch the team hoped for after choosing to re-sign him in March. Heading into Tuesday's rematch, he had produced just 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits in 13 games and in two of the past three games, he played less than 10 total defensive snaps.

But going against former teammate Andrew Whitworth and third-string tackle Bobby Evans, Dunlap turned back the clock with one of the finest outings of his career and doubled his season total with a trio of sacks on Stafford. Spearheading a pass rush that was near non-existent in the first matchup between these teams, he picked up his first sack shortly before Brooks made the pivotal fourth down breakup in coverage in the second quarter. Then in the third quarter, his second sack after ripping inside past Whitworth wound up being wasted as Austin's penalty extended the drive and the Rams eventually scored. Inside seven minutes left to play, his third sack provided the Seahawks with another chance to tie the game as he bull rushed Evans into the backfield and brought down Stafford on 3rd and 7 to force a punt by Johnny Hekker, but his team couldn't capitalize.

5. Crucial penalties – and missed penalties - cropped up at the worst of times for Seattle throughout the game.

Following the game, coach Pete Carroll and his players rightfully weren't about to blame officials for this latest defeat. But there's no question a number of questionable calls and no-calls impacted how things played out. On the game's opening series, the Seahawks stopped the Rams on 3rd and 10 and Hekker came on to punt. But defensive end Alton Robinson wasn't able to block the punt and made contact with the kicker, leading to a five-yard penalty that set up a long field goal for Matt Gay to give the Rams an early 3-0 advantage. While Robinson has to play smarter, Hekker should be given an Oscar after minimal contact was made by the defender.

Coming out of halftime, iffy calls continued to go against Seattle. Shortly after Dunlap's second sack, Austin was pegged for a ticky-tack defensive holding penalty that wiped out a third down stop that would have forced Los Angeles to punt inside its own 20-yard line. Instead, the drive was kept alive and Stafford made them pay with his second touchdown to Kupp. Still trailing by seven with under four minutes to play, the most controversial sequence came with the Seahawks trying to move the chains on fourth down. First, running back Rashaad Penny was flagged for a false start on 4th and 1, moving the ball five yards backward. Then on the ensuing play, Wilson tried connect with Dallas on a wheel route while throwing off his back foot and rookie Ernest Jones never turned his head to play the football on what looked like a textbook definition pass interference infraction. But the officials ate their flags and an infuriated Dallas then kicked the football, drawing a 15-yard flag to allow the Rams to tack on a late field goal. If that penalty was called, the Seahawks would have had a first down at the Rams 32-yard line with 3:22 to go.

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