Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on Seahawks’ 16-10 win over Rams

We have polled the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle for their initial reactions to the Seahawks’ 16-10 win over the Rams. Check out what they have to say below, and tune in to 710 ESPN Seattle on Monday for even more Seahawks reaction.

Tom Wassell of Bob, Groz and Tom

Defense made a ton of big plays. Sheldon Richardson, Frank Clark, Jarran Reed, Earl Thomas – I probably missed someone. I said all week that it would come down to the Seahawks forcing mistakes out of Rams quarterback Jared Goff. That’s what they did, and that’s why they won. A performance like this will make them a tough opponent for any team they face. All that said, they got lucky Cooper Kupp dropped the pass in the end zone at the end of the game. Goff made a great throw there. I’m taking a break from writing about the offense this week. Oh, wait, Jimmy Graham had a nice game.

Mike Salk of Brock and Salk

This is one of those games where your opinion of what happened depends entirely on your perspective. Personally, I think it’s a great early season win that sets up the Seahawks in the pole position for the NFC West. But it sure wasn’t that simple. The Hawks continue to struggle with running the ball, with play calling, and with third down defense. But on this day, it was their ability to stop the run and make big plays on defense that carried them to a win. They forced the Rams to go 0 for 4 in the red zone with five turnovers in the game. It may not always look like you expect, but that is the Pete Carroll defense we have all wanted to see. They might cause you to abandon faith, but right when you do, that is when they play their best.

Jim Moore of Danny, Dave and Moore

I thought it would be a higher-scoring game and, frankly, I figured the Rams would win, but the Seahawks showed that their defense is as solid as ever by holding a Los Angeles team to 25 points below their season average. The supposedly higher-flying Rams were grounded all day. Todd Gurley never made much headway in the running game, and Jared Goff looked more like the Jared Goff from last year than the one that was supposed to be a new-and-improved version this year. Big plays returned for the Seahawks’ defense with interceptions by Sheldon Richardson and Earl Thomas and a strip sack by Frank Clark that led to a nice recovery and runback by Richardson. The Seahawks also kept the Rams out of the end zone on the final play with a double-coverage blanket of Cooper Kupp by Justin Coleman and Kam Chancellor. So much for the new pup trying to replace the old dog in the NFC West.

Bob Stelton of Bob, Groz and Tom

It was a big day for the Seahawks’ defense and an even bigger day for Earl Thomas. Without Earl on the field the Seahawks lose this game, and I don’t think there is much debate about that. He was able to keep the Rams out of the end zone early in the game when he knocked the ball loose from Todd Gurley and it bounced off the pylon, giving the Hawks the ball back. Late in the game he came up with an interception to end a Rams drive. Overall the defense bent but didn’t break against the highest-scoring team in the league, holding them to 10 points on their home field. The offense struggled with protection throughout the game – again. But I thought the coaches did a nice job of adjusting to this by moving the pocket and allowing Wilson to use his mobility to extend plays. The running game did very little with the Eddie Lacy/Thomas Rawls/J.D. McKissic combination, but that can be attributed to the offensive line opening up very few holes. Overall this was a huge win on the road against a division rival, and a perfect way to go into the bye week. Now they can rest, heal up and build on a very positive result in a game where they were the rare underdog.

Dave Grosby of Bob, Groz and Tom

A championship-type performance by the defense. Earl Thomas showed why he is one of the best safeties to ever play the game, and Sheldon Richardson had a coming-out party as well. The D shut down Todd Gurley and dared Jared Goff to beat the Seahawks – which he nearly did, by the way. The offense had their struggles but this is one that’s gotta feel really good. L.A. had been rolling and you stopped that momentum cold. You won the game the way the Seahawks used to win – turnover margin and suffocating defense. That having been said, Jared Goff looks like he’s for real and the Rams appear to be the real competition in the NFC West. The Dec. 17 game in Seattle will be very important, I imagine. But right now it’s celebration time,and I’m sure it would be fun to be on that plane flying back to Seattle after earning this road win.