Fansided

Rams at Seahawks: Highlights, score and recap

By James Dudko

Dec 15, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (88) carries the ball in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams during a NFL football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 15, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (88) carries the ball in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams during a NFL football game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Highlights, recap and key players from the Seattle Seahawks’ 24-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 15.

Russell Wilson threw three touchdowns to help the Seattle Seahawks dismantle the Los Angeles Rams 24-3 on Thursday Night Football in Week 15.

Wilson connected on scoring passes with tight end Luke Willson and wide receivers Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett at CenturyLink Field. The Wilson and Lockett double act helped the Seahawks wrack up 229 passing yards and improve to 9-4-1 atop the NFC West.

By contrast, the Rams slipped to a 10th defeat in their first game since firing Jeff Fisher as head coach. Interim boss John Fassel saw rookie quarterback Jared Goff sacked four times and eventually forced off by a suffocating Seattle pass rush.

Goff, backup Case Keenum and the Rams combined for a meagre 214 yards of offense on the night. Their only points came on a Greg Zuerlein 36-yard field goal in the second quarter.

24. 36. 3. 51. Final

Highlights

https://twitter.com/nflnetwork/status/809578370421792768

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809579924663070724

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809583674098204672

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809591883068387328

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809604866809044993

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809608033152028673

Three Stars

1. Russell Wilson

As he often does against the Rams, Wilson took time to hit his stride on Thursday night. The dual-threat ace missed a few open receivers and suffered through some sacks early on.

But Seattle’s half-sized Houdini is as resilient as he is gifted. He found Willson from 8 yards out in the first quarter, with the play relayed on the NFL’s official Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809583674098204672

Wilson later hit Baldwin from a yard in the third quarter for his second TD pass of the night. Baldwin beat single coverage with a typically nifty move at the goal-line:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809605250290094080

Wilson made his biggest plays whenever he looked Lockett’s way. The duo effectively killed the game on a 57-yard bomb at the start of the fourth quarter.

Wilson’s made a career out of finding big plays when he and the Seahawks need them. He did it routinely against a game but overworked Rams defense.

2. Tyler Lockett

Lockett refused to be stopped by a secondary unable to cope with his vertical speed. Wilson exploited the mismatch brilliantly to begin the final quarter:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809608033152028673

The long score was merely the signature play of a monster night for Lockett. He hauled in seven of Wilson’s passes for 130 yards.

More important than his numbers, Lockett added the big-play dimension the Seattle offense had lacked in recent weeks.

3. Seahawks’ Pass Rush

It’s impossible to single out just one member of a swarming pass rush that harried, hammered and eventually knocked Goff out of the game. Pressure came from everywhere along the front, with multiple players getting in on the act.

Rush end Cliff Avril was one of those frequently hitting Goff. Avril logged 1.5 sacks, including a strip-sack off the edge:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809599854879993856

What was most impressive was the way Seattle kept the heat on Goff and Co. Head coach Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Kris Richard moved linemen around, often shifting three to cover up both guards and the center.

They also had linemen run a host of stunts and games inside, while occasionally supplementing the front with a blitzing linebacker or two. A good example of Seattle’s schemed swarm came on this sack eventually credited to rotational rusher Cassius Marsh:

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/809601275092299776

The aggressive concepts sent at Goff were a far cry from the passive three- and four-man rush schemes the Seahawks floundered with during last week’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.

This is what Seattle’s high-powered defense is supposed to look like when the coaches turn their playmakers loose.

The Seahawks don’t have a combination of blockers who can sustain a double team against 99. If the Rams are smart, they’ll move Donald around to target weak blockers and keep Wilson and Rawls off balance.

Next Week

The Seahawks will host another NFC West foe, the Arizona Cardinals, in Week 16. Meanwhile, a home game against the San Francisco 49ers awaits the Rams.

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