No studs, only duds in Seahawks’ humiliating playoff loss to Rams
In December 2017, the Rams came into Seattle and beat the Seahawks 42-7. On Saturday, in this year’s wild-card round of the playoffs, the Seahawks somehow topped themselves for suffering the worst home loss to the Rams.
Los Angeles marched in and absolutely humiliated the Seahawks in one of the most excruciating games in recent memory. Seattle looked hardly prepared to take the field, let alone in the playoffs.
The Seahawks are now 0-2 against the Rams in the playoffs, who officially ended Seattle’s 10-game home playoff win streak.
The 2020 Seahawks ended a season they started red hot with nothing more than a whimper, as they leave the postseason with a first-round exit.
That being said – here’s a look at Saturday’s duds.
No. 1 Dud - Russell Wilson
Jan 9, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety John Johnson III (43) tackles Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The Rams had a quarterback who was playing with a broken thumb and a quarterback who left the game due to a neck injury after the second series . . . . and Russell Wilson was the worst signal-caller on the field. Wilson was simply dreadful, capping off nearly two months of poor play with perhaps his worst performance to date. Wilson only completed 11 of 27 passes for 174 yards a touchdown, a miserable pick-six, and had another interception dropped. Wilson may have set a personal and franchise record with 40 touchdown passes in 2020, but the irony of the situation is this has been the season he's struggled the most with. Moving forward, the concern with Wilson is the fact this game didn't just come out of the blue. His level of play has regressed from MVP front runner to the caliber you'd expect from a backup, and it's been this way for seven of the last eight weeks.
No. 2 Dud - Offensive line
Jan 9, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) passes the ball while under pressuring during the second half at Lumen Field. Los Angeles defeated Seattle 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
For the first time in weeks, the Seattle Seahawks were finally fielding a fully healthy offensive line. The injury outlook had seemingly swung in their favor heading into the playoffs and would be needed against the Rams' ferocious defensive front. The Rams did not seem to pay any mind, as they had absolutely no problems making life as miserable as possible for Russell Wilson. Los Angeles pressured Wilson on 50% of his dropbacks for the game, which resulted in five sacks and ten total quarterback hits. The killer? Los Angeles hardly blitzed at all during the game. All this pressure was generated by the front four of the Rams' defense. The Seahawks offensive line was outclassed in every respect.
No. 3 Dud - Meaningless statistics
Jan 9, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
I am not someone who judges a season's success solely based on if there is a trip to the Super Bowl or not. However, it is impossible to argue the 2020 season wasn't completely wasted as it ended in a monumental disaster. The Seahawks won (at least) 12 regular-season games for the fifth time in franchise history. The previous three times the team has accomplished such a feat, they advanced to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks set all kinds of offensive records this season. Russell Wilson had the most passing touchdowns, DK Metcalf had the most receiving yards in a season, and kicker Jason Myers remained perfect on the year en route to 37 straight made field goals. The Seahawks also managed to set their own record for most points scored in a season with 459 - all without a defensive or special teams score. And in the end, it was all for nothing, as all it got the Seahawks was a home loss to the hated division rival Rams on Wild Card Weekend.
