What feels good and what doesn’t from Seahawks’ win over Rams

The Seahawks got a much-needed 27-23 win over the L.A. Rams on Sunday to snap a two-game losing streak and stay firmly in the playoff picture.

Instant Reaction: Geno leads winning drive, Seahawks beat Rams 27-23

This isn’t the same Rams team that won last year’s Super Bowl and has had the Seahawks’ number the last few seasons, though, with L.A. down three of its best players and entering the contest in last place in the NFC West.

We often hear in professional sports – especially the NFL – that there’s no such thing as a moral victory in defeat. You win or you lose, and that’s almost always the bottom line.

But what about the inverse? When you win in pretty ugly fashion in a game that shouldn’t have come down to the wire?

Well, the Seahawks won, so that’s obviously the focal point. But there were sure plenty of red flags and concerns in the game, too.

So let’s look at what the Seahawks – and their fans – can feel good about with this win, and what feels bad.

Let’s start positive, shall we?

What feels good

• Geno Smith has his moment

As we’re all aware of by now, Geno Smith has had a fantastic year for the Seahawks. Much better than anyone expected in his first season as a starting quarterback in nearly a decade.

Smith has regularly been one of the top passers in terms of yards and touchdowns this season, and he’s been leading the NFL in completion percentage all season long.

And even with the Seahawks entering Sunday with a two-game losing streak, he still had them at 6-5 entering Sunday in a season in which many thought would land them one of the top picks in the NFL Draft. That latter part is still the case, but that’s due to the porous play of the Denver Broncos.

What Smith had been lacking this year, though, is something that often sets the best quarterbacks apart from the rest – a key game-winning drive late in a game.

Smith had his chances last week to have that big moment, but he and the offense stalled both at the end of the fourth quarter and in overtime in a loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

This week, though, Smith got the ball with the Seahawks down three points with just under 3 minutes left in the game. He orchestrated a brilliant drive that saw him complete 6 of 9 passes for 65 yards, including the game-winning touchdown pass to DK Metcalf with 36 seconds left in the game. That put the Seahawks up 27-23, good enough for their seventh win of the year.

Smith has answered a lot of questions this season about his play, his ceiling and his ability to lead an offense, and he answered another big one this week by leading the charge late against a division foe.

• DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett go off

Metcalf, as mentioned, caught the game-winning touchdown pass, and fellow star receiver Tyler Lockett also found the end zone. That duo did much more than score two touchdowns, though, combining for 17 catches and 255 yards, regularly connecting with Smith for big plays and first downs.

As we’ll get into later, this was a pretty ugly game for the Seahawks, and it’s one that they’re kind of lucky to walk away from with a victory. In those games where a lot of things go wrong, it’s always important to lean on your stars, which is what the Seahawks did on Sunday.

Answered right back. @TDLockett12 x #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/e0eq9CltwE

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 4, 2022

Lockett and Metcalf had nearly 70% of the Seahawks’ receiving yards and over 60% of Smith’s completions. The two were also essentially even in terms of production, with Lockett having nine receptions to Metcalf’s eight and outgaining his younger teammate by just a single yard (128 to 127).

.@dkm14 doing @dkm14 type things. #ProBowlVote

📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX pic.twitter.com/E3z9Kr8cw5

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 4, 2022

Smith and the Seahawks are certainly lucky to have one of the league’s top receiver duos, and that was certainly the case against the Rams.

• DK gets last laugh on Ramsey

Since entering the NFL in 2019, Metcalf has gone up against many of the game’s top cornerbacks, but the most intriguing and physical of those showdowns has been when he and Rams All-Pro Jalen Ramsey go head-to-head.

It’s no secret the two bring a little extra juice when they face off, as both have been flagged for going after the other since Ramsey joined the Rams in 2020. That happened again in Week 13 as things got chippy and Metcalf wound up getting flagged for a post-play altercation as the two lined up against each other.

But Metcalf was the last man standing not just as his Seahawks got the win, but as he caught the game-winning touchdown with Ramsey in man coverage.

