Rapid Reaction: Turnovers Haunt Geno Smith, Seahawks in 26-20 Loss to Rams

Coughing up a 10-point halftime lead with a dreadful second half performance with red zone gaffes galore, the Seahawks fell to last place in the NFC West.

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) recovers a fumble against Los Angeles Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht (97, middle) and linebacker Christian Rozeboom (56, right) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

SEATTLE, Wash. - Melting down in disastrous fashion, Geno Smith threw a pair of red zone interceptions in the fourth quarter and the Seattle Seahawks allowed a long walk-off touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Demarcus Robinson in overtime as they suffered a gut-wrenching 26-20 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.

Enduring arguably his worst start in three seasons as the starter for the Seahawks, Smith was picked off three times while completing just 61 percent of his pass attempts, though he did throw a trio of touchdowns and 363 yards to keep the team in the game. Out of the backfield, Ken Walker III rushed 25 times for 83 yards and added 24 yards on three catches, while Riq Woolen paced the defense with his second interception of the season.

Dropping an unspeakable fourth straight game at home and falling into last place in the NFC West, here are five quick takeaways from the Seahawks latest missed opportunity at Lumen Field:

1. Poor decision making by Smith comes back to bite Seattle in back-breaking 21-point swing.

Heading into the locker room red hot, Smith closed on the second quarter with a flurry, taking advantage of two "free" plays with offsides penalties with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Lockett on a go route and a 47-yard connection with Smith-Njigba on a deep corner route. The latter play set up a 24-yard touchdown to Smith-Njigba, who followed up narrowly missing out on six points on the previous play to come open on a crosser in the end zone. At that stage, the Seahawks had built a 10-point advantage with him averaging north of 11 yards per attempt courtesy of those explosive completions.

Unfortunately, while Smith did make several outstanding throws on Sunday afternoon, those plays won't be remembered due to a pair of inexplicable mistakes in the red zone in the fourth quarter. Knotted up at 13 apiece with the Seahawks having first and goal at the Rams six-yard line early in the fourth quarter, the veteran quarterback made a mind-numbing decision to throw a ball right to safety Kamren Kinchens, who returned the interception 106 yards for a touchdown. Two series later, after Cody White blocked a punt to set up Seattle with excellent field position, he was picked by Kinchens again inside the 10-yard line trying to squeeze a ball to tight end AJ Barner. Aside from gifting Los Angeles seven points, the two turnovers erased six points off the board for Seattle at minimum, helping the visitors steal the game.

2. The run game showed flashes of waking up, but still isn't effective enough to be complementary.

Coming out with a clear emphasis on the ground game, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb got Ken Walker III involved early and often, handing him the ball five times on the team's opening possession along with him snagging an 18-yard reception. Those efforts didn't bear fruit on the scoreboard, however, and as the first half wore on, running room became hard to come by for Walker and Zach Charbonnet, as they averaged just 3.2 yards per carry in the first half on 14 combined carries. Of course, being forced to pass late in the first half without timeouts in a two-minute offense had something to do with that as well.

But even in the second half and overtime, while Walker ripped off a couple nice runs along the way, he still averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on 25 carries with the Rams regularly blowing up plays at the line of scrimmage and ready to corral him off the edge when he bounced runs. Most notably, with the Seahawks needing one yard to move the chains on fourth down in overtime, the star back had no room to operate as multiple defenders swarmed him on an off-tackle run, turning the ball over on downs and handing the keys to Stafford to orchestrate a game-winning drive. There was certainly progress on Sunday, but not near enough if Seattle wants to win against quality opponents.

3. Thanks to Ernest Jones' presence, the Seahawks' run defense took a substantial step forward.

With only two practices under his belt after being acquired from the Titans last week, Jones admittedly was treading water in his first start with the Seahawks in a loss to the Bills, trying to learn a new scheme and verbiage on the fly. But even after missing Friday's practice with a sore neck, the veteran linebacker looked far more comfortable in his new surroundings while facing off against his former team, particularly standing out in the run game, helping limit the Rams to under 70 rushing yards and under three yards per carry.

At a crucial junction in the game, after Los Angeles had drove the ball all the way down to the Seattle one-yard line, Jones promptly snuffed out a dive run by Kyren Williams and rocketed into the backfield, planting his former teammate for a two-yard loss. One incompletion later, the Rams were forced to settle for a field goal, leaving the score tied when it looked like the road team was destined to take the lead. The veteran linebacker finished with nine tackles, three run stops of three or fewer yards, and a pass breakup that nearly wound up being an interception off a tipped pass, standing out as a clear bright spot in defeat.

4. Young defensive backs ball out on the back end with pass rushers getting just enough pressure.

Statistically, Stafford nearly hit 300 passing yards and wasn't sacked once all afternoon, so the Seahawks still have some things to iron out limiting chunk plays and finishing rushes up front. But they held the gunslinger to under seven yards per attempt and a sub-60 percent completion rate, regularly mustering enough heat from the defensive line to rush him into quicker throws than he wanted to make. In the first half, Leonard Williams and Dre'Mont Jones each hit him twice as the Rams punted four times, and pressure came on several other rushed third down incompletions.

On the back end, all of Seattle's young cornerbacks chipped in limiting Los Angeles to just 13 points in regulation. Turning a turnover into points late in the second quarter, Woolen high-pointed a pass intended for Puka Nacua along the sideline, reeling it in for his second pick of the season and setting up Smith's touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba before the break. On one of the earlier drives that ended in a punt, Josh Jobe played sticky coverage on Nacua, extending his arm in front of the receiver for a pass breakup. Continuing to play well at safety in place of Rayshawn Jenkins, Coby Bryant's third down pass deflection after Jones' tackle for loss forced the Rams to hold for a field goal, and the third-year defender also made a key hit to jar the ball loose from Robinson teaming up with Devon Witherspoon on third down late in regulation.

5. Penalties loomed large as the Rams chewed up extensive clock in the third quarter.

Coming out of the break with a 10-point lead, the Seahawks had multiple chances to get off the field on two defensive drives in the third quarter, only for flags to give the Rams more extra lives than a cat. At the 9:03 mark, with Los Angeles down to the Seattle 15-yard line and facing 2nd and 15, Jobe got tangled up with Cooper Kupp on a slant route and reached out for the receiver's leg at the last second, leading to a defensive pass interference penalty on what would have been an incompletion. Setting up shop inside the five-yard line, Stafford hit Robinson for a one-yard score two plays later to trim Seattle's advantage to three points.

On the ensuing possession, following a lost Seattle drive where a 40-yard catch by Smith-Njigba was wiped out by a holding penalty on tackle Mike Jerrell, Woolen was flagged for defensive holding on a 3rd and 8 incompletion intended for Colby Parkinson, giving the Rams a new set of downs. Moments later, Derick Hall hit Stafford with the quarterback falling away, drawing a questionable roughing the passer penalty that again extended the drive with a first down via penalty. Los Angeles only got a field goal off that drive, but three key defensive penalties fueled two scoring possessions that turned the game around into the road team's favor, continuing an ugly trend of Seattle playing undisciplined football that doesn't lead to winning games in the NFL.

More Seahawks News

Ernest Jones Active For Seahawks, Will Face Former Team in Week 9

Seahawks Need 'More Bobo' to Resurface to Beat Rams

Former Seahawks DT Sounds Off On Defensive Issues