The Los Angeles Rams were on their way to a huge road win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. But Seattle came storming back. The Seahawks overcame a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game before winning in overtime.
Seattle clinched a postseason berth and took a one-game lead in the NFC West with the 38-37 victory. While both teams are playoff bound, the Rams’ wild collapse on Thursday night highlighted two concerning trends for LA.
Mina Kimes pointed to “the special teams discrepancy” between Seattle and Los Angeles as a significant contributor in the Rams’ loss, per NFL on ESPN. Additionally, Kimes believes LA’s “defense is a little bit pressure dependent.”
Special teams haunted the Rams in TNF loss
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Kimes noted that “[it’s] nothing dramatic because this is still an extremely good football team and still a Super Bowl favorite.” However, “Seattle is second league-wide in special teams DVOA. The Rams are 25th I believe, near the bottom of the NFL. And that’s not just the kicker, who obviously missed a kick. But as you saw, the coverage as well,” Kimes said. “We don’t talk about special teams ever. But when really good football teams play close games, it matters.”
The Seahawks’ comeback was sparked by Rashid Shaheed’s 58-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter. The score came after Sam Darnold threw an interception, seemingly burying Seattle on Thursday night. But Shaheed’s return, followed by a two-point conversion, suddenly made it a one-score game.
Additionally, while the Rams’ defense forced three turnovers against Seattle, the unit has exploitable holes. “The Rams defense has been very good, but they are very dependent on their pass rush. When they get pressure, they allow the fourth-lowest QBR. When they don’t, that drops to a bottom 10,” Kimes added. When Los Angeles isn’t getting pressure on the quarterback, “there’s places you can attack in the secondary.”
The Seahawks tied the game on a controversial two-point conversion and forced overtime. The Rams offense did its part, scoring a touchdown on the first OT possession, But Seattle answered with a TD and won the game by converting its third two-point conversion of the night.
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