Field Gulls
The more things change, the more they stay the same?
This was the big opportunity for the Seattle Seahawks against the Los Angeles Rams, who have emphatically owned them throughout the Sean McVay era. Half of their six wins versus the Rams since 2017 have come against backup quarterbacks. This was the clash of the top teams in the NFC West and the Seahawks came oh so close but didn’t get the job done. There’s one player who stands out above the rest in terms of the cut of the blame pie, but it’s not all just on the Seahawks’ quarterback.
It’s time for Winners and Losers from Rams 21, Seahawks 19.
Uchenna Nwosu
I could credit the whole defensive line for their outstanding work, particularly in short yardage, but Nwosu showed his value as a two-way player. He had a tackle for loss, a pass defensed, and was instrumental in Seattle slowing down the Rams offense after the slow opening quarter. By no means was Nwosu’s two-tackle performance representative of an uninvolved player.
DeMarcus Lawrence
He continues to wreak havoc as a run stopper but I am amazed at how he’s recaptured his best pass rushing form. ‘Tank’ had a QB hit, a tackle for loss, and was one of the reasons the Rams’ ordinarily outstanding play-action game was mostly snuffed out.
Coby Bryant
I thought he was in Loser territory for his early missed tackles, but that forced fumble on Puka Nacua after Darnold’s interception was reminiscent of his rookie season. Bryant also had a critical tackle on a Nacua jet sweep that gave Seattle that final possession.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
It didn’t feel like it but yes, JSN had 9 catches for 105 yards even with the struggles of Sam Darnold. His highlight was a sick one-handed catch along the sideline. Perhaps worryingly, JSN was the only receiver with a catch until the third quarter. The JSN-centric nature of this offense continues and I think it speaks to the need for Tory Horton to return ASAP.
Kenneth Walker III
Finally! Walker had a touchdown lost to a hold, but he did get Seattle’s only TD toward the end of the game. He rushed for 67 yards on 16 carries and 44 yards on three catches, giving him 111 scrimmage yards. I don’t believe Kubiak is getting either Walker or Charbonnet involved enough as pass catchers in this offense.
AJ Barner
Bet you didn’t have Barner having 10 catches in this one. Not exactly efficient with 70 receiving yards, but he picked up several key first downs as a receiver and he’s still very efficient as the sneak option in short yardage. Bad news? The Barn Yard sneak was finally defeated on the eighth attempt.
Jason Myers
I’m not faulting him for missing a 61-yard field goal, which would’ve tied his career long. He had four field goals (including from 57) and an extra point, so he accounted for 13 points on the afternoon.
Losers ------...
