Field Gulls
In one of the most anticipated games of the year, the Los Angeles Rams put an end to the Seattle Seahawks’ winning streak and even took over the lead in the NFC West. As important as the matchup was, Sam Darnold did not seem prepared for the challenge and committed four turnovers.
The loss creates an anticlimax for some projections about the remainder of the season, but it’s important to remember that despite the four turnovers, the Seahawks still had a chance to beat one of the best teams in the league. The team must stop stumbling in these matchups against tough opponents — such as the fumble against the 49ers, the interception against the Bucs, and now the four turnovers against the Rams. These mistakes must be corrected if we want to envision a strong postseason for Seattle.
All data used in this article was taken from PFF.
The season isn’t even over yet and the Seahawks already have a clear picture of their biggest needs for next year: center and right guard must receive significant investment. Even though the OL features good pieces like Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, and Abe Lucas, at many moments they simply don’t fit together — especially in the run game.
It’s worth noting that the Rams’ defense, coached by Chris Shula, lines up in dime more often than any other team in the league. Against Seattle, they increased those numbers even further, forcing the Seahawks to run the football. Even surpassing 100 rushing yards, finding consistency continues to be an issue for this ground game. And certainly, from now on, defenses will likely adjust in similar ways to limit the Seahawks’ offense, reducing their play-action attempts — just as the Rams did (only 9 PA passes).
Anchor and play strength continue to be problems for Charles Cross in his fourth year in the league. He cannot withstand Jared Verse’s speed-to-power and is driven backward, even contributing to Grey Zabel’s knee injury.
As mentioned in last week’s article, Olu Oluwatimi could be an upgrade (even if a small one) over Jalen Sundell. I don’t believe Sundell has been significantly better than Oluwatimi, but it’s clear that center is one of the team’s biggest needs. In this play, he is completely dominated on leverage by Poona Ford and becomes unable to react, giving up the tackle.
Anthony Bradford playing poorly is nothing new, as he was beaten on two stunts that resulted in Darnold interceptions. But this was unquestionably Zabel’s worst game of the year. He appeared on the injury report with a heel injury, and it clearly limited his mobility — as seen on the previous play. On another snap, both guards misjudge their angles at the second level and give up the tackle to both ILBs.
Christian Haynes has been named Zabel’s replacement until the rookie recovers. It’s worth remembering that Haynes failed to beat Bradford for the starting job. On this...
