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3 Up, 3 Down: Winners, Losers from Seahawks Troubling Week 10 Defeat Against Rams

After an uncharacteristic defeat in Buffalo, Seattle traveled to Los Angeles for a pivotal NFC West showdown but failed to come away victorious due to issues on both sides of the ball. As a result, they've now lost two games in a row and currently sit in a three-way tie for the division lead.

Thomas Hall

Following a tough loss on the road against the Bills, the Seahawks played away from CenturyLink Field once again and endured similar issues on both sides of the football during their NFC West rivalry showdown against the Rams. 

While the defense didn't allow over 40 points this time around, they still allowed Rams quarterback Jared Goff to pass for 302 yards and they also surrendered over 100 rushing yards for the first time since Week 7. Additionally, they also struggled mightily to produce stops on third down, as the Rams' offense converted nine of their 15 attempts and only punted once in the first half. 

As for the offense, things weren't any better for quarterback Russell Wilson, as he's now turned over the ball seven times over the last two games and tried to force the ball into tight windows at unfortunate times. Adding to this disappointing performance, they couldn't find the end zone through the final three quarters and were held to just a single touchdown during a 23-16 loss. 

Let's dive into our three big winners and three losers from the Seahawks’ first of two matchups against the Rams this season.

Three Up

Poona Ford

Making his ninth start of the season, Ford – who’s been enjoying a solid under the radar campaign – stood out in a positive way once again and forced his way into the backfield multiple times in this contest. In total, the 5-foot-11 defensive tackle produced five total tackles, two solo tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and 1.0 sack.

Wasting almost no time to make his presence felt in the opening quarter, the 24-year old was able to reach around his blocker to force an incompletion on a third-down play to close out the game's opening drive, which resulted in a 23-yard field goal for the Rams one play later. Adding to his strong showing, the Texas product proved to be very effective in clogging the running lanes, especially during the second quarter when he brought running back Cam Akers down for a one-yard loss just outside the team’s red zone.

Jamal Adams

Coming off an impressive performance against the Bills, the Seahawks were leaning on Adams to continue creating havoc in the backfield and he did exactly that during his first career matchup against the Rams. Despite battling through a shoulder injury, the 25-year old was still able to produce seven total tackles, six solo tackles, 2.0 sacks (team-high), two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.

While blitzing the LSU standout didn’t always pan out, it did allow him to bring Goff down two separate times, including his strip-sack that provided the offense with a prime scoring opportunity late in the second quarter. As for his second sack of the game, it came during a second down play that resulted in a five-yard loss, which ultimately led to a punt and allowed the team to trim their deficit to just four points before halftime.

Jason Myers

While it’s not always a good sign when a kicker or punter stands out in a game, and this matchup proved to be no different, Myers was easily one of the lone bright spots on offense. Accounting for 10 of his team’s 16 points, the 29-year old connected on all three of his field goal attempts and added an extra point to his performance as well.

With the offense failing to find the end zone more than once, the one-time Pro Bowler served as their main scoring contributor and was particularly impressive during his career-long 61-yard field goal that just cleared the upright, cutting Seattle's deficit to just four points at halftime. Though he doesn’t earn much recognition for his reliable effort, the 5-foot-10 kicker is now a perfect 10-for-10 in field-goal attempts this season and continues to shine during his second campaign in Seattle.

Three Down

Quandre Diggs

Continuing his concerning season-long trend, Diggs struggled mightily in the secondary once again and proved to be ineffective in both pass coverage along with stopping Los Angeles’ running game at the goal line. To make matters worse, the 5-foot-9 free safety has now generated just one pass deflection since the season opener, which is the third-longest streak of his career and something he’s avoided since 2017.

Showcasing his woes in pass coverage early on, the 27-year old allowed too much separation on receiver Cooper Kupp, which resulted in a 31-yard gain and ultimately lead to a 23-yard field goal just four plays later. Failing to help keep the Rams out of the end zone, the former sixth-round pick inexcusably whiffed on running back Darrell Henderson Jr., allowing him to score easily and extend his team’s lead to 10-7 in the first quarter.

Russell Wilson

Following a rough outing against Buffalo, Wilson was looking to turn things around and bounce back strong, but the Pro Bowl quarterback faced a ton of pressure and uncharacteristically turned over the ball far too often yet again. Completing just 22 of his 37 targets, the 31-year old recorded 248 passing yards and 60 rushing yards (team-high), only to be held scoreless for the first time this season.

After being sacked five times in Week 9, the six-time Pro Bowler was chased around the backfield for a second consecutive game, as he was sacked six times for a combined loss of 28 yards. Failing to protect the ball, the Wisconsin product added three more turnovers (two interceptions and one fumble) to his season totals and made vital mistakes in the pocket, including mismanagement of the play clock in the fourth quarter that led to a delay of game penalty.

Coaching Staff

Though a disappointing loss can never be blamed just on the coaching staff, Seattle’s inability to make the right choices on both sides of the ball certainly didn’t help their chances of coming away with the victory in this contest. Starting on the defensive side, the game plan against Los Angeles’ offense proved to be extremely flawed, as almost every blitz was neutralized and they didn’t have an answer for the massive amount of screen plays that were called against them.

Carrying these play calling struggles over to the offensive side of the ball, the coaching staff completely abandoned the running game during the second half – just six designed running plays through the final 30 minutes – which ultimately helped the Rams’ defensive line create plenty of pressure on Wilson. Topping this poor performance off, the coaching staff mistakenly decided to punt the ball just one yard shy of the first-down marker at Seattle's own 42-yard line and that decision came back to haunt them, as the defense allowed 88 yards and a crucial touchdown just under seven minutes later.

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Thomas Hall
THOMAS HALL

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