Rapid Reaction: Seahawks Snag 10th Win, Finish Strong With 30-25 Victory Over Rams

Even with backups in the lineup, the Rams played the Seahawks tough down to the wire, but Geno Smith's career day proved to be the difference in Week 18.

Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Stetson Bennett (13) tackles Los Angeles Rams Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (11) during the 2nd quarter drive at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images / William Navarro-Imagn Images

Capping off the 2024 season on a winning note, Geno Smith tossed four touchdowns for the first time in his career and the Seattle Seahawks fended off a late rally to notch a 30-25 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.

Enjoying one of the finest performances of his career, Smith completed 20 out of 27 passes for 223 yards, breaking his own single-season passing record while ensuring he would finish the season with a 70 percent completion rate, becoming only the 19th player in NFL history to achieve the feat. Zach Charbonnet rushed for 59 yards, while Kenny McIntosh added 49 yards on only seven carries to lead a balanced offensive attack.

Ending the year in winning fashion, here are five takeaways from Seattle's 10th victory under first-year coach Mike Macdonald:

1. With escalators on the line, Geno Smith plays at his best to deliver on the most important one.

As he has done all season, Smith came out slinging the pigskin on Sunday, completing 11 of his first 13 passes out of the gate to lead three scoring drives. Scoring Seattle's first offensive touchdown in two weeks, he capped off a five-play, 55-yard drive by linking up with Jake Bobo on a fade route, putting the football up high for his big receiver to catch it over Kobie Durant. On the ensuing possession, after Metcalf failed to haul in a perfect deep ball in the end zone, the quarterback went back to his trusted target after spinning out of traffic in the pocket, lofting a 20-yard dime to the back of the end zone to push the lead to 14-3.

Fast forwarding to the second half, Smith benefited from a lateral trick play featuring Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Zach Charbonnet, getting credited with 32 passing yards as a result. Moments later, he found A.J. Barner for a four-yard touchdown, throwing the ball low to keep it away from defenders and extending the lead back to eight points. On the next possession, he passed his own single-season passing record, and after the Rams took a one-point lead, he marched the Seahawks right down the field before throwing his fourth touchdown pass to Fant on a seam route in response, finishing the game with an outstanding 137.8 passer rating.

2. While it wasn't always pretty or productive, DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba re-write history - sort of.

Though there wasn't a playoff spot to battle for, Smith wasn't the only one who had milestones on the line in Sunday's finale, as two of his pass catchers had a shot to etch their names in team and NFL history. Metcalf wasted little time clinching his historic piece of the pie, as he reeled in a 22-yard catch on the second drive and found the end zone on the ensuing possession after Smith managed to escape multiple pass rushers. With his fifth touchdown of the season, he joined legendary Hall of Famer Randy Moss as only the second receiver in league history to produce at least 50 catches, 900 receiving yards, and five touchdowns in each of his first six seasons.

As for Smith-Njigba, the rising sophomore star didn't come close to replicating his 180-yard performance from the first time Seattle faced Los Angeles, finishing with four receptions for only nine yards on the afternoon and a dropped two-point conversion target. Those four catches were enough to tie teammate Tyler Lockett's single-season receptions record, however, as he will end the season as only the second player in team history to hit triple digits with 100 catches. Even if he didn't quite get past Lockett, he ended the season with impressive numbers north of 1,100 receiving yards with six touchdowns.

3. Julian Love and Leonard Williams state their case for All-Pro consideration after being Pro Bowl snubs.

Pro Bowl voting is an imperfect science with fans, players, and coaches all being involved in the process, leading to plenty of uproar from all fan bases about certain players being snubbed each year. Not surprisingly, Seahawks fans were displeased with Williams and Love not making the initial roster, as only cornerback Devon Witherspoon made the team revealed on Thursday. Even Williams himself wasn't pleased, admitting he was frustrated that he only was selected as an alternate despite leading defensive tackles in sacks and quarterback hits going into Week 17.

Rather than dwell on those snubs, however, Williams and Love kept playing at an All-Pro level in Sunday's game with each player contributing game-changing plays to help lead to a 10th victory. Late in the first half, Love jumped a curl route from a flat zone assignment, intercepting Jimmy Garoppolo in plus territory for his third pick of the year, and he later added a pair of pass breakups, including a key deflection on the Rams final drive. As for Williams, he got to Garoppolo twice for sacks, hitting double digits for the second time in his career and becoming the first Seahawks defender to achieve that mark since 2018. Both players should have put All-Pro voters on notice, and after a stellar finish, maybe one or both can break through after not being Pro Bowlers.

4. The secondary had a disappointing finish against an undermanned Rams passing attack.

With the Rams not playing starting quarterback Matthew Stafford or either of his top two receivers in Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Seahawks were playing the majority of their starters against an offense full of backups. But that didn't stop coach Sean McVay and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur from dialing up a quality game plan with a proven veteran in Garoppolo at the helm, and Los Angeles got started early with surprising effectiveness on downfield throws. Demarcus Robinson caught a 23-yard pass on the first play from scrimmage and two drives later, Garoppolo hooked up with Tutu Atwell for a 22-yard completion to set up a Josh Karty field goal. Robinson hauled in a 31-yard reception just before the half to set the table for another Karty field goal, sending them into the half trailing by just four points.

Injuries proved to be part of the problem for the Seahawks, as starting cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Tre Brown both exited before halftime, forcing Artie Burns and rookie Nehemiah Pritchett into the lineup. Garoppolo took advantage of those depth challenges, including hitting rookie Jordan Whittington in stride on a 50-yard completion in the fourth quarter after the receiver double-moved Pritchett onto the ground. Moments later, Karty split the uprights again to put the Rams in front by a point. Overall, Garoppolo completed seven passes of 17 or more yards, including five of 20-plus yards, converting on far more explosives than Macdonald would have liked even in a win.

5. Another uneven day on special teams served as a microcosm for the 2024 season.

First-year coordinator Jay Harbaugh will have no shortage of areas to clean up on special teams this offseason, but kicker won't be one of them. Jason Myers finished off one of his best seasons by nailing a 56-yard field goal and converting on all three of his PATs. The veteran place kicker finished the year making 25 out of 29 field goals, including a team-record nine made field goals of 50 or more yards. Punter Michael Dickson also finished off another quality season averaging 57 yards per punt with one of his four punts being downed inside the 20-yard line.

However, that number should have been two for Dickson, and unfortunately, rookie linebacker Tyrice Knight wasn't able to secure the ball when it was laying on the one-yard line, muffing the scoop attempt and kicking the ball into the end zone for a touchback. The Seahawks also gave up a 43-yard kick return to Whittington and 30 yards on two punt returns by Xavier Smith, leaving much to be desired in the third phase of the game going into the offseason.

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