The Los Angeles Rams took an important midseason victory over the Seattle Seahawks, 23-16. Improving to 6-3, the Rams now hold a part of first place in the NFC West with the Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.
Victory was met with jubilation in defeating a division foe, as well as the loss of a captain.
Rams Pass Offense Succeeds
As mentioned earlier in the week, the Rams had the opportunity to tap into a strong passing attack against an abysmal passing defense.
Jared Goff became the fourth quarterback to throw for over 300 yards against the Seahawks, while also making his own 300+ yard game this season.
The 27-of-37 and 302 yard performance from Goff was efficient, if nothing else. Even if he didn’t make it to the 361 pass yards per game the Seahawks were averaging going into this game, Goff’s work was enough to get the job done.
To note, Goff’s performance was first half heavy, going 17-of-22 for 221 yards. The second half saw both defenses lock down, followed by both Goff and Russell Wilson throwing for less than 100 yards in the final two quarters.
Defensive Secondary Gets the Job Done
The first name that comes to mind here is Darious Williams, who had three passes defended and picked Wilson off twice. Safety John Johnson recorded eight tackles, and linebacker Leonard Floyd put together an impressive performance of three sacks and a fumble recovery.
The one who was relatively quiet, and for good reason, was Jalen Ramsey. His silence resulted in locking down D.K. Metcalf for two catches for 28 yards on four attempts.
The defensive secondary’s job was complemented by the pass rush, sacking Wilson six times and recording 12 QB hits.
Meeting the Criteria for a Victory
The clear assumption is that one would need to stop Wilson if the Rams are going to win. Even in losing to the Bills, Wilson was 28-of-41 for 390 yards. Nonetheless, five sacks, with important performances by A.J. Klein and Tremaine Edmunds, gave the Bills the necessary pressure to force Wilson into two interceptions. The Rams front-line will have to duplicate that performance.
Wilson went 22-of-37 for 248 yards and added 60 yards on eight carries. This is by no stretch a dominant performance by the Seahawks signal-caller but it’s formidable. However, formidable was not enough as the Rams were able to outdo the Bills’ defensive performance last week against the Seahawks.
Three turnovers against Wilson is worth its weight in gold.
Loss Among Celebration
Offensive lineman, and staple of the Rams offense, Andrew Whitworth suffered a torn MCL and damaged PCL in the victory. The fear is that the injury could be season-ending and could be beyond that for the 15-year veteran out of LSU. Since joining the Rams in 2017, Whitworth has started all but one game for the team.
However, Ian Rapoport reports that Whitworth will be looking for a second opinion and there may be some hope that the injury will not end his season.
25-year-old Joe Noteboom filled in for Whitworth and will likely continue to do so moving forward.
Next for the Rams
The Rams travel to Florida to take on the 7-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. Kickoff is at 5:15pm PST.
