What a week for the Seattle Seahawks. You should know what I am talking about by now. The Seahawks were annihilated by the Los Angeles Rams 42-7, and at CenturyLink Field, no less. This was a stunning and demoralizing defeat for many Seahawks fans like myself, especially considering it was on the biggest stage, the game that would likely decide the champion of the NFC West. Now Seattle finds themselves in a dire situation. The team must win out to have any chance of qualifying for the playoffs this year, and even then, it may not be enough.
There were many glaring issues throughout the blowout loss to the Rams, and all of them culminated in the Seahawks’ worst loss in six years. First of all, the offense was horrendous. Quarterback Russell Wilson started slow, once again, and he never picked up the pace. The offensive line was reminiscent of its state early in the season, giving up pressures and sacks like gifts and unable to generate holes and lanes for the running backs.
The receivers could not consistently get open, and even when they did, Wilson missed them by a mile. Jimmy Graham also reverted to his early-season self, dropping balls left and right. This was a huge disappointment as Graham was a reliable target for Wilson during the middle of the season, and it seemed like he caught a touchdown pass in every game. His decline in production certainly contributed to the loss.
However, the offense was not solely at fault for the loss. The defense was also surprisingly inept.
The Seahawks defense has been riddled with injuries this season. Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor were already ruled out for the year, linebacker K.J. Wright was sidelined with a concussion, and star fellow linebacker Bobby Wagner was playing with a hamstring injury.
Despite this, the defense definitely could have turned in a more solid performance than they did on Sunday. They could not stop Los Angeles running back Todd Gurley if their lives depended on it, and the defensive line could not consistently generate pressure on quarterback Jared Goff. The defense continued to give up points late into the game, and it seemed like they were broken rather than beaten.
Finally, the special teams' play was abysmal. Rams punt-returner Pharaoh Cooper had plenty of room to run on seemingly every return, and Jon Ryan’s punts were too short, which failed to pin Los Angeles in difficult field position. The punt coverage was awful every time. On one occasion, Cooper returned a punt to the one-yard line, setting up an easy rushing touchdown from Gurley. On the flip side, Seattle Seahawks return specialist Tyler Lockett could not get anywhere.
This loss demolished any hopes of the Seahawks making a run for the Super Bowl this year. They could still make the playoffs, but that is tough to do with such a crowded NFC. Either way, I think that the Seahawks organization should consider undergoing changes in coaching staff and players because there are obvious flaws in this team despite the number of injuries they are currently dealing with.