The Seattle Seahawks’ 2020 season came to a screeching halt on Super Wild Card Weekend with a 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field, thanks to a putrid outing from Russell Wilson and the offense. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer seemed to have no answer for the hard-hitting, speedy Rams defense, while Seattle’s defense looked progressively more exhausted and demoralized as the game clock ticked onward.
One last time, let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Seahawks’ first home playoff loss since 2004.
THE GOOD
Carlos Dunlap: Seattle’s trade for Carlos Dunlap continued to pay great dividends in the pass rush, creating pressure on the quarterback from the very first snap and posting two pass breakups and three tackles. Dunlap has revolutionized the Seahawks’ pass rush since his arrival and is currently under contract through 2021 – after his performance this year, the team should place a high priority on locking him down for another few seasons.
Jason Myers: The Seahawks’ record-setting kicker grew his streak to 37 straight made field goals, booting a 50-yarder for the team’s first score of the game in the second quarter and a 52-yarder at the beginning of the third quarter. He also nearly forced a fumble on the kickoff following his second field goal, chasing down Rams returner Nsimba Webster and slamming him to the ground at the Los Angeles 41 to jar the ball loose. Although Webster was subsequently ruled down, Seahawks fans were undoubtedly cheered by the effort and toughness that Myers demonstrated in a key situation.
THE BAD
Run defense: Rams RB Cam Akers was positively unstoppable against the Seahawks, setting a new franchise record for scrimmage yards by a rookie in a playoff game with 176 (131 on the ground, 45 through the air). Akers bull-rushed his way through Seattle’s front seven with seemingly unstoppable force, recording chunk play after chunk play to offset Los Angeles’ tenuous QB situation and throwing the Seahawks, who may have prepared for a third straight Rams pass-heavy gameplan, off guard.
Third-down offense: Seattle could not convert a single third down against the Rams’ dominant defense until late in the third quarter when RB Carlos Hyde gained three yards on 3rd-and-1 to continue the Seahawks drive (which ultimately ended in a punt). Before that conversion, they had gone 0-8 on third downs and ended the game with less than a 14.3 percent conversion rate. Saturday’s effort was a microcosm of the Seahawks offense in the second half of the season, which in itself was a complete turnaround from the record-setting unit of 2020’s first eight games.
THE UGLY
Injuries: Both teams felt the effects of injuries incurred both prior to and during the game. Seahawks safety Jamal Adams, who played with injuries to both shoulders as well as broken fingers, seemed nothing like his usual self, posting an overall dismal showing in coverage despite breaking up three passes. Linebacker Bobby Wagner headed straight to the locker room with a left leg injury after making a hard hit on Cam Akers late in the first half, but returned in the second half to offer support to a quickly-tiring Seahawks defense.
On the Rams’ side, quarterback John Wolford was knocked out of the game – and sent to the hospital – with a neck injury incurred by Adams’ shoulder slamming into Wolford’s helmet as he went to the ground, forcing Jared Goff and his broken thumb to take over duties under center for Los Angeles. Star defensive tackle Aaron Donald incurred a rib injury on a Russell Wilson sack in the third quarter and headed to the locker room, while wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who missed Super Bowl LIII with a torn ACL in his left knee, suffered a non-contact right knee injury in the fourth quarter and had to exit the game.
Russell Wilson: Wilson’s competitive desire to always make something out of nothing caught up to him on Saturday afternoon, resulting in a stat line of 11/27 for 174 yards, two touchdowns, one pick-six (to old nemesis Darious Williams, no less), and five sacks for minus-32 yards. He frequently overthrew receivers and seemed oddly stiff in the pocket, allowing the Rams’ defensive front to get after him easily and catch him by surprise. By the end of the game, Wilson had compiled a quarterback rating (QBR) of just 17.6, with a passer rating of 72.2. For all who had hoped to see Wilson finally receive MVP consideration this season, his performance was bitterly disappointing and will undoubtedly raise many questions during the offseason.
The Fumble: D.J. Reed had been playing well all game, but his name will be forever associated with a single fourth-quarter play that could have brought the Seahawks back into contention for a comeback miracle. With the Seahawks down 13-23 and 7:11 left on the clock, Reed waited to receive a Rams punt that looked set to bounce out of bounds at the Seahawks 27. Instead of allowing the ball to leave the field of play, he curiously snatched it out of the air and attempted to return it before the Rams’ Samson Ebukam came flying in from the side to pop the ball out of Reed’s arms before he hit the ground. LA’s Micah Kiser was able to recover, giving his team fantastic field position that they quickly converted into a touchdown. Before the turnover and subsequent score, Seattle needed just two scores to tie – or win – the game; afterwards, the Seahawks needed three scores in under five minutes. To their credit, the Seahawks gave it their all – they scored a touchdown on the very next drive, then forced the Rams to turn it over on downs – but there was too little time on the clock for Seattle to save its season.
