Five Takeaways From Rams' Week 18 Loss to Seahawks

The Los Angeles Rams' defeat in the regular season finale left lessons for the team to take into the playoffs

Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams Tight end Tyler Higbee (89) at SoFi Stadium for the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams Week 18 matchup. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images / William Navarro-Imagn Images

The Rams came up short in their comeback effort against the Seahawks, resting starters as Los Angeles prepares for their home playoff game on Monday Night Football against Minnesota. There was a big advantage to playing backups as the Rams got a full game's worth of film to evaluate, potentially finding the unsung player that propels the Rams to a championship. Here are five takeaways from the loss.

Ronnie Rivers can be an excellent RB2. Blake Corum's injury has paved the way for Rivers to contribute, especially in short-yardage situations. Rivers, a three-year veteran is a hard-nosed runner that has the experience to find the dirty yards needed to keep drives alive. Rivers averaged four yards per carry on Sunday.

Jimmy Garoppolo may be the quarterback that bridges Stafford to the next franchise quarterback. Garoppolo impressed on Sunday, going 27/41 for 334 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. While bridge quarterbacks are never what a team wants to hear, they're needed for development and can be extremely successful in strong team situations.

Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, and Nick Foles are examples of quarterbacks who were journeymen that weren't considered the future of the franchise, who went on to win a Super Bowl and unlike those players, Garoppolo has already played in a Super Bowl.

Jordan Whittington needs to be used on screens. Jordan Whittington had 180 total yards on Sunday with many of them being gained with the ball in his hands. He's physical, his ankle seems not to be an issue and he's likely to be forgotten about by the opposing defense.

Joshua Karty has got it together and is firing on all cylinders. Despite a difficult start to his career, it seems the tide is turning on Karty's career. He's entering a level of consistency that can lift the Rams in any situation. Karty went 4/4 on field goal attempts with makes from 57 and 58 yards.

Ethan Evans will allow the Rams to dictate field position. Despite only punting twice, Evans put up an insane 51.5 yards per punt. If Xavier Smith continues to be a gunner for the Rams' punting unit, the Rams could legitimately pin opposing teams inside their 20 at virtually any time. They have the distance and the speedster to cover it.

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