The Rams went into Seattle and showed their teeth to the rest of the NFC in a way we haven’t seen them do before — and it was stunning.
It got to the point on Sunday during the Rams evisceration of the Seahawks, that someone at FOX should have put the game behind a paywall at halftime. Refunds should have been issued and apology letters should be hitting mailboxes in the greater Seattle area by the end of the week.
Los Angeles, in a statement game unlike one we’ve seen from them before, firmly moved ahead of the Eagles as the third-most dangerous team in the NFC behind the Saints and Vikings. A few analysts thought the Rams might be able to win, but no one saw the 42-7 annihilation coming.
It’s the worst Seahawks home loss since 2010
You have to go back seven years to find the last time the Seahawks were blown out at home. The last time a beatdown like this happened was in Pete Caroll’s first year as head coach, in a 40-7 loss to the Tom Coughlin coached New York Giants.
For context, it was Marshawn Lynch’s first year in Seattle, Mike Williams (yes, the 2005 USC Trojans Mike Williams) was a top receiver, and Lofa Tatupu was the best-known defensive star for the Seahawks.
There’s more: Russell Wilson was still at NC State, Calvin Johnson’s controversial non-catch that sparked the whole catch rule debate was just a few months old, and the Saints were defending Super Bowl champions.
That’s how far back you have to go to find a home loss this bad.
It also happens to be a loss that drops them out of the playoff hunt, which makes it sting even more. Seattle needs a lot of help to make the playoffs at this point, and have all but lost their shot at a division title. The Seahawks still have an outside chance of winning the NFC West, but they’d need to win out and have the Rams lose their final two games. Since those two games for Los Angeles are against the Titans and 49ers, the prospects of a division title are slim at best for Seattle.
Beyond that, the Seahawks need a miracle in order to make the playoffs, but stranger things have happened.
Todd Gurley set a bunch of new career records
The real hero of this blowout for the Rams was Todd Gurley, and it’s fitting. All year long, Sean McVay has masked Gurley by making us all think that Jared Goff was the reason the offense was the highest scoring unit in the league.
Turns out, it was Gurley.
By posting 152 yards, Gurley now has 1,187 yards on the season which is a new career-best. His previous record was set in his stellar rookie campaign when he finished with 1,106 yards. With two games left in the season, Gurley has a real chance to finish with around 1,400 yards and make his case for being the MVP this year. There’s a void with Carson Wentz out, and if Antonio Brown is out for the season then Gurley is the best competition.
Russell Wilson has over 2,000 yards when the Seahawks are trailing
There’s an argument to be made that Russell Wilson is the MVP, even if his team is coming off back-to-back losses. Wilson is on pace for 4,000 yards passing this season but over half those yards have come with the Seahawks trailing.
That’s a testament to the fact that Seattle is an 8-win team this year, something that doesn’t happen with many other quarterbacks. There’s a notion that the Legion of Boom hasn’t produced a Defensive Player of the Year because the entire unit is too good for one player to stand out. Wilson suffers from this same thing, where he makes the offense look so good that it actually takes away from how good he looks individually. We’re starting to appreciate this more with his mobility and the way he keeps plays alive.
Next: Best NFL player from each state
If he finishes the season with half of his total passing yards coming in situations where he’s rallied the team from behind, that’s only going to further the narrative that he’s one of the most underrated gems in football.