Closing Thoughts: Tide Turns Wrong Direction For Seahawks After Faulty Fourth Down Decision

On a rare day where Seattle's offense couldn't get untracked, Pete Carroll had an opportunity to play the role of aggressor to help the slumping unit in a surprisingly close game. But instead, he put his trust back in a defense that hasn't done anything to earn it.

Entering halftime at Sofi Stadium, the Seahawks had no business being in the midst of another close game with the Rams. Not after surrendering nearly 300 yards of total offense and allowing three straight 70-plus yard scoring drives to open the game defensively. Not after Russell Wilson made his latest inexcusable judgment throwing across his body for his fourth end zone interception of the season following a Jamal Adams' strip sack that proved to be all for naught.

But yet, somehow, Seattle returned to the field trailing by just four points in a contest that felt far more lopsided than the scoreboard indicated. Set to receive to open the second half, the team couldn't have asked for a better situation considering how poorly they had played in the first two quarters on both sides of the ball. They actually had a semblance of momentum and victory was available to snatch from the jaws of defeat.

Unfortunately, the Seahawks couldn't capitalize on their initial opportunity. And on an afternoon where they wasted countless chances to win a critical divisional game, a mind-numbing, hair-pulling, maddening sequence of events to close out this opening possession deserves condemnation above all the other mistakes made by players and coaches in an eventual 23-16 road loss that dropped the team's record to 6-3.

Facing 3rd and 4 from the Seahawks own 39-yard line, Wilson dropped back to pass and scanned the field with decent protection in front of him. Without a receiver coming open, he tucked the ball and scrambled up the pocket, diving forward in an attempt to pick up the first down.

Officials determined Wilson, despite an attempt to stretch the football past the line to gain with both arms extended, came up a few inches short. Replays quickly confirmed the star quarterback hadn't quite gotten enough yardage, but coach Pete Carroll promptly pulled out his red challenge flag and tossed it onto the field anyway, basically choosing to light one of the team's timeouts on fire.

Such an offense could have been forgivable if Carroll intended to go for it on fourth down. But after officials stuck with the obvious call on the field as expected, the Seahawks offense took the field with no intention of trying to pick up a couple inches to move the chains. Instead, Wilson embarrassingly barked in an fan-less stadium trying to get the Rams to jump offsides to no avail before taking a delay of game penalty and Michael Dickson was sent on to punt.

"That early in the game, when there was so much going on and so many opportunities, I didn't want to give them the ball at the 40-yard line. That's a turnover," Carroll said. "That's just like you handed them an interception if you don't make it, if they penetrate and make a play in the backfield. Knowing that Mikey [Dickson] will kick the ball inside the 10-yard line and doing something good with that, we'll go ahead and play defense. That's believing that we're going to be all right."

In most cases, Carroll's decision wouldn't have been scrutinized and field position was certainly an important variable to consider. But in this particular game, with this particular team, putting his trust in one of the worst defenses in NFL history to make a stop and take the ball out of the offense's hands was simply a terrible, disconcerting choice.

Per Pro Football Reference, entering Sunday's game, Seattle had allowed five scoring drives on 10 defensive possessions where opponents started inside their own 10-yard line. Two of those 10 possessions were kneel downs at the end of a half, indicating they had allowed two touchdowns and three field goals on eight drives where opponents attempted to move the ball despite poor starting field position.

Those woes continued against the Rams, as quarterback Jared Goff marched his team 93 yards for a touchdown after Dickson pinned them at their own seven-yard line early in the second quarter. For the season, when excluding kneel downs, opponents have scored on 70 percent of their drives starting inside their own 10-yard line against the Seahawks and 40 percent of those possessions ended in touchdowns.

Making matters worse, after Malcolm Brown scored from a yard out to cap off that 93-yard drive, the Seahawks had given up points on five straight possessions where opponents started 90 or more yards away from their end zone.

Knowing how inept Seattle's defense has been all season - and continued to be in the first half of Sunday's loss - how could Carroll justify not going for it in that situation? How could he justify taking the ball away from the NFL's No. 1 ranked scoring offense? His confusing explanation after the game made the decision-making process all the more confounding.

"The logic of saying because we're such a high scoring team, you should go for it right there, doesn't fit in my brain. I don't understand that," Carroll explained. "That's not really the case there and it's really about playing the game more than the potential of our play and that kind of stuff. You know, the players would love to go for it and I'd love to go for it too, so I have to work against my nature to kick that ball right there but I would probably do it the same way again." 

Ultimately, Carroll's faulty decision-making process backfired on the Seahawks. Yes, Dickson was able to swing field position nearly 50 yards, pinning the Rams back at their own 12-yard line. But against a defense continuing to offer minimal resistance, it only took Goff and company six plays to move the football back to where they would have had it if Seattle didn't convert on fourth down anyway.

Moments later, after a questionable pass interference call on D.J. Reed in the end zone, Brown punched it in from a yard out for his second touchdown of the game and extended the lead back to 10 points. Momentum had swung back to the home sideline and Seattle was never able to recapture it.

While he understandably was on the defensive after the game, Carroll has to know he put his faith in the wrong group by opting to take the ball out of Wilson's hands in that situation. At the very least, even if they did get stopped, it would have illustrated confidence in an offense that has carried this football team all season long and badly needed a pick-me up.

Instead, Carroll put his chips on the table betting on an injury-marred defense that continues to let the Seahawks down week in and week out. His team paid dearly for the gamble and the swing in momentum proved to be too much to overcome in another challenging loss that could prove costly in the hunt for an NFC West title.