Seattle Seahawks: 5 Things We Learned from Loss to Rams

With another week in the books, the Seahawks had a distinctly underwhelming passing performance, again.

This time the Hawks could not escape with a win. Due in large part to special teams play, the St. Louis Rams were able to grab a 19-13 win. Seattle finished with only 140 yards passing and simply could not move the ball when it counted.

The running game was strong yet again thanks to Marshawn Lynch, who was the catalyst for the Seahawks offense.

However, it was not enough for the Seahawks, who now sit at 2-2 on the season.

Surely there were positives and negatives associated with the game. Here is what we learned on Sunday.

The Passing Attack Is Awful

The receivers have not impressed so far, but Russell Wilson deserves some of the blame as well.

He has looked shaky when trying to make throws, and he has a hard time pushing the ball down the field.

Seattle has the 32nd ranked passing attack in the league, averaging only 127.7 yards per game. Furthermore, Wilson simply has not made enough big plays through the air as he is last in yards per attempt with only 5.79 yards per pass.

Obviously he is still adjusting to the NFL, but he needs to be able to make plays with his arm for this team to move the ball on offense.

He has looked unsure while in the pocket and has constantly scrambled to his right side. When he faces pressure, he is quick to tuck and run but only has 66 rushing yards this year.

After his three-interception performance against the Rams, Wilson needs to be more consistent moving forward to retain the starting job. If he can’t eclipse 150 passing yards per game, then Pete Carroll may need to think about making some changes on the depth chart.

He’s young, and he does not have the most talented receiving corps, but the Seahawks need more from their starting quarterback.

Marshawn Lynch Is the Seahawks MVP

Lynch is the most crucial player to don a Seahawks jersey for the last two seasons.

This is his offense, and he will get the bulk of the offensive attention. He had another solid performance against the Rams, and he did more than just run the ball.

He finished with 118 yards rushing and 37 yards receiving. He also protected Wilson well and set up the Seahawks play action game.

The loss cannot be attributed to Lynch, who seemed to gain yards on nearly every time he touched the ball. By averaging nearly six yards a carry, it seemed like it was nearly impossible for the Rams to slow down Lynch at the line of scrimmage.

He will continue getting fed the rock, and a large dose of Lynch spells good things for the Seahawks moving forward.

If he had a competent passing attack to keep defenses off balance, it would only help him. Hopefully Seattle can figure out their passing game so Lynch doesn’t have to face eight men in the box.

Regardless, Beast Mode has been running the ball with a vengeance; hopefully he can maintain this pace for the remainder of the year.

Play Calling Seems to Be an Issue

Throughout this season, it seems as if the play calling has been suspect.

There have been third and short possessions where they have looked to pass rather than run. When you have a running back that rarely gets less than a yard, why not give him the ball?

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell has a tough job as he is trying to assimilate Wilson to the NFL, but the Hawks need to take more chances on offense. They have largely played it safe on underneath routes, but the offense has looked stagnant throughout this year.

It would be nice to see more play action routes in order to negate aggressive defenses. That would get Wilson outside the pocket and give him the option to use his legs if necessary as well.

All in all, the Hawks need to change something with the pass game because what they're doing now simply isn’t working.

It’s time for Wilson to start looking down the field a little bit more and score some touchdowns.

The Defensive Line Is Deep and Talented

After an eight-sack performance against the Packers, the defensive line was causing problems again this week.

They only finished with two sacks, but they held Steven Jackson to only 55 yards rushing. They had some pressure on Sam Bradford and made him uncomfortable in the pocket, which is a good sign moving forward.

They have a great balance of speed and power rushers making them dangerous as they constantly substitute players throughout the game.

Bruce Irvin has looked good in limited snaps, and Chris Clemons is on pace for another great season. It is nearly impossible to run against this defensive front, and Jackson was lucky to finish with as many yards as he did.

Seattle’s defense is what will keep the team in games this season, and the loss can’t be attributed to the defensive front.

With Red Bryant and Brandon Mebane among others, the Hawks will continue to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks all season long.

Look for more sacks as this unit continues coming together.

The Team Is Different on the Road

The Seahawks are winless on the road this year.

Perhaps it’s because of the absence of the 12th man, but this team looks really different when they are outside of Seattle. There have been too many penalties; the offense looks totally dormant and struggles to move the rock.

At home, the defense feeds off the crowd and forces the opposition to make bad decisions that lead to turnovers.

Away from Century Link, the defense is still a dependable group that does not allow offenses to move the ball. But the offense is another story.

With a rookie under center, he may feel a little rattled on the road, but he will adjust with more time.

The Seahawks have one of the most distinct home-field advantages in the NFL, but they need to learn how to play on the road. It’s still early, but we need to see some resiliency from this team away from home.

With more experience, the team should come together and learn how to perform on the road.