Bad offense, worse officiating cost Seahawks in 20-10 loss to Rams

It’s over.

The Seattle Seahawks (5-9) put up another dismal offensive showing against the Los Angeles Rams (10-4). A 20-10 loss on Tuesday at SoFi Stadium underscores how poorly this offense continues to play against the Rams, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of the defense’s great performance while undermanned and the shambolic officiating by Shawn Hochuli’s crew.

Wilson was just 17/31 for 156 yards, 0 touchdowns and an interception. DK Metcalf had just 6 catches for 52 yards as the clear #1 WR but he absolutely could’ve had a big game if not for Wilson’s inaccuracy. Dee Eskridge had no catches. DeeJay Dallas had a touchdown but he should’ve also had a defensive pass interference in his favor instead of that awful non-call that you’ll see soon.

Bless Austin... bless you, my sir. You got jobbed and it cost the Seahawks parity. Predictably Cooper’s Kupp runneth over the undermanned unit to the tune of 9 catches for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns, but his 2nd TD shouldn’t have even happened.

Seattle is not making the playoffs and we’ve known that for a bit but this was the final nail in the coffin.

1st Half

The Rams got the ball first and embarked on nearly a 7-minute drive that should’ve ended in a punt but turned into a field goal. Twice there were Rams first downs negated by penalty, and then Sean McVay curiously called a 3rd and 10 draw that went nowhere. Alton Robinson committed a bad running into the punter penalty, which put the Rams into FG range and Matt Gay made it from 55 yards out. 3-0 Rams.

Seattle’s opening play with Rashaad Penny almost broke big after he gained 10 yards but was a broken tackle away from a house call. The drive ultimately stalled in Rams territory after a screen pass... you know the rest.

The Rams were in field goal range and ready to score again, only for Quandre Diggs to get an easy interception when Matthew Stafford was firing it to... honestly I don’t know what he saw here. But pick!

Seattle did nothing with this pick. Punt. They punted on the next possession, too.

The defense did an outstanding job keeping the Rams out of the end zone, even getting a 4th and 2 stop in field goal range thanks to Jordyn Brooks snuffing out Cooper Kupp!

Seattle, as usual, turned into a different offense in hurry-up. Russell Wilson found Gerald Everett twice, including while being hit by Von Miller and turning his throw into a looped up jump ball which the TE caught. He also did this which seems impossible. Unfortunately, the drive died an ugly death in the red zone, but Jason Myers salvaged things with the tying field goal. 3-3.

2nd Half

The Seahawks’ opening 2nd half possession was a quality one. Rashaad Penny ripped off a couple of successful runs and DK Metcalf, steamed over a lack of targets in the 1st half, got involved on this possession. A clutch 3rd down conversion put the ball inside the Rams’ 15, then DeeJay Dallas punched it in from 4 yards out a couple of snaps later to cap off an 11-play, 75-yard drive that included 39 yards rushing and 36 passing. 10-3 Seahawks.

This is Seahawks football, don’t you know? The Rams had an easy 86-yard drive with a 32-yard 3rd down catch for Cooper Kupp, a 39-yard run by Sony Michel through some horrible tackling, and then the tying TD for Kupp. 10-10.

Russell Wilson thought he had a deep shot to rookie Dee Eskridge, but he was unable to make the play in double coverage after initially getting both hands on the ball. Big missed opportunity but the Seahawks forced their first three-and-out of the game on the ensuing defensive possession. Jordyn Brooks made a couple of excellent plays to prompt the punt.

Here’s some bullshit that turned a Rams 3-and-out into a new series of downs.

The Seahawks defense pretty much capitulated after that and you guessed it, Cooper Kupp again. A 29-yard touchdown beating Jordyn Brooks in coverage for the go-ahead score. Absolutely horrible officiating. 17-10 Rams.

This. This hurts. This was a touchdown.

A 3rd sack by Carlos Dunlap gave the Seahawks the ball back with great field position! With 3rd and 1 in Rams territory, Rashaad Penny was flagged for a false start, then they called a run (!!!!) which went nowhere. On 4th and 6, Wilson was pressured and threw one up for DeeJay Dallas, and...

To make matters worse, DeeJay was understandably frustrated with the no-call and got flagged for kicking the ball. That gave the Rams another 15 yards and they put the game away with a field goal. Wilson got picked to end the game. 20-10 Rams FINAL.

Seahawks Injury Report

Rashaad Penny went into the locker room in the 3rd quarter. He returned to the game.

Jon Rhattigan injured his knee on kick coverage in the 3rd quarter and did not return.

Next week’s opponent

The Seahawks return home on what is now a short week for a December 26th showdown with the Chicago Bears (4-10) at 1:05 PM PT on FOX.