Analyst has key strategy suggestion for Seahawks in wake of Sam Darnold’s performance

The Seattle Seahawks are licking their wounds after losing 21-19 to the Los Angeles Rams in their Week 11 matchup.

It was a significant loss for the Seahawks, who relinquished control of the NFC West and fell to second place in the division standings. The Athletic advised the Seahawks to make some changes to the game plan when they play the Rams later in the season for a must-win contest.

"Sam Darnold wilted in the face of the Rams defense again, throwing four interceptions. For the day, Seattle lost the turnover battle four to one and scored just one touchdown on four red zone trips and still lost by only two points. This is still one of the best teams in the NFL. It just needs to keep the ball on the ground against Los Angeles the next time," The Athletic wrote.

Seattle Seahawks running back Ken Walker III catches a pass during training camp practice. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Seahawks need to rely on ground game more

The Seahawks were coming off their best rushing performance of the season in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals. The team ran for 198 yards on the ground and proved that they can win that matchup on a weekly basis.

The team took a different approach against the Rams, throwing the ball 44 times while only attempting 35 rushes. That resulted in four Darnold interceptions, but 135 rushing yards, proving that there was success on the ground.

Had the Seahawks gone to their running game more, perhaps one or two of Darnold's picks end up not being thrown. That could have changed things completely in a two-point game.

The good takeaway for the Seahawks is that they turned the ball over four times but still had a chance to win at the very end. The Seahawks lined up Jason Myers for a 61-yard kick, which would have matched his career-high, but he was unable to get it through the uprights.

The Seahawks may have gotten the win if they had gotten just a couple more yards on that final drive, but they may not have been in that position if it weren't for the four interceptions. This is what separates the good teams from the great ones, so the Seahawks need to figure this out before the games really have consequences.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass during the second half against the Los Angeles Rams. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Seahawks need to rely on ground game more

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