ClutchPoints
The Seattle Seahawks entered Week 11 riding high on a four-game winning streak. Their offense was clicking and their defense quietly emerging as one of the NFC’s most balanced units. On Sunday in Los Angeles, though, everything that had gone right for weeks unraveled. The Seahawks fell to the Rams, 21-19, in a game that will be remembered less for what the Rams did right and more for what Seattle did wrong.
The story was Sam Darnold’s four-interception meltdown. Despite flashes of rhythm and a solid defensive effort, Seattle’s offense imploded with turnovers at the worst possible times. Two of those interceptions directly led to Rams touchdowns. Meanwhile, a missed 61-yard field goal attempt by Jason Myers at the buzzer sealed the defeat. The loss dropped the Seahawks to 7-3. It also ending their winning streak and knocked them into a tie atop the NFC West. In a season where the margin between contender and pretender is razor thin, this one will sting for a while.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Seattle Seahawks most to blame for their costly road loss to Los Angeles Rams.
It was supposed to be another chance for Darnold to prove that his renaissance in Seattle wasn’t a mirage. Instead, he delivered his worst game of the season. It may well be one of the most frustrating of his career, too. Darnold threw four picks, including three in the second half. Each was a dagger to the Seahawks’ momentum.
What made the turnovers so costly wasn’t just their timing, but their location. The Rams started ensuing drives at Seattle’s 3-, 35-, 25-, and 49-yard lines. They plainly gift-wrapped field position that even an average offense could convert into points. Two of those short fields turned into Los Angeles touchdowns. That put immense pressure on a defense that had spent most of the night bailing out its quarterback.
Darnold’s decision-making was uncharacteristically poor. He stared down receivers, misread coverage rotations, and forced throws that weren’t there. Rams safety Kamren Kinchens intercepted two passes. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Cobie Durant and corner Darious Williams each grabbed one. It was a nightmare scenario for an offense that prides itself on efficiency and balance. Darnold finished the game with a paltry 45.5 passer rating.
Wide receiver Rashid Shaheed was supposed to add explosiveness to Seattle’s offense. Instead, he became a symbol of the little mistakes that doomed the Seahawks in Los Angeles. He caught just two of five targets for 27 yards. Shaheed also narrowly missed turning a deep shot into a potential game-changing touchdown. Rams cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr made a remarkable recovery to break up the pass. However, it was another reminder of Shaheed’s frustrating “almost” moments since joining the team.
Shaheed’s issues went beyond missed opportunities. Late in the fourth quarter, Shaheed’s misalignment at the line of scrimmage caused confusion and burned valuable seconds off the clock. That happened as...
