Seattle Seahawks: Four Takeaways from week 10 vs Rams

The Seattle Seahawks lost a hard fought battle against the Los Angeles Rams in week 9, here are some takeaways from the loss.

For those who watched the Seattle Seahawks game on Sunday afternoon, we all felt the energy of the team and were able to see how far this team has come this season.

The Seahawks have gone toe-to-toe with arguably the best team in the NFL twice this year, losing by a combined seven points in two losses. Every loss this season has been by eight points or fewer. What does that say for the 4-5 Seahawks team? It says they play better than the record shows.

During Sunday’s game, Seattle was in it the whole way, from scoring on their first drive to answering almost every Rams Touchdown with a score of their own. The Seahawks rushed for over 270 yards on a team that supposedly beefed up their defensive line and even though Russell Wilson didn’t throw it a lot, he showed that he can throw pinpoint passing touchdowns to the likes of tight end Nick Vannett and wide receiver Tyler Lockett.

Just like every loss this season, it has come down to a mistake made by the offense. Russell Wilson got strip-sacked (by no fault of his own, the offensive line barely gave him time in the pocket) and the Rams scored on the very next play. Though Wilson and Co. rallied back with another touchdown and the defense stopped the Rams with a 3 & out, the offense moved down the field once more and fell short in the red zone.

It’s a bittersweet loss, bitter because of the obvious fact we lost, but sweet because of how well we did against one of the top teams in the NFC.

And with that, let’s move on to the Four Takeaways of the game:

Rashaad Penny finally has a game showing his worth

First-round pick Rashaad Penny was taken 27th overall in the 2018 NFL draft. He hasn’t yet had a game that has “wowed” the fans of Seattle, but the Seattle Seahawks continued to stand behind Penny and tell everyone he just needs more time.

Penny had 12 carries for 109 yards against the Rams on Sunday, pulling in nine yards per attempt and the first touchdown of his career. I would like to see Penny have a bigger role in the future this season. Obviously, we all know Chris Carson is the No. 1 back, but Penny should have a bigger role coming up.

Defensive Struggles in the Pass Game

Seattle again struggled against the Rams in the passing game giving up too many big plays in the middle of the field. Before Cooper Kupp tore his ACL, he was tearing up the Seattle Seahawks secondary. Seattle struggled against Phillip Rivers last week as well. Somehow teams are able to get completely open against this secondary and it’s baffling.

Something has to change soon because Seattle still must face Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, and Patrick Mahomes in the coming weeks. In those weeks the Secondary must defend stars such as Randall Cobb, Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, and Tyreek Hill.

Offensive Line shows it has Depth

D.J. Fluker did not play last week against the Rams, but a young Jordan Simmons stepped up at the Right Guard position in his stead. Simmons showed that Seattle has done a great job at training up its young O-lineman. Simmons was matched up against Ndamukong Suh and held his ground very well.

Behind Simmons sits more proven O-lineman in Joey Hunt and Ethan Pocic. The coaching change at Offensive Line coach was one of the best changes this last offseason.

Tyler Lockett Continues to Shine

Tyler Lockett has been something else this season. He has proven he is worth the money that Seattle pushed his way and very suddenly become QB Russell Wilson‘s favorite target. He managed five receptions for 67 yards and hauled in a beautiful touchdown grab.

Lockett has hauled in a massive 75 percent of his targets and continues to get better and shine brighter as time goes on. That 75 percent is also his highest season average. Lockett has more touchdowns in the first 9 games of the season than he has his last three individual seasons. He is currently at 7 touchdowns for the season and has only had 6 in a season prior to this one.

Seattle is doing a lot well and also has a lot to figure out in the coming weeks. I’m excited to see how these last seven games go and to see if we can push ourselves into a wildcard spot.