Instant Reaction: 710 ESPN Seattle on Seahawks’ 36-31 loss to Rams

The Seahawks came up short at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, losing 36-31 to a Rams team that improved to 9-1 on the year. Seattle, meanwhile, falls to 4-5 with a tough Thursday night battle with the Packers just four days away.

Seahawks’ most painful loss yet | Takeaways | Recap | Photos

As we do after every Seahawks game, we polled the voices of 710 ESPN Seattle for their instant reactions to the loss to the Rams. Here’s a preview of what you’ll be able to hear them talking about on the air Monday.

Mike Salk (Brock and Salk)

The more I watch these Seahawks, the more I like them. They play good football, they don’t give up, they frustrate their opponents and they are better than most thought. They are fun to watch. They are playing the game in a specific style and they are stubbornly sticking to that. Without that identity, they wouldn’t be in position to win.

But if you want to play that style, you simply have to out-execute your opponent in key spots. That means they needed at least three points at the end of the first half and they needed to finish that final drive in the end zone.

Russell Wilson was a huge reason for the Seahawks having a shot in this game. He was brilliant with his legs (92 rushing yards) and arm throughout. But for the fourth time this year, he was unable to convert on a game-winning drive. That is simply not quite good enough.

All of that said, there was once again more good than bad in this game. And while the margin for error to make the playoffs this season is now next to zero, the future continues to look bright for this group in a ‘turning’ year.

Jim Moore (Danny, Dave and Moore)

I suppose there will be complaints about Russell Wilson losing the ball on a strip sack by Dante Fowler that severely damaged the Seahawks’ chances to win. But Wilson led a frantic comeback that nearly erased the Rams’ 12-point lead. For the first time in a long time, Wilson looked like he had his quickness and elusiveness back again, two weeks before his 30th birthday.

As was the case with the 33-31 loss to the Rams last month in Seattle, there were a lot of positives to take out of this defeat, starting with the first 100-yard game of Rashaad Penny’s career. If Chris Carson continues to be sidelined, Seattle showed it has a good backup plan with Penny and Mike Davis.

The biggest downside is falling to 4-5, reducing the margin of error for a wild-card berth.

Bob Stelton (Bob, Groz and Tom)

That was another one score game against one of the best teams in the league, as the Seahawks showed that they’re probably better than their record would indicate. This isn’t a bunch of smoke or me trying to sell a silver lining. They lost and that stinks. But the fact that they were a score away on the road, despite being without D.J. Fluker and Chris Carson, plus with Bradley McDougald clearly not 100 percent, shouldn’t be lost on anybody.

The Hawks received a breakout performance from Rashaad Penny: 108 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries. The team as a whole rushed for 273 yards, so the running game continues to produce.

Russell Wilson had another day of good, bad and ugly. He threw for 3 TDs and rushed for 92 yards. But once again, a late game turnover ultimately was the difference. And the final play of the game on fourth down, coming out of a timeout, was head-scratching at best.

Defensively we knew it would be a tough day. Todd Gurley gashed the Seahawks for 120 yards and a TD. But the bigger problem seemed to be the middle of the field. The Rams ate them alive with crossing patterns (aided by some poor tackling) the entire game.

Ultimately all that matters is that the Seahawks lost, but they definitely gave the fans a reason to expect to be in every game with a chance to win.