Rams vs. Seahawks: Postgame Recap, Grades and Notes for Seattle

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had held a lead at one point in every game in his NFL career.

Until Sunday, that is.  

The Seahawks were dismantled at home by the St. Louis Rams, losing 23-17. The game wasn't nearly as close as the final score might indicate. 

Turnovers struck Seattle early, as fullback Will Tukuafu fumbled on a first-quarter third down and the ball was returned by St. Louis linebacker Akeem Ayers for a 45-yard touchdown. The Rams held a 10-0 lead at that point in the game. 

It wasn't before long that the Seahawks found themselves down by 16 points after a 28-yard touchdown throw from Rams quarterback Case Keenum.

Wideout Kenny Britt beat Seahawks corner Richard Sherman deep down the sideline in single coverage and laid out for the touchdown grab in the end zone. The Rams would whiff on the following extra-point attempt. 

At halftime, Seattle trailed 16-3.

But the resilient Seahawks fought back in the second half, putting together a nice drive to open the third quarter. 

Seattle covered 67 yards on 11 plays, finishing the drive with a 25-yard touchdown throw from Wilson to Doug Baldwin. As you can see in this highlight, the throw from Wilson was magnificently placed in between four Rams defenders.

Wilson was not the reason the Seahawks lost this game. He finished with 289 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception, his first in the last six games.

For the first time in six weeks, the Seahawks lost the battle in the trenches. It's a big reason why Seattle lost its final home game of the regular season at CenturyLink Field.  

Wilson was sacked four times on Sunday. That number could have been doubled, and that isn't an exaggeration. Seattle's offensive line, which was missing starting left tackle Russell Okung, stood little chance against the Rams' ferocious pass rush. 

In two games this season against the Seahawks, the Rams have totaled 10 sacks. That number is directly tied to the fact that St. Louis swept Seattle. 

Seattle's front five couldn't get the running game going, either. 

Fred Jackson led Seahawks running backs with 11 rushing yards on the day. Christine Michael and Bryce Brown combined for 15 rushing yards on 13 carries. 

Without an effective rushing attack, the Seahawks couldn't dictate the tempo of the game. And if the beginning of the season taught us nothing else, it was that the 2015 Seahawks aren't going to come back from too many early deficits. 

The Rams seemed to know that, jumping out to an early lead with aggressive play-calling on both sides of the ball. 

But in the fourth quarter, on arguably the game's most important drive, the Rams got incredibly lucky.

St. Louis was somehow able to recover two of its own fumbles en route to a critical late-game touchdown.

The first fumble came on a short third down for the Rams. Running back Benny Cunningham was stripped by Seattle's K.J. Wright, but the ball went forward five yards before being recovered by the Rams.

It was enough for a first down.

Two plays later, Rams running back Todd Gurley fumbled on a big hit by Seattle's DeShawn Shead after a 20-yard scamper. But the ball was again recovered by St. Louis, this time at the Seahawks 2-yard line.

It would lead to a short touchdown run by Gurley, proving to be the nail in the Seahawks' coffin on Sunday. 

After trading three-and-out possessions with the Rams, Seattle would eventually drive down the field and score a touchdown on an 18-yard pass from Wilson to Jermaine Kearse. 

But only 17 seconds remained in the game, and Seattle's ensuing onside-kick attempt failed, giving the Rams their first road win in Seattle since 2004.

Continue reading for a team report card and notes on the Seattle loss. 

Seahawks Report Card

John Froschauer/Associated Press

Quarterback: B

Hard to blame Wilson for this loss, even if his second-quarter interception was a doomed pass from the moment it left his hands. 

This guy just doesn't quit. Wilson took an absolute beating in Sunday's game, yet he kept his composure long enough to get the Seahawks within a touchdown of the Rams in the game's waning moments. 

Running Backs: C-

Tukuafu's fumble counts against this group's grade, but Seattle's runners still wouldn't have scored high without it. 

Jackson, Michael and Brown combined for 26 rushing yards on the day. That isn't enough rushing yardage to beat anyone. 

Much of this group's lack of success is a product of poor offensive line play. Still, Seattle's running backs didn't do enough of anything to warrant any higher of a grade.

Wide Receivers: B-

Baldwin set a franchise record by catching his 14th touchdown of the season. By himself, Baldwin would get an A.

But the team's other wideouts were essentially non-factors in the game. Kearse finished with 38 total receiving yards—almost half of those came on his 18-yard score in garbage time. 

It's worth noting that rookie Tyler Lockett, while only finishing with three catches for 33 yards, was banged up on the play where Wilson was intercepted. He did end up leaving the game for a little while, but he came back in and was immediately targeted for a nine-yard gain.

The bottom line here? Baldwin was the only wide receiver among Seattle's three leading pass-catchers on Sunday. 

That's not good enough from a position group standpoint. 

Tight Ends: C

The lack of a legitimate tight end finally caught up to the Seahawks on Sunday. 

Starter Luke Willson left the game early with an injury, and replacement Cooper Helfet wasn't very effective.

Helfet finished with 43 receiving yards but was simply outmatched in pass protection duties against St. Louis' defensive front. 

With Seattle's receivers being nullified, Wilson needed a tight end to step up and be a safety blanket in Sunday's game. 

