SEATTLE — It would be easy to dismiss the Seahawks’ 33-6 victory Sunday.
You know. You’ve heard it already:
The winless Rams are in disarray, with an injury roster longer than the FBI’s Most Wanted list.
The Seahawks dominated in the first half, allowing Marc Bulger just two completions and the Rams 50 yards, but led just 10-3 after 30 minutes.
And by the way, where IS that running game?
OK, OK. It wasn’t a masterpiece. And the Rams are horrible enough that it likely will cost Sunnyside, Wa., native Scott Linehan his job as head coach, which is unfortunate.
Don’t buy it. This one was big.
Had the Seahawks somehow kicked this one away for their third straight loss and second straight to a winless team, especially going into a bye week, the effect could have been ruinous.
The Seahawks will take it and treasure it. This season, few victories will come easily. Even with this schedule, which rivals schedules among the easiest in the NFL, the Seahawks will need every win they can get.
“The importance of the week was stressed,” Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. “It was a division opponent. We learned a week ago that you don’t look at the other team’s record, if you can help it.”
The defense played its finest game since it rattled San Francisco last month. Bulger was sacked seven times and knocked down many more. The Seahawks had five takeaways, four tackles for a loss and four three-and-outs.
“If we continue to pass rush and play with that kind of intensity, it’ll be very hard to stop us,” said linebacker Julian Peterson, who finished with four solo tackles and a sack.
For just the second time all season, the offense took its opening possession and scored. Matt Hasselbeck connected on all five of his pass attempts on the 11-play drive, the last a 1-yard scoring throw to tight end Will Heller.
“That first drive was great,” Hasselbeck said. “That is what we have really been emphasizing in meetings.”
Still, the offense lacked explosiveness in the first half. The Seahawks could manage only a 38-yard field goal after Heller’s TD catch by halftime. Although Seattle had the ball six minutes more than the Rams, they had only a touchdown’s advantage to show for it.
“I think we still have a ways to go with consistency there,” Hasselbeck said. “Obviously, there are some things that we have to do better. We’re getting better, but I think we can improve a lot.”
The defenders more than compensated.
The Seahawks’ pass rush mercilessly harrassed Bulger into 2-for-10 passing for seven yards in the first half, with an interception. Darryl Tapp got three of his career-high four sacks by halftime.
“When we can apply pressure on the quarterback, we are pretty good,” Holmgren said. “When we don’t apply pressure, then we’re going to struggle a little bit because we’re not the biggest group in the world.”
Make no mistake; the Rams are a mess. Linehan lost it Thursday when reserve left guard and serial knucklehead Claude Terrell reportedly cursed at him at practice. The only reason Linehan didn’t cut him on the spot is that the Rams are horribly thin on the offensive line, the most notable absence being all-Pro tackle Orlando Pace.
The Rams are missing three starting offensive linemen, and none who started against the Seahawks were in the positions at which they started the season.
But that can’t take away from a victory that kept the Seahawks above .500, which, in the lackluster NFC West, is good enough to lead.
Sports columnist John Sleeper: sleeper@heraldnet.com. To reach Sleeper’s blog, click on www.heraldnet.com/danglingparticiples.
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