Turnovers haunt Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks in 26-20 Loss to Los Angeles Rams

While Smith made some excellent throws on Sunday afternoon, unfortunately those plays won’t be remembered due to a few inexplicable mistakes in the red zone in the fourth quarter. Leading by 13 yards apiece, with the Seahawks having first and goal at the Rams’ six-yard line early in the fourth quarter, the veteran quarterback made a mind-numbing decision to throw a ball straight to safety. Kamren Kinchens, who returned the interception 106 yards. for a touchdown. Two series later, after Cody White blocked a punt to give Seattle excellent field position, he was again picked off by Kinchens inside the 10-yard line in an attempt to squeeze a ball to tight end AJ Barner. Aside from giving Los Angeles seven points, the two turnovers took at least six points off the board for Seattle, allowing the visitors to steal the game.

With a clear emphasis on the ground game, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made sure to get Ken Walker III involved early and often, handing him the ball five times on the team’s opening possession while getting an 18-yard reception. However, those efforts did not bear fruit on the scoreboard, and as the first half progressed, running room became difficult to come by for Walker and Zach Charbonnet as they averaged just 3.2 yards per carry on 14 combined carries in the first half . . Of course, having to pass late in the first half without timeouts for a two-minute violation also had something to do with it.

But even in the second half and overtime, with Walker finishing off some nice runs along the way, he still averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on 25 carries, with the Rams regularly blowing up plays at the line of scrimmage and ready to hit him to chase away. the edge when it bounced, runs. Most notably, the Seahawks needed one yard to move the chains down on fourth down in overtime, leaving the star defender no room to operate as multiple defenders surrounded him on a run outside the tackle, turning the ball over on downs and handing the keys to Stafford to orchestrate a game-winning drive. There was certainly progress on Sunday, but not close enough if Seattle wants to win against good opponents.

With just two practices under his belt after being acquired from the Titans last week, Jones was admittedly treading water in his first start with the Seahawks in a loss to the Bills, trying to come up with a new plan and new verbiage on the spot to learn. But even after missing Friday’s practice with a sore neck, the veteran linebacker looked much more comfortable in his new surroundings as he competed against his former team, particularly standing out in the run game, helping the Rams limited to less than 70 rushing yards and less than three yards. meters per transport.

At a crucial juncture in the game, after Los Angeles had driven the ball all the way to Seattle’s one-yard line, Jones promptly knocked out a Kyren Williams diving pass and darted into the backfield, where he planted his former teammate for a two. -garden loss. One incompletion later, the Rams had to settle for a field goal, leaving the score tied when it looked like the road team was destined to take the lead. The veteran linebacker finished with nine tackles, three run stops of three or fewer yards, and a pass breakup that nearly ended as an interception of a tipped pass, which stood out as a clear bright spot in the loss.

Statistically, Stafford racked up almost 300 passing yards and wasn’t sacked once all afternoon, so the Seahawks still have some things to sort out, like limiting chunk plays and finishing rushes up front. But they held the sharpshooter to under seven yards per attempt and a completion rate below 60 percent, regularly drawing enough heat from the defensive line to force him into faster throws than he wanted to make. In the first half, Leonard Williams and Dre’Mont Jones each hit him twice, while the Rams punted four times, and pressure came on several other incomplete thirds.

On the back end, all of Seattle’s young cornerbacks managed to limit Los Angeles to just 13 points in regulation. Woolen converted the turnover into points late in the second quarter and completed a pass intended for Puka Nacua down the sideline, netting his second pick of the season and setting up Smith’s touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba before halftime. On one of the earlier drives that ended in a punt, Josh Jobe played sticky coverage on Nacua, extending his arm in front of the receiver for a pass breakup. Coby Bryant continued to make a good play at safety in place of Rayshawn Jenkins and Coby Bryant’s third-down pass deflection after Jones’ tackle for loss forced the Rams to hold for a field goal, and the third-year defenseman also made a key hit to loosen the ball to leave. of Robinson teaming up with Devon Witherspoon on third down late in regulation.

Coming out of the break with a 10-point lead, the Seahawks had multiple chances to get off the field after two defensive plays in the third quarter, only for flags to give the Rams more extra lives than a cat. At 9:03, with Los Angeles down to Seattle’s 15-yard line and facing 2nd-and-15, Jobe tangled with Cooper Kupp on a slant route and reached for the receiver’s leg at the last second, leading to a defensive pass interference penalty on what would have been an incompletion. Stafford settled inside the five-yard line and hit Robinson two plays later for a one-yard score, cutting Seattle’s lead to three points.

On the ensuing possession, after a lost Seattle drive where a 40-yard catch by Smith-Njigba was wiped out by a holding penalty on tackle Mike Jerrell, Woolen was flagged for defensive holding on a 3rd-and-8 incompletion intended for Colby Parkinson, forcing the Rams another set of downs. Moments later, Derick Hall hit Stafford as the quarterback faded, setting up a questionable passer penalty that again extended the drive with a first down via penalty. Los Angeles only got a field goal on that drive, but three key defensive penalties set up two scoring possessions that turned the game in the road team’s favor, continuing an ugly trend of Seattle playing undisciplined football that doesn’t lead to winning games in the competition. N.F.L.

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