No such luck.

Offensive Line: D

Okung's absence was heavily felt in Sunday's loss. Replacement left tackle Alvin Bailey was repeatedly beaten off the line of scrimmage, resulting in more than one sack of Wilson.  

But Bailey was far from the O-line's only problem. To be fair, the entire group failed to do much of anything against the Rams, resulting in Wilson running for his life on more plays than not. 

Not only was Seattle's front five horrid in pass protection, but the unit failed to open up any holes for the team's committee of running backs.

It was an awful day for (seemingly) one of the most-improved position groups for the Seahawks during the past six weeks.

Defensive Line: B-

Seattle's front four failed to register a single sack on Sunday but held fast against the run—until the game's fourth quarter.

Almost 60 of Gurley's 85 rushing yards came in the game's final frame on back-breaking drives that either ended in a score or ate away precious time. 

The Seahawks defensive line performed like a unit that was worn down over the course of a physical game. 

Linebackers: C

Bruce Irvin was flagged for a late hit on Keenum in the second quarter. It was an unnecessary and flagrant penalty.

Otherwise, Seattle's linebackers were beaten soundly on short passes from Keenum and the Rams offense. The linebackers also failed to jump on Cunningham's fourth-quarter fumble despite the ball rolling into their zone behind the defensive line.

Defensive Backs: C

The Seahawks secondary wasn't awful, but it wasn't great, either. 

Keenum only threw for 103 passing yards against Seattle but was able to find open receivers on a regular basis, especially in the beginning of the game.

Worst of all, though, cornerback Jeremy Lane had a clear chance to recover Gurley's fourth-quarter fumble in the red zone, but he missed his opportunity. The ensuing score by Gurley all but put the game away.

Special Teams: A

It was an OK day from Seattle's special teams, as kicker Steven Hauschka didn't miss any kicks and there weren't any game-altering mistakes from this group.

Coaching: C-

This team was not prepared, and it showed on the field.

The Rams were more physical than the Seahawks and had a better game plan, which was obvious from the beginning of the game.

St. Louis had answers for everything Seattle did on offense. What's worse is that the Seahawks' strategy didn't change enough during the course of the game to fix what was going wrong.

Seattle came out of the tunnel overconfident and lost the game because of it. That falls on coaching. 

Game Notes

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

Baldwin Sets Franchise Record

Although Baldwin's third-quarter touchdown catch didn't end up helping Seattle win, it did set a Seahawks franchise record.

Baldwin's 14 touchdown catches are the most by any Seahawk receiver in a single season, breaking Daryl Turner's record of 13 in 1985.

The fifth-year pro has been one of the Seahawks' only reliable wideouts this season, exemplified by Sunday's performance. Baldwin finished with 118 receiving yards and a touchdown, while his fellow starting wideouts, Kearse and Lockett, combined for just 71 yards and no scores.

But Baldwin isn't focusing on records at this point in the season.

"I'll think about it when I retire," said Baldwin, according to Stephen Cohen of Seattlepi.com. 

Instead, Baldwin is happier (if that's the right word) that the loss came on Sunday rather than in the postseason.

"This shows us there are still some things we have to correct," Baldwin said, according to Gregg Bell of the News Tribune. "Obviously, it's good to happen now."

Offensive Line Folds

The turnaround in play from the Seahawks offensive line had been a surprisingly optimistic story in the back half of the season.

That story took a pessimistic twist on Sunday, as the O-line allowed Wilson to be sacked four times against the Rams.

This is a bad stat for a couple of reasons.

First, the lack of proper pass protection led to Seattle's demise on Sunday. The Seahawks offense was unable to find the rhythm it's had during the team's five-game win streak, which started with losing the battle up front.

Second, the Rams have officially exposed the Seahawks offense. By studying the game tape of Seattle's two losses to St. Louis, opposing teams in the playoffs will have a blueprint to siege the Seahawks front line. 

Expect the team's coaching staff to slightly tweak offensive schemes to try and disguise the O-line's weaknesses. 

But not all is lost. Lineman Garry Gilliam is staying optimistic despite one of the front five's worst performances in the last eight games. 

"With failure comes a great opportunity for growth," Gilliam said via Twitter. 

And that brings us to our final point...

Not Yet Panic Time

There will, understandably, be some fallout over this loss from fans and the team alike. But sometimes, a loss like Sunday's can help put a team in the right mindset going into the playoffs. 

Let's face it—during Seattle's five-game win streak, the Seahawks only beat two teams that can be considered quality opponents: the Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.

The Rams were the next-best team the Seahawks have faced in the last two months. A loss to them, while deflating, will help the Seahawks toughen up for the playoffs.

They might have entered Week 16 feeling unstoppable, which is likely why they lost.

But if there's anything certain about this team under head coach Pete Carroll, it's that they respond well to adversity. 

And the 12th Man should expect nothing less going forward. The Seahawks should still be considered a dangerous team in the postseason. Overlooking Seattle in the playoffs is a recipe for disaster, and it's just what the team will want.

So, forget today's loss as much as you can—because the Seahawks are going to be just fine. 

Ethan is a Seahawks Game Day Correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ebai_today for musings about the NFL.