Seahawks Instant Reaction: Wild battle with Rams ends with OT loss

The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams did what they tend to do when they play each other, which is have a wild, back-and-forth and bizarre showdown.

And has been the case in most of their more recent meetings, the Rams eventually prevailed.

Seahawks lose | Observations | 3 Truths | Injuries | Stats

A failed fourth-and-1 play in overtime and three interceptions thrown by Seahawks QB Geno Smith loom large as Los Angeles won 26-20 after a 39-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Demarcus Russell in sudden death.

DEMARCUS. CALLS. GAME.

📺: @NFLonFOX | #RamsHouse pic.twitter.com/GfJ4NqdDle

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) November 4, 2024

The Seahawks, now 4-5 on the season, will have a lot of time to think about this one as they have a bye next week, so they won’t return to action until Sunday, Nov. 17 on the road against the San Francisco 49ers.

As we do after every Seahawks game, we have collected the instant reactions to the loss from the voices of Seattle Sports. See what they have to say below, and tune in all day Monday on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app for even more reaction and analysis beginning at 6 a.m. with Brock and Salk and The Mike Macdonald Show at 9:30 a.m. with the Seahawks head coach.

Mike Salk – Brock and Salk (6-10 a.m. weekdays)

I’ll say this for the Seahawks: they don’t go down without a fight. They don’t give up and they made a few superhuman plays to give themselves a chance in a game that could have slipped far away from them. They felt exactly like a team with its back against the wall fighting for its season. And while the battle was valiant, the result was still not enough.

This team is flawed. The Seahawks are sloppy, as evidenced by three interceptions and more issues corralling snaps from the shotgun. They are undisciplined, which can be seen from 12 penalties for 95 yards. They don’t play with consistent physicality, unfortunately proven in their two failed attempts to gain one yard in overtime. And while the effort level is often there (like on the punt block and Coby Bryant’s hit to send the game to overtime), the results speak for themselves. They’ve now lost five of six games and four straight at home.

They’ll have two weeks to let this one sink in. If that was truly their last, best effort to save the season, it could be a long two months. But if they can take from the positives, clean up some of the issues and see themselves as a team just a few plays away, they could show enough momentum in the second half of the season to set a foundation for next year.

Bob Stelton – Wyman and Bob (2-7 p.m.)

The fact that the Seahawks were able to get this game to overtime was a minor miracle. This game unfortunatel, had so many of the same characteristics as the Bills debacle a week before.

Untimely penalties (12 for 95 yards), turnovers, terrible O-line play. The defense kept them in this game until the Rams got the ball in overtime, and that’s where the defense took a step back.

A couple of positives on the day: it was a career day for Jaxon Smith-Njigba with seven catches for 180 yards and two TDs.

JSN has breakout game Seahawks have been waiting for

Cody White had two catches for 44 yards and a blocked punt.

The Seahawks’ defense held the Rams to 68 rushing yards.

There were also a few players on defense that had solid days out there. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to overcome a disastrous day from the O-line and three interceptions by Geno Smith. Throw in a couple of botched snaps (again!) and those 12 penalties, and you have a perfect recipe for their fifth loss in their last six games.

The bottom line is that this team just is not talented enough to keep making these kinds of mistakes and expect to overcome them. This is a mediocre team at best right now, and until they can play clean football for more than just one quarter a game, they’re going to come out on the short end more often than not.

They’ve got two weeks to get it pointed in the right direction before the division and playoffs slip away from them.

Dave Wyman – Wyman and Bob/Seahawks Radio Network analsyt

Mike Lefko – Wyman and Bob

This is a painful one for how much of a swing it represented. The Seahawks had a 10-point halftime lead and a chance to go into the bye in first place in the division. Instead, they fall to last in the NFC West, with an 0-2 divisional record that does not help matters.

One of the most passionate debates we encounter is whether the Seahawks can win with Geno Smith. The “move on from Geno” crowd have a couple of strong points in their favor after two red zone interceptions. The game completely turned on the 103-yard pick-6. That close to the end zone in a tie game, a throw like that off your back foot can’t be made under any circumstance.

What makes Geno such a lightning rod for this debate though is precisely what he showed on the Seahawks’ final drive: multiple incredibly accurate throws, and a game-tying TD to complete a 73-yard drive in just 1:03. We did learn that JSN can be a true receiving threat, and it might get lost in the midst of the chaotic finish, but that was by far the best game of his career.

Questions can certainly be asked about the playcalling in those red zone situations that led to the interceptions, as well. For an offensive line that has trouble holding up in pass protection, asking a quarterback to drop back and pass the ball instead of handing off to a running back who has shown the ability to pick up tough, physical yardage is a decision that deserves its share of scrutiny. Equal to that is the fourth down play call in overtime. I’m fine with the decision to go for it, but the play call could have been better. For as good as Kenneth Walker III can be, don’t turn around and hand the ball off when you need less than a yard and the defense can completely sell out to stop the run. Would have loved to see something moving forward, a la a QB sneak or a quick handoff to the fullback.

I am slightly annoyed I can’t even complain about some of the more egregious officiating blunders, because it’s always fun to rant about the much-needed overhaul to the officiating process. But after the Seahawks overcame the bad call on Derick Hall by holding the Rams to a field goal and the subsequent red zone interceptions, it wasn’t the officials who decided this one.

It is a tough way to go into a bye week, with a lot of time to think about this one and a matchup with the 49ers looming on the other side.

Brock Huard – Brock and Salk

So many glaring issues with these Seahawks in ‘24

The defensive front played so much better but Woolen was a liability throughout

JSN explodes but Geno’s picks & the OL woes washes it away

12 penalties. 7 Sacks allowed. Situational Shortcomings

Losers of 5 of 6 into a BYE

— Brock Huard (@BrockHuard) November 4, 2024

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