Geno finds DK to put the @Seahawks ahead!

📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/HIkZtH0OMm pic.twitter.com/oWUV2Kko4A

— NFL (@NFL) December 5, 2022

That play will certainly be at the front of both stars’ minds the next time the Hawks and Rams face off, which is Week 18 in Seattle in the regular season finale.

• Rookie record for Woolen

As we’ll get into momentarily, this wasn’t a particularly pretty day for the Seahawks on defense. But rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen continued to turn heads with his play.

Don't throw it @_Tariqwoolen's way y'all. #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/a6PF1wdWmd

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 4, 2022

The fifth-round pick recorded his sixth interception of the year, which set a new Seattle rookie record. It’s also the most interceptions by any Seahawks defender since fellow fifth-round pick and receiver-turned-corner Richard Sherman nabbed five picks back in 2013.

But the interception wasn’t all Woolen did as he recorded seven tackles, showed off ridiculous closing speed to break up a pass and then knocked down another pass on the Rams’ final drive.

Special play from a special rookie @_Tariqwoolen 🔒

📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/HIkZtH0OMm pic.twitter.com/MdHUr6bZrg

— NFL (@NFL) December 4, 2022

Kid can ball.

• Welcome back pass rush

The Seahawks have had their issues with the pass rush over the last three to four seasons, and in their two recent losses, that unit effectively disappeared as they had just one sack and five QB hits.

But the defensive front showed more life on Sunday, registering four sacks and nine QB hits with free-agent edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu leading the charge with two sacks and three QB hits.

.@UchennaN_42 making plays and getting to the QB for his 8th sack on the year!

1 RT = 1 #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/wg4qaa4nbh

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 4, 2022

What feels bad

• Unfortunately, much of the same

Aside from an improved pass rush, many of the issues that caused the Seahawks to lose back-to-back games were issues again against the Rams.

The run game overall lacked for the third week in a row, though much of that was because rookie standout Kenneth Walker III left the game with an ankle injury. He had three carries for 36 yards but DeeJay Dallas and Tony Jones Jr. – both of whom were out with injuries at varying points in this game – combined for 51 yards on 17 carries.

Smith was sacked four times and hit eight more times after being hit 16 times and sacked six times in Seattle’s two recent losses. He also lost a fumble as a result of one of those four sacks. And this was all while the Rams were without three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year defensive tackle Aaron Donald wreaking havoc in the trenches.

But what likely stands out to Seahawks fans is that the run defense was again an area of concern.

After starting the year as one of the worst run defenses in football, the Seahawks turned things around in a big way. But after the Rams rushed for 171 yards on 33 carries (5.2 yards per rush) and two scores, the Seahawks’ three-game stretch in terms of defending the run is ugly, to say the least.

Between losses to Tampa Bay and Las Vegas and Sunday’s win over the Rams, the Seahawks have allowed 615 rushing yards on 117 carries (5.25 yards per carry) and five rushing touchdowns.

That’s got to stop, and fast, if the Seahawks want to make the playoffs and potentially make a run at a title.

• This Rams team isn’t the real Rams

Donald wasn’t the only superstar missing for the Rams on Sunday.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford was again out of action, as was star receiver Cooper Kupp, who is out for the year.

Yes, Ramsey and former Hawks star linebacker Bobby Wagner played – and in Wagner’s case, played very well – but L.A. is a different beast when those other three guys are in the mix.

And that’s part of why the game was so frustrating for the Seahawks, who we’ve seen this year rise to the occasion numerous times and also take care of business against lesser opponents.

John Wolford is no Stafford, and no one on that Rams offense comes close to the talent level of Kupp from a receiving standpoint. This is also a Rams team that played their 12th different offensive line combination of the year against the Seahawks. It was their 12th game.

Again, it’s good – and very hard – to walk away from an NFL game with a win, but this is certainly one that shows the Seahawks still have plenty of work to do in order to reach their ceiling this season. And unfortunately, many of those issues are now definitively persistent.

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