St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks: Full Report Card Grades for Seattle
The St. Louis Rams (6-10) gave the Seattle Seahawks (12-4) all they could handle for three quarters, but eventually the reigning Super Bowl champions showed their resolve. Seattle rode its big-play defense to victory in an otherwise tight game.
The Seahawks scored the first touchdown of the game on a six-play, 54-yard drive following an interception. They tacked on the last score of the game on a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown on the ensuing drive.
Seattle won't get any points for style with this win, but it does make the team NFC West champions and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. The way things started for this team (3-3), it appeared the Seahawks would be hard-pressed to finish the year in this fashion.
CenturyLink Field will be the location for all of Seattle's games, and the team will receive a hard-earned bye next week, after suffering a few injuries in this contest. Jeron Johnson left early with an elbow injury. Jordan Hill suffered a knee injury, and K.J. Wright left with an injury as well.
Final Stats
| St. Louis Rams | Category | Seattle Seahawks |
|---|---|---|
| 245 | Total Yards | 354 |
| 203 | Passing Yards | 222 |
| 5.0 | Yards Per Attempt | 7.9 |
| 42 | Rushing Yards | 132 |
| 2.2 | Yards Per Attempt | 3.9 |
| 6-45 | Penalties | 2-20 |
| 28:49 | Possession | 31:11 |
| 3 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 3-12 | Third-Down Conversions | 7-15 |
Quarterback
1 of 10
Russell Wilson took a beating in this game with the St. Louis defense nullifying a lot of the typical footwork we see from the third-year quarterback to buy extra time. The Rams did a good job of containing Wilson in the pocket and preventing him from running with the football.
After Wilson took off for more than 100 yards rushing in the teams' Week 7 meeting, he was held to a measly seven yards rushing on six scrambles. Some of the pressure got to Wilson as he made an ill-advised throw after avoiding four Rams defenders.
After taking another big hit on the play, the throw was intercepted. Though the mistake ended up not resulting in a score, Wilson was lucky not to have fumbled the ball away on a couple of other plays later in the game as well.
Still, Wilson did well with being, seemingly, under siege for much of the game. He found receivers for some key gains to keep field position from swinging heavily in the Rams' favor and threw a strike to set up the team's lone offensive touchdown.
The Seattle quarterback finished 17-of-25 for 239 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
Grade: B
Running Back
2 of 10
Seattle stuck with an approach the team has employed for a few games now, where it starts the game (for about a quarter) with Robert Turbin and Christine Michael at running back. The duo started the game well before giving way to Marshawn Lynch.
Turbin took 11 totes for 53 yards and tacked on one reception for a gain of 13 yards, while Michael ran the ball just once for a gain of two yards. Lynch would later come in and end up leading the team in rushing yards, but he was mostly held in check by the Rams yet again.
Lynch totaled 60 yards rushing on 14 carries and scored a touchdown untouched from nine yards out, giving his team its first lead of the game. It was a lead Seattle would never relinquish. Lynch helped out in the passing game as well, catching three passes for 36 yards.
However, he did fumble the ball away, setting up a field goal for St. Louis, and he would also nearly fumble the ball away on another play. Overall, the unit did enough to keep the chains moving from time to time, averaging just shy of four yards per carry.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
With Jermaine Kearse inactive due to a hamstring injury suffered in Week 16, rookie receivers Kevin Norwood and Paul Richardson were needed to do more, and they did not disappoint. Richardson took over Kearse's usual snaps and made several key grabs.
He finished the game with a team-leading five receptions and a game-high 60 yards receiving, including the impressive 32-yard catch pictured above. Norwood made two catches of his own for 34 yards. One of his receptions went for 31 yards and set up Marshawn Lynch's nine-yard touchdown gallop.
Luke Willson fell back to earth after his monster performance a week earlier; he dropped two easy passes in the game that proved to be drive-killers. He still ended the afternoon with two catches for 32 yards. The group did well to get open quickly, but poor protection ruined a few opportunities.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
The offensive line allowed Russell Wilson to be sacked three times for a loss of 17 yards in the game, and he was hounded incessantly throughout the afternoon. Rookie Aaron Donald was a constant nuisance on the interior of the offensive line, crushing the pocket and forcing Wilson to move laterally.
Robert Quinn didn't end up with any sacks this go-round but generated a lot of pressure, along with Donald, and kept Wilson from escaping the pocket. The Seahawks offensive line did manage to create some nice creases for long runs from time to time and didn't take the large amount of penalties that has become customary from the unit on a weekly basis.
Pressure on Wilson was expected against this defensive front, but the Rams exceeded those expectations with their ability to get multiple defenders into the backfield several times in the game. The O-line allowed seven hits on Wilson and four tackles for a loss of yardage.
