Observations from Seahawks’ down-to-the-wire win over Rams

Jan 5, 2025, 4:56 PM | Updated: 5:50 pm

AJ Barner of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates his touchdown with Geno Smith during a 2025 game. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

BY ZAC HERETH

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks ended their season on a high note.

Seahawks win | Instant Reaction | Rost on the season | Stats

With a chance to reach the 10-win mark in head coach Mike Macdonald’s first season, the Seahawks outlasted the divisional rival Los Angeles Rams 30-25 in a down-to-the-wire finish on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The victory made Macdonald the winningest first-year coach in franchise history, surpassing the nine wins of Mike Holmgren and Chuck Knox’s debut seasons.

Here are five observations from the Seahawks’ season-closing victory.

Geno ends up-and-down season on high note: Quarterback Geno Smith figures to be the center of much offseason discussion as he heads into the final year of his contract with an extension potentially in the future. The Seahawks won’t make that decision based off of one game, but Smith did what he could to help his case in the final game of the season. The veteran quarterback battled through an apparent leg injury to lead Seattle on a game-winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter and closed the season with an overall efficient performance, completing 20 of 27 passes for 223 yards and his first career game with four TD passes. He showed off some of his playmaking ability along the way, with the highlight of the day coming on a 20-yard TD pass to DK Metcalf in the second quarter. Smith spun out of a collapsing pocket and fired a dart down the middle of the field to an open Metcalf. Regardless of what happens in the future, Smith did quite a bit to help out his bank account on Sunday. He hit three separate $2 million contract escalators by finishing the season with a completion percentage of at least 69.8%, reaching 4,282 passing yards and securing 10 wins.

DK TD!

📺: #SEAvsLAR on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/64CRTPgp3z

— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025

Offense continues unwanted streak: With a punt on their opening drive, the Seahawks went the entire season without scoring a touchdown on their first drive of a game. Seattle hasn’t had an opening-drive TD in its past 21 contests, a streak that dates back to Dec. 10, 2023. The Seahawks’ 17 opening drives this season have ended with 10 punts, five field goals and two interceptions. Additionally, the team scored just 67 first-quarter points this season, and 34 of those came in two games. If offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is back for a second year, figuring out a way to start games faster is problem that needs to be addressed.

Disappointing finish for defense: The defense got the stop it needed in the end, but it couldn’t capitalize on a chance to put together one last strong performance to cap the season. The Rams rested nearly all of their key offensive players, including starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Kyren Williams, wide receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, and three starting offensive linemen. Yet backup Jimmy Garoppolo and an array of role players and reserves moved the ball up and down the field without too much resistance from Seattle’s defense. Los Angeles’ 25 points and 403 yards were each above its season averages. Seattle did lose a couple of key defensive pieces in this one. Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and cornerback Riq Woolen left the game with injuries in the first half and did not return, but that doesn’t match all of the pieces the Rams were playing without.

Tight ends have best day in finale: Wide receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf are normally the ones leading the way in the passing game. However, it was Seattle’s tight ends who were key Sunday. AJ Barner and Noah Fant each had a team-high five receptions to combine for 98 yards and both of the Seahawks’ second-half touchdowns. Barner finished up what’s been a surprisingly productive rookie year with 34 yards and a touchdown. His four TD receptions are tied for the most by a Seattle tight end since Jimmy Graham had 10 in 2017. Fant was just two yards off his season best with 63 yards, and he came up with the game’s biggest catch on an acrobatic, 16-yard grab in the fourth quarter, his first TD reception since Dec. 24, 2022.

That's one way to score.

Touchdown @nrfant! pic.twitter.com/Oa6MM84Fc1

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) January 6, 2025

Big Cat puts stamp on career year: Leonard Williams was the most obvious Pro Bowl snub for the Seahawks, and he reiterated why with another stellar performance in the finale. Williams collected a pair of second-half sacks that proved to be critical in the final outcome. His first sack came on a third-and-1 play in the third quarter and forced the Rams to settle for field goal. The next came on a third-and-8 on the Seahawks’ 20-yard line and forced another Los Angeles field goal. Williams, who finished the season with 11 sacks, became the first Seahawk to reach 10 sacks in a season since 2018.