By Jawann Bennett
The Seattle Medium/GameTime! Sportstalk
Brief snow flurries blessed CenturyLink Field prior to the matchup between two division rivals last Thursday night in Seattle. The 8-4-1 Seattle Seahawks, who were coming off an embarrassing performance four days before in Green Bay losing 38-10, were looking to get back on track hosting the 4-9 Los Angeles Rams who were just as bad losing to the Atlanta Falcons 42-14.
A rare and interesting look of “Action Green” uniforms for Seattle was the backdrop as the NFL continued it’s “Color Rush” theme on Thursday nights while the Rams dawned all-white. Even more, the Rams are a team the Seahawks have struggled against since quarterback Russell Wilson came to Seattle in 2012 going 4-5, losing four of their past five including the last three in a row. Most recently a September game in Los Angeles where the Seahawks scored a season-low three points losing 9-3.
Though this Rams team has lost 8 of 9 games and fired longtime head coach Jeff Fisher just days before the game. Special teams coach John Fassell was named interim coach for the remainder of the season. Two teams headed in very different directions since they last met as Seattle was seeking another NFC West Division title with a victory.
Case Keenum was the starting quarterback for the Rams in the prior matchup, however this time around the 2016 #1 Overall Pick rookie quarterback Jared Goff would face a Seahawks defense that had recorded just one sack in the past three games. Seahawks defensive lineman Frank Clark was determined to change that as he sacked Goff three plays into the game forcing a Rams punt and setting a tone to the game.
After a scoreless first quarter, Wilson led Seattle on a 13-play, 93-yard drive that took 6:47 and ended with a 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Luke Willson to go up 7-0.
Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka would put Seattle up 10-0 kicking a 48-yard field goal with 8:45 to go in the first half. Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein would finally put Los Angeles on the scoreboard kicking a 36-yard field goal with :55 to go in the first half cutting the Seahawks lead to 10-3 at halftime.
Seattle’s stingy defense would continue to give Goff issues in the third quarter harassing the young rookie into errant throws as he looked uncomfortable under pressure.
“Get to him, that’s the challenge with any quarterback is getting to ’em and getting them rattled and I think that’s what we did today,” said Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril, who finished the game with two sacks.
That would allow Wilson to find a rhythm and engineer a 8-play, 62-yard drive highlighted by a bruising 31-yard catch and run by tight end Jimmy Graham and capped with a 1-yard touchdown reception by receiver Doug Baldwin to put Seattle up 17-3 with 3:12 left in the third quarter.
The true highlight of the game came early in the fourth quarter as Wilson looked off the safety and found wide receiver Tyler Lockett for a 57-yard touchdown pass deep down the right sideline to put the game out of reach at 24-3, which would be the final.
Lockett finished the game with a career-high 7 receptions for 130 yards, while Wilson threw for three touchdowns and 229 yards.
With the win, Seattle became the first team this season to clinch a division title, giving them their third in 4 seasons and the fourth overall in the Pete Carroll era. This guarantees the Seahawks at least one home playoff game.
Based on the other results from Week 15, Seattle currently holds the 2-seed in the NFC meaning if they win out they will have a bye for the Wildcard round. Their next game is the final home game of the regular season Christmas Eve versus the Arizona Cardinals.
The first meeting ended in a 6-6 tie in Arizona.