Grade: D+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The bye week that comes with Seattle earning the top seed in the NFC should come in handy as Jordan Hill can take the extra time to recover. Despite leaving the game early, he continued to show his penchant for having his name called, ending his day with half a tackle, half a sack and an incredible interception.
Rams quarterback Shaun Hill was attempting to throw the ball in the dirt to avoid a sack, but Jordan Hill dove toward the ground and caught the pass before it could fall incomplete. Cliff Avril is the man Hill split the sack with, and Kevin Williams and O'Brien Schofield tacked on sacks as well.
Though Michael Bennett didn't record a sack in the game, he was a terror for the Rams offensive line. He made two stops for a loss of yardage and constantly pressured the quarterback. As long as Hill comes back healthy, Seattle's uptick in sacks should continue into the playoffs.
Grade: A
Linebacker
6 of 10
Bruce Irvin seemed to be everywhere on defense for the Seahawks, totaling five tackles, along with a sack and a 49-yard interception return for a touchdown that would ultimately put the game on ice. The interception happened on a pass to tight end Lance Kendricks.
Bobby Wagner came across and knocked the ball from Kendricks' hands, and Irvin was there to pick up the scraps and reap the rewards. Wagner led the unit with 10 tackles and made two tackles for a loss of yardage.
K.J. Wright made several plays in coverage before leaving the game early. He had seven tackles and a pass defensed, before Malcolm Smith took over for him.
St. Louis running back Benny Cunningham proved to be a serious threat for much of the game, racking up seven catches out of the backfield for 57 yards. Tre Mason and Zac Stacy also tacked on 46 additional receiving yards as the Rams running game was almost nonexistent.
Seattle can live with teams trying to make a living on dumpoff throws to running backs if the receivers and tight ends aren't going to be involved. It was a strong showing from the Seattle linebackers.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 10
Just when it seemed as though the Rams might pull themselves back into the game, safety Earl Thomas came in and snuffed out a score. St. Louis was mere inches from a touchdown on one of those dumpoff passes to Benny Cunningham, but Thomas came across and chopped the running back's outstretched arm.
The chop forced Cunningham to fumble the ball through the end zone, which resulted in a touchback and gave Seattle possession. It was a major turn of events for a Rams team that was looking to spoil home-field advantage for its division foes.
Thomas would go on to lead the team with 12 tackles. The rest of the Legion of Boom held the receivers in check for the most part. Kenny Britt led the Rams with four catches for 38 yards. It was a quiet day outside of the numbers for the St. Louis passing game.
Grade: A
Special Teams
8 of 10
Steven Hauschka was back to normal after missing three field goals in Week 16. The Seattle kicker made field goals from 42 and 45 yards out. Jon Ryan averaged just over 40 yards a punt on his three punt attempts, and the coverage team did not allow a single punt return.
It was a different story on kickoff coverage, with Benny Cunningham averaging 26.7 yards per return in the game.
Paul Richardson made a couple of nice kick returns, including a 32-yarder. Bryan Walters was kept in check on punts.
Overall, it was a quiet day on special teams, which is a major improvement over what the unit did against the Rams in Week 7. A quiet day on special teams is fine for the Seahawks against any team due to their dominance on defense.
Grade: A-
Coaching
9 of 10
It was another strong outing from the Seattle Seahawks defense, which was dominant across the board. The defense held the Rams without a touchdown, which made them the fifth opponent this season to fail to score a TD. It also means Seattle has allowed just 39 points in the last six weeks.
Offensively, it was a solid performance against one of the few defenses capable of taking over a game the way Seattle's can. However, you'd like to see offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell make some adjustments sooner than he did.
The Rams didn't attempt any of the hijinks on special teams that we saw in Weeks 7, but I'm sure Seattle was better prepared for any trick plays Jeff Fisher might throw at them.
Grade: A-
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Positional Unit | Overall Grade |
| QB | B |
| RB | B |
| WR/TE | A |
| OL | D+ |
| DL | A |
| LB | A |
| DB | A |
| Special Teams | A |
| Coaching | A- |
| Cumulative Grade | B+ |
It's been a tumultuous season for the Seahawks as they've dealt with a controversial trade, speculation of a split locker room against the quarterback and a rift between the star running back and the head coach. Through it all, the team still managed to right the ship after a 3-3 start and now sits atop the conference.
The way this team is looking now, all of the distractions of the year have been dealt with, and Seattle looks every bit as good as its Super Bowl-winning team of yesteryear. The Seahawks will take their upcoming bye week to heal up a bit and prepare a few new wrinkles for another Super Bowl run.
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