Rams vs Seahawks: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The St. Louis Rams (2-8) fell victim to the Seattle Seahawks (4-6) with a final score of 24-7. It was an absolute embarrassment for the Rams in front of their home crowd at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. 


Prior to the Seattle game, the Rams had won two of their last three games, and even the one loss during that three game stretch came against the Arizona Cardinals in a close battle that ended in overtime. 


For a moment it seemed as though the Rams were done rolling over for second-tier NFL teams, but just when things began to improve, Seattle came to town to serve a big plate full of reality. 


The Rams, as a team, are completely lost. The offense they put on the field against Seattle was nothing short of an embarrassment to the fanbase and the entire city of St. Louis. 


Putting up only seven total points against a beatable opponent on your home field is unacceptable even for a high school team, but when it happens to a professional team it's just a shining example of how lost and incompetent the leadership really is. 


But for now, here is the breakdown of Sunday's game against Seattle...

The Good

The fact that Seattle scored 24 points might suggest the defense had a below average game, but that's not the case. They actually played an excellent game. 


The pathetic Rams offense can only have so many three-and-outs before the defense gets winded and starts coughing up points. If the Rams were capable of fielding even a half-competent offense then the defense would have likely held Seattle to less than ten points. 


Safety Quintin Mikell had a solid start to the game, recording a forced fumble and an interception on back-to-back plays. The other safety, Darian Stewart, continued to look like a rising star with eight tackles and a sack. 

James Laurinaitis was a madman with 13 tackles, while defensive ends Chris Long, James Hall and Robert Quinn each recorded a sack (Quinn had a blocked punt as well). 


Linebacker Chris Chamberlain had an interception early in the first quarter, but was very average for the remainder of the game.


Brandon Lloyd is the only offensive player worth mentioning—he had five catches for 67 yards, including a 30 yard touchdown reception for the Rams' only score of the game.  




The Bad



Sam Bradford had an awful game. It was just absolutely terrible, but that's not to say he was even given the opportunity to succeed to begin with. 


The pass blocking was atrocious. For every play Bradford had decent protection, there were three where he could feel Seattle's defensive line breathing down his neck. His blindside was completely vulnerable for the majority of the game. 


Also, the receivers struggled with dropped passes once again. 


You can't blame Bradford when his line is committing stupid personal foul and false start penalties (all while providing no protection), and his receivers drop passes and have zero physical presence. But it is fair to say he wasn't on top of his game.


Steven Jackson was another player that didn't play up to his full potential. He had 42 yards on 15 carries (2.8 yards per carry) and no touchdowns. But like Bradford, Jackson is only as good as his linemen allow him to be.

The Ugly

This doesn't necessarily involve the Seattle game alone, but here are some ugly thoughts concerning the current state of the Rams offense...


Josh McDaniels was brought to St. Louis because he was thought of as an offensive guru that ran an offense that was compatible with the strengths of Sam Bradford. 

The Rams refused to hire a quarterback coach to guide Bradford. The team was under the impression that McDaniels would take Bradford under his wing while simultaneously operating the entire offense. 


Not only has Bradford regressed under McDaniels' watch, but the entire offense has seemingly been reduced to debris. 


Bradford has only five touchdown passes in eight games, while the rest of the offense has been equally awful:


- Yards per game (297.9, ranked 30th)


- Total points (120, ranked 32nd)


- Points per game (12.0, ranked 32nd)


- Yards per play (4.5, ranked 31st)


- Third-down efficiency (29.1 percent, ranked 32nd)


- Penalties (74, ranked 24th)


Another offensive coach, besides McDaniels, who should not be overlooked is offensive line coach Steve Loney. Loney was the only coach retained from the Scott Linehan era, which is mind-boggling considering the line was equally bad during those years. 


Here's what old Steve has been given to work with...


Jacob Bell ($36 million free agent), Jason Smith (No. 2 overall pick, 2009), Jason Brown ($37.5 million free agent), Rodger Saffold (No. 33 overall pick, 2010), Harvey Dahl ($16 million free agent). 


Every lineman Loney has put his hands on has regressed dramatically. He should have been fired three different times by now. 


When you consider the less than brilliant moves made by the team, such as not hiring a quarterback coach and retaining Loney, it's really not that hard to believe how bad the Rams offense has been. 

Where do the Rams stand now?

Having possibly the best QB and defense in the NFC West gives the Rams an advantage.

The Rams are only half a game out of first place with a 4-4 record. It took a little luck today, with Arizona losing a close one to Tampa Bay 38-35; and the first place Seattle Seahawks got blown out by the Oakland Raiders 33-3. Here are the standings:
Seattle Seahawks       4-3 .571
St. Louis Rams          4-4 .500
Arizona Cardinals      3-4 .429
San Francisco 49ers  2-6 .250

Technically the Rams could be in first place a week from now. All it would take is a little luck in the form of Arizona losing to Minnesota (in Minnesota), and Seattle losing to the New York Giants (in Seattle). If that happens, then the Rams and Seahawks would have equal records at 4-4, but the Rams would own the tiebreaker (due to their 20-3 victory over Seattle back in week 4).

If the Rams do exit their bye week in first place, then they will certainly be in a good position to win the NFC West. Why wouldn't they be? They have the best quarterback in the division, as well as the best defense, and those are two major factors when it comes to winning a division.

There are only two crystal clear obstacles that stand in the Rams' way. The first obstacle being their receiving core. The season ending injuries to Donnie Avery and Mark Clayton have left the undersized Danny Amendola as only receiver with any value. Danario Alexander gave fans a glimpse of hope, but he is out 2-4 weeks with another knee injury. So other than Amendola, one of the other receivers (Brandon Gibson, Laurent Robinson, Mardy Gilyard) needs to step it up. Also, if tight-ends Mike Hoomanawanui and Daniel Fells can elevate their game, then it would certainly help the Rams overcome their woes at receiver.

The other clear obstacle is the Rams inability to win on the road. The road games against Arizona, Oakland, and Tampa Bay, were all close games that could have gone either way. Even so, the Rams have yet to finish the job on the road. Five of their eight remaining games are on the road, including a tough three game road trip that will take them to Atlanta, Denver, and New Orleans.

When return from their bye-week on the road against San Francisco. If they Rams are serious about making a run at the West, then it would be very helpful if they won that game. Their ability to win on the road should improve after they get that first road victory out of the way. They need to establish an ability to play on the road BEFORE that tough three game trip, not during it.

If the Rams win just two of their away games, then they will be in good shape. If that happens, they should be able to earn an 8-8 record pretty easily, and that record could be enough to win the division. If they can't find a way to win on the road, then their best case scenario is a 7-9 season.

It is going to be a close race in the NFC West. The loss to Tampa was huge, because if they would've won, then they would have some room for error. Since they lost that game, they can't really afford to lose any home games, because now you have to assume that they will lose the majority of their remaining road games.

One thing is for sure, which is that the Rams have showed major improvements over their 2009 campaign. If the Rams do fall short of the playoffs in 2010, then it shouldn't matter. No one was expecting a Super Bowl trophy this season, so the major improvements should be appreciated no matter what the outcome. It is hard to not be anxious for 2011 and beyond, but all I know is that it's good to still be excited about football in November for a again.

Rams vs. Seahawks Preview

On Sunday (Oct. 3rd) the St. Louis Rams will take on the Seattle Seahawks. The game will take place at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, and kick-off time is 12:00 PM. Check back here for videos from the the game, as well as the post-game article. The videos will be up by Tuesday at the latest.

The Rams have not beat the Seahawks since January 8th, 2005; and that was during the 2004 season. The Seahawks went to the Super Bowl the following year, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers; however, both teams have had losing records since then. The Rams are 15-52 since the start of the 2006 season, and the Seahawks are 30-37 (not counting the playoffs).

The Rams' defense is currently ranked 9th overall in average points allowed per game. It is an impressive accomplishment coming from a team that was 1-15 in 2009, but that stat shouldn't have Ram fans too excited. The Rams have played three sub-par teams so far this season. When looking at where the opposing offenses rank (total points), you'll see that the Rams have had it easy. Arizona is ranked 25th, and Oakland is 22nd; however, the Rams' only win came against Washington, who had a respectable ranking at 18th overall.

Seattle will be the biggest challenge for the Rams' defense so far in 2010. The Seahawks rank 8th overall in total points scored, averaging 24 points per game. However, the Seahawks rank 29th in average yards per game.

The stats surrounding the Rams' defense, and Seattle's offense, are very unexpected from both teams, given their preseason expectations. Both units are the clear strength for each team, which is why this should be an exciting game. Seattle's offense, and the Rams' defense, have both been playing at a high level, so it will be interesting to see both of those units on the field at the same time; and ultimately, the outcome should be decided by whichever of those two units prevails.

Seattle's rushing offense is operated by a three-headed monster lead by Justin Forsett, who is backed-up by Leon Washinton, and Julius Jones. Forsett has 32 carries for 150 yards, Washington has 11 carries for 29 yards, and Jones has 12 carries for 30 yards. Although Forsett is capable of gaining yards, none of them have a single rushing touchdown this season.

Matt Hasselbeck is still the leader of the Seahawk's offense. Seattle just got him a brand new left-tackle this past April, Russel Okung, who was widely considered the best offensive-lineman in the draft. Hasselbeck has some weapons to rely on, but none that are elite.

His best weapon is tight-end John Carlson, who had a solid Freshman and Sophomore campaign for the Seahawks, gaining 1201 yards and 12 TD's in his first two seasons. At wide-receiver, former 1st round draft pick Mike Williams has been labeled a bust by many, but has made a comeback with Seattle this season. Deon Branch remains Seattle's top receiver, and they also brought in some help in the form of Golden Tate, who is a rookie out of Notre Dame.

As far as the Rams' offense goes, Steven Jackson will likely be held out of the game. Jackson missed the first two practices of the week, and was extremely limited during the rest of them. The Rams will likely use a committee at running-back, in the form of Kenneth Darby, Keith Toston, and possibly the newly acquired Chauncey Washington. It is also likely that they will try to create some sort of run game by using short passes.

Sam Bradford and the offense won't be under too much pressure from the Seattle defense, which ranks 28th in average yards allowed per game, and are the 14th worst team in total points allowed. The goal of the offense should be to stay on the field, and give their defense some rest. The defense has to be energized the entire game in order to keep up with the Seattle offense, and it will be up to the Rams' offense to allow that.

The Rams have sold-out the game, avoiding a TV black-out. This is a sign that the fans can see the new energy in this young team, and they have noticed the improvements. The Rams owe it to the fans to put on a good show, and to beat the Seahawks for the first time since 2005.

If the Rams win, then they will at least be in 2nd place in the NFC West. If the Rams win, and Arizona loses against San Diego, then there will be a three-way tie for 1st place in the NFC West between the Rams, the Seahawks, and the Cardinals. They would all have a 2-2 record. The division is open for anyone, even the Rams, it is just a matter of who wants it the most, and who is able to execute game plans with the most precision.