St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks: Full Report Card Grades for St. Louis
The St. Louis Rams (6-10) dropped its final game of the year in a 20-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (12-4). This article will grade St. Louis' performance.
The Rams showed up ready to play on defense. They held Seattle to zero points in the first half—Seattle's only first-half shutout of the season—but the offense offered zero help.
The Rams produced two field-goal drives in the first half, but the offense imploded in the second half. Interceptions by Shaun Hill on back-to-back drives resulted in two Seattle touchdowns, and the 14 points was more than enough to put the game out of reach.
It was a nice finale for the defense. There's a lot to be excited about in 2015 when it comes to that side of the ball. The offense, however, is dreadful. The Rams will obviously need to dedicate all offseason resources towards fixing the quarterback position as well as the offensive line.
This was St. Louis' 10th consecutive loss in Seattle, and that's a trend that must change for this team to take the next step.
In the meantime, we'll look at today's performance and grade each position, based on stats, consistency and game-changing plays.
Quarterback: F
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It was a brutal outing for quarterback Shaun Hill. He didn't have great protection or support, but he proved that he has little to offer moving forward.
Hill's passes were frequently erratic and poorly placed. Even on short passes, the receivers often had to bend, twist and slam on the brakes to secure the catch.
The worst play of the game, by far, was Hill's pathetic attempt to throw the ball away in the second half. The game was tied, and the Rams were in field-goal range. Hill attempted to get rid of the ball, but he chucked it right into the arms of defensive tackle Jordan Hill.
Seattle went on to score a touchdown following the turnover.
Hill was picked off on the following drive by Bruce Irvin, who returned it for a touchdown, but that was on the receiver.
It was an awful performance. At this point, there's no role for Hill on this team moving forward. And furthermore, this game shows, once again, that quarterback is still the team's biggest need.
Running Back: C
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Tre Mason was, once again, underutilized. Even when he did get opportunities, they were squandered thanks to poor run blocking.
Mason had just 11 carries for 28 yards. His eight-yard run in the first half helped to set up St. Louis' first field goal, and his 13-yard run in the second half was St. Louis' biggest play from scrimmage at the time and the third-longest pickup of the game for the Rams.
The rest of the contributions in the run game were modest—Benny Cunningham had 10 yards on four carries, and Zac Stacy and Tavon Austin combined for four yards on four carries.
The yards were tough to come by, but that's on the offensive line.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: B
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The receivers had a surprisingly decent game considering the poor quarterback play, and it appears, for once, that the Rams are set this offseason when it comes to pass-catchers.
Kenny Britt had a 10-yard grab in the first half that set up a field goal. He finished the game with 38 yards, giving him 748 yards on the season—just 27 shy of his 2010 career high (775).
Jared Cook had a solid outing out of the tight end position. He had three catches for 38 yards and nearly made an acrobatic catch in the end zone on a ball thrown well behind him.
Running backs Mason and Cunningham did great catching balls out of the backfield. They combined for 10 catches and 86 yards, and the routes out of the backfield were one of the few things working for the offense in this game.
Lance Kendricks bobbled a pass and allowed it to be picked off by Bruce Irvin, who returned it for a score, and Chris Givens was guilty of an offensive pass interference later in the game. Those were the only negatives from this group.
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Offensive Line: F
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Greg Robinson made a key block in the first half that allowed Mason to run for eight yards, and that play was critical in setting up St. Louis' first field goal.
Other than that, the offensive line was once again horrendous.
The Seahawks tallied two sacks, five tackles for loss and five quarterback hits. Hill was constantly under pressure, and that contributed to his awful play. (Though, he certainly did plenty to hurt himself)
As for the run game, the Rams ran for just 11 yards in the first half and averaged just 2.2 yards per carry overall. That's a telltale sign that the offensive line did not get it done up front.
Quarterback is the top offseason need, but the offensive line is not far behind.
Defensive Line: B+
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The defensive line had a very inspiring performance, and it's a shame that it was totally wasted thanks to inept offensive play.
Aaron Donald—St. Louis rookie Pro Bowl defensive tackle—was once again on fire. He recorded a sack in the game, and he was constantly in the backfield making plays. He was virtually unblockable.
Robert Quinn went sackless, but he also had a big day. He got in the backfield several times in the first half and took a few good shots at Wilson.
The defensive line was completely overwhelmed on Marshawn Lynch's touchdown run, as he walked into the end zone completely untouched, but that was one of the few mistakes from this game.
Overall, the defensive line had an excellent showing, but with just three sacks, it wasn't close to the unit's potential.
Linebacker: B-
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Alec Ogletree continues to show us why he was a first-round selection, and he has been an impressive player in the second half of this season.
In the first half, Ogletree collided with Lynch and not only stopped him in his tracks, but ripped out the football and forced a critical turnover.
Lynch and Robert Turbin combined for 113 yards, so the linebackers had a tough time stopping the Seattle backs after making initial contact, but the unit did enough to limit Seattle and prevent it from completely running over the defense.
There's not a lot of offseason needs on the defensive side of the ball, but the Rams could certainly use a run-stuffing linebacker to team up with Ogletree. That's a luxury at this point, but it'd be nice to have.
Secondary: C+
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The secondary made some key plays that helped the team, but the group got burned one too many times to deserve an impressive grade.
Undrafted rookie Marcus Roberson secured the first pick of his career in the opening half. It was a big break for the Rams, and the rookie did an admirable job filling in for the injured E.J. Gaines.
Safety Mark Barron got into the backfield for a sack—giving the Rams a safety sack for the second consecutive week—and rookie cornerback Lamarcus Joyner took down Wilson as well.
Janoris Jenkins, on the other hand, had a rough outing. At one point, he attempted a one-on-one tackle against Lynch, and the result was one of the worst tackle attempts we've seen all year. Lynch ran through Jenkins and broke off a big gain.
Jenkins was also burned later in the game for a 31-yard reception by Kevin Norwood, and that's the play that set up Lynch's touchdown.
The secondary has made plenty of errors this year, but the group has a lot of young players. If the Rams give the players a chance to grow and gel, this could be a special group in the near future.
Special Teams: B
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Greg Zuerlein had an excellent game with two field goals, including a 52-yard attempt following Lynch's fumble to secure St. Louis' early lead.
The Seahawks did an excellent job containing Austin in the return game. He had to call a fair catch every punt and never had a shot at a return.
We heard a lot of hype about St. Louis' special teams trickery, which was a major factor in the team's win over Seattle earlier in the year, but the Rams backed down from trick plays.
With the playoffs out of reach, it's a bit baffling that the Rams didn't elect to at least try a fake punt or two. There was nothing to lose.
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