Seattle Seahawks fall in crushing OT loss to Los Angeles Rams

“It's frustrating, but I think it's not like we're playing clean football and losing games. We're not playing well. “We need to address some areas,” veteran Seahawks safeties coach Julian Love said after the game. “We had a 3-0 start, but we don't dwell on it for long.” We try to take it from game to game.

Even though the Seahawks' defense played well, holding Los Angeles to 68 rushing yards and 3 of 13 yards on third-down conversions, it wasn't enough. Smith's three turnovers changed the game and gave Seattle a chance to take control of the game.

The Rams came out of halftime scoring 17 unanswered points thanks to those turnovers, and Seattle barely did enough to force overtime. Here too there were chances to win, the ball bounced back to the Rams and they took advantage.

Now, the Seahawks enter their bye week with numerous issues to resolve, most of which stem from the team's inability to avoid self-inflicted mistakes.

The first half featured a slow start from the Seattle offense, supported by a strong defense. Then, with the game clock ticking with less than a minute left in the second quarter, the offense came to life.

Smith threw two touchdown passes 43 seconds apart, first to Tyler Lockett and then to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who set a career-high seven catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns.

“I hate losing. (It doesn’t) matter, I’d rather win 100 percent,” Smith-Njigba said after the game. “My confidence has always been the same. I knew I could have a breakthrough at any time and have a fantastic game, but it’s the wins that count.”

Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen set up the second of two goals with a jump ball over Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua for the second time this season. Nacua, playing his first game since Week 1 after returning from injured reserve, was ejected after the game for throwing a punch at Seattle linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who tried to block him after the pick.

Seattle went into the locker room up 13-3, even though it wasn't pretty.

But the Rams didn't get ahead of themselves. Stafford and the Los Angeles offense engineered an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended at 6:32 of the third quarter. Rams running back Kyren Williams had 28 rushing yards on the drive after having 15 in the entire first half.

Stafford, aided by a red zone pass interference call on Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe, connected with wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for a 1-yard touchdown to cap the drive.

Both teams combined for seven penalties in the third quarter, including a massive third down that aggravated the passer penalty, extending the Rams' next drive and ultimately allowing Los Angeles to tie the game at 13-13.

One play after Seahawks wide receiver Cody White made his first regular-season reception since Nov. 28, 2022, Smith rolled to his left and was hit in the arm as he threw by Rams linebacker Byron Young – deflecting the pass in the waiting arms of safety Kamren Kinchens, who returned the ball 103 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest interception return score in Rams history.

“I tried to throw the ball out of bounds in the back of the end zone. A guy hit my arm. There are no excuses,” Smith said of the postgame play. “I can throw this away, get it out sooner, be quicker in my decision making. I tried to make a play down there, held it a second too long and it didn’t work out well.”

White, who was called up from the practice squad for the game, wasn't finished. He blocked Ty Zentner's punt on the Rams' next possession, setting up the Seahawks' offense at the Los Angeles 19-yard line.

After advancing 15 yards, Smith threw his third pick of the game, targeting rookie tight end AJ Barner, who was in motion before the snap and ran into traffic behind the line of scrimmage. Smith still threw it and Kinchens waited for it again.

Still, both teams traded punts as Seattle's defense held firm. Then, with less than two minutes to play, Smith appeared to have the quarterback role the Seahawks had assumed for the past three seasons.

The back-to-back completions toward the end of the drive, both to Smith-Njigba, were as good throws as Smith has had in his Seattle career. The former first-round wide receiver showed great accuracy on a touchdown throw between two Rams defenders from 14 yards, and Myers' kick tied the game at 20-20 with 51 seconds left in regulation.

Seattle got the ball first in overtime. The Seahawks drove from their own 30-yard line to the Rams' 16-yard line before the offense collapsed again. With two chances to gain a yard and extend the drive, running back Kenneth Walker III was stuffed on consecutive snaps.

“That was the play call we liked. We liked the look of it,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said of the fourth-and-1 loss. “We have to be able to get half a yard on two shots. Great football teams convert third and fourth balls and short, and right now we can’t do that.”

The Rams, Stafford and Robinson won it on their next drive.

The Seahawks have committed 11 turnovers in their five losses this season. Four of those losses came at home, and seven of those giveaways were Smith interceptions.

However, Seattle's offensive problems run deeper than that, as rudimentary football operations like center-to-quarterback substitutions have plagued this team over the past two games. The Seahawks can't die until the last minute of each half if they hope to win NFL games.

Seattle has so much inconsistency on that side of the ball that even the best defensive performances aren't enough to save the team from its self-inflicted wounds.

“I want to start by really apologizing to my teammates and to the city and the organization,” Smith said. “They trust me a lot in my decision-making and when they put the ball in my hands, when my teammates play the way they played today and to give us a chance to win the game, I have to do it. “Make sure we do this… I'll step it up.

Seattle would have benefited from a bye in Week 5. Now the Seahawks need this week to potentially save their season. The team had to deal with injuries, setbacks and shifting problems that could not be resolved within a week.

Unless a much more calculated and disciplined football team emerges at the other end of the bye week, this will not be a team that plays in mid-January or beyond. The players and coaching staff understood that.

“At the moment we have an idea of ​​the symptoms, but what is happening process-wise and why we are not playing substitute football in 60 minutes? “We’re going to tackle that this week and get back to it and work and move forward,” Macdonald said. “We have the right people. We just have to bring it to life. But our backs are against the wall and we have to go.”

The Seahawks won't play again until Nov. 17 in a Week 11 game against the San Francisco 49ers. Seattle lost 36-24 at home to the Niners in Week 6. The next game is away against the bitter NFC West rival.

San Francisco (4-4) had its bye week in Week 9 after defeating the Dallas Cowboys 30-24 on Oct. 27.

Quick Reaction: Turnovers haunt Geno Smith and the Seahawks in a 26-20 loss to the Rams

Halftime Observations: The Seahawks build a 13-3 lead over the Rams with a big last-minute scoring drive

Seahawks RT George Fant has doubts about returning against the Rams