SEATTLE — The Seahawks took the undefeated and NFC West-leading Rams to the final possession and had a golden chance to claim a pivotal early-season win.
Seattle couldn’t close.
The Seahawks, trailing by two, were knocked out of field-goal range on a holding call with 3:53 to play. After a punt, Los Angeles converted a fourth-and-1 on a Jared Goff quarterback sneak with 1:39 remaining that delivered Seattle a crushing 33-31 loss Sunday in front of 68,893 at CenturyLink Field.
“Played with great intensity and great resolve about getting it done,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “It wasn’t all pretty. We gave up some stuff that we really regret, but offensively we played just about as precisely as we wanted to. … I was pretty frustrated about this, because we put ourselves in position to win.”
Before the Rams (5-0) went for it on fourth-and-1 from their own 42 with 1:39 remaining, L.A. had lined up to punt. Carroll called a timeout to stop the clock following a measurement on the previous third-down play. Rams coach Sean McVay responded by sending his offense back out.
“What would have happened there is they were going to wind the clock …,” said Carroll, defending his decision to use a timeout. “There was 33 seconds on the (play) clock, and that would have taken us down to a minute or so, so I thought it was worth using the timeout.”
Said Goff: “That was the game. They have a good field-goal kicker, and if we don’t get that first down there, they’ve got a good chance to make it. If we get the first down, the game is over.”
Powered by a run mixture featuring Chris Carson and Mike Davis, Seattle (2-3) went back-and-forth with the Rams, who entered Sunday with the NFL’s second-highest scoring offense.
A Seattle back eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the third straight week. Carson finished with 116 yards on 19 carries and was complemented by Davis, who ran for 68 yards and a score on 12 rushes.
“We never believed that this team couldn’t run the ball,” Carson said. “The whole time we always thought that given a chance, we could make something happen, so we are starting to show people that.”
Russell Wilson, who was sacked just twice, completed 13 of 21 passes for 198 yards and threw for three touchdowns.
Still, the production wasn’t enough, even with top L.A. receivers Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp out with injuries most of the second half. Running back Todd Gurley scored three times, finishing with 113 total yards, and Goff threw for 321 yards and a TD.
Seattle and L.A. were tied 17-17 at halftime, and the Seahawks took a 31-24 lead on a David Moore 30- yard touchdown reception with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rams responded with a 5-yard TD run by Gurley, but a missed extra point by kicker Cairo Santos preserved Seattle’s lead at 31-30 with 14:54 to play. Santos put L.A. in front, 33-31, with a 39-yard field goal with 6:05 to play in the game.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll from Everett Herald on Vimeo.
IMPACT
With just five weeks of the