The Seattle Seahawks drop the season opener to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seattle Seahawks kicked off their season against a division rival, the Los Angeles Rams, at Lumen Field.
It is safe to say that this was not how the Seahawks nor their fans wanted the season to begin — losing 30-13 on their home turf.
This is Seattle’s first week one loss since 2018 and their most significant margin of loss in week one since 2008, so there’s quite a lot to unpack.
This game was a tale of two halves. But, the Seahawks came out in the second half like they had seemingly forgotten how to play football.
The game’s first drive looked promising; the Seahawks attacked the Rams on all levels, but negative yards in the redzone left them with just three points courtesy of kicker Jason Myers.
Seattle’s next possession was far more fluid, piecing together a 75 yard touchdown drive. The offense was clicking, as Geno Smith got DK Metcalf involved early and established the run game with Kenneth Walker III to start.
The Seahawks’ next trip downfield was capped with another Myers field goal, making it three straight scores. But that would be the last bit of productive offense for Seattle on the night. After blocking a Rams field goal, Seattle took its turn — doinking a field goal of its own to keep a 13-7 lead at half. However, the worst was yet to come for Seattle.
The Rams opened the second half and got straight down to business. The Los Angeles offense went a perfect five for five on its drives — scoring 23 unanswered points.
This game was reminiscent of Seattle’s matchup against the Rams in 2017, where the Rams obliterated the Seahawks 42-7 on the road.
Though it may not have changed the outcome, the Seahawks were without important pieces in Jamal Adams and Devon Witherspoon. In addition, both of Seattle’s tackles, Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross, left the game due to injury and did not return. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll later said that neither injury was serious.
Fortunately, there were some bright spots. Jordyn Brooks, Seahawks linebacker who tore his ACL eight months prior, was a full go, comfortably handling 64% of all defensive snaps. Ball security was not a problem with zero fumbles or interceptions. Lastly, the run defense looked decent. Though all three of the Rams’ touchdowns came on the ground, Seattle’s front seven held its own, allowing only 2.3 yards per carry on 40 total rushes.
However, the bad outweighed the good for the Seahawks. There was no real pass-rush pressure as Rams’ quarterback Matthew Stafford comfortably threw for 334 yards with no interceptions or sacks. I hate to say this, but Seattle cornerback Tre Brown, who recently won back his starting position, was disappointing. He seemed almost out of place, but hopefully can bounce back next week.
It was not just Brown’s poor play, the whole coverage scheme didn’t sit right either. There was a lot of emphasis on soft zone coverages, which left room in the middle of the field for Stafford and the Rams to expose. This resulted in two Ram receivers to surpass 100 yards — unacceptable if looking to win a football game.
Though the defense is much to blame, the offense completely went stale, amounting to only 12 total yards in the second half. A lack of discipline (namely, penalties), playcalling and effort was the story of the second half. The Seahawks were beaten in every facet with 246 fewer yards, 32 fewer plays, 14 fewer first downs and nearly 19 fewer minutes of possession.
Also, it is important to note that Walker will be leading this backfield, as backup Zach Charbonnet posed no real threat to Walker’s touches. I would also like to see more play designs for wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Regardless, there’s a lot to be frustrated about, and adjustments will need to be made as the Seahawks look to take on the 1-0 Detroit Lions on the road in week two.
Contact Eric Hayrapetian at Eric.hayrapetian@gmail.com
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