NFL pullout:
Rams expose some of rival’s trouble spots, but team has knack for closing strong
Have the Seahawks lost their snarl? Plus, Sam Bradford powers the Vikings, Rex Ryan’s Bills teeter at 0-2 and Marcus Mariota shows some emotion.
First, let’s remove all of the LOS ANGELES caveats.
It is not unusual for the Seattle Seahawks to lose to the Rams, wherever they’re located, and it is not unusual for NFL teams with 1-1 records to leave their difficulties behind.
Last year, the Seahawks were 4-5 after a home loss to the Arizona Cardinals. They ended the regular season 10-6 and pushed the Carolina Panthers in an NFC divisional playoff loss. Of the 11 regular-season games Seattle has lost since the start of the 2014 season, four have been to the Rams. There were several traps awaiting the Seahawks in Week 2 this year, including a sold-out Los Angeles Coliseum that was celebrating the Rams’ return from St. Louis after 22 years. The Rams also were coming off a case of identity theft in San Francisco, when they did nothing right in a 28-0 loss.
Those traps snapped shut on a warm afternoon that ended with Alec Ogletree diving on Christine Michael’s fumble on Seattle’s final possession. The Rams won 9-3, and the Seahawks tried to add as much perspective as they could.
“We did a lot of good things,” defensive end Michael Bennett said. “We’ve got a lot of guys working hard and growing every week.”
The truth is a little different. The Seahawks didn’t lose a thing Sunday except a game, and the NFC West features four 1-1 teams. But they will have to do it differently. They aren’t the same Seahawks.
They don’t have Marshawn Lynch running and Russell Okung and Max Unger blocking, and they don’t have the real Russell Wilson, not with a sprained ankle he was dragging around the Coliseum on Sunday.
Their defense was statistically outstanding Sunday, but they forced no turnovers against a Rams team that hasn’t scored a touchdown in 2016. Even though Case Keenum failed to bolster any fantasy teams, he avoided left cornerback Richard Sherman and thrived against DeShawn Shead. He made just enough plays to get in position for three field goals, and Seattle was backed up inside its 20-yard line by all six punts from the Rams’ Johnny Hekker.
Offensively, the Seahawks rushed for 2.8 yards a carry, including 14 on five tries by Wilson, the master of improv. Wilson hit one big play to Tyler Lockett, right before the killing fumble, but the Seahawks again found it difficult to find former all-pro tight end Jimmy Graham.
They reached the red zone once and didn’t get past the Rams’ 35-yard line in a scoreless second half.
“I’m really surprised that we’re behind schedule offensively,” coach Pete Carroll said. “I thought we’d be better than that.”
He was not surprised that Wilson played, although Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers could see the difference. “There were some plays where he would gain 30 or 40 yards, and here he got tackled for a 2-yard gain,” Brockers said.
“Your mind controls a lot of things,” Wilson said. “I’m not going to sit in the corner crying and sorrowing over a little bummed ankle. Hopefully by next week I’m going to feel amazing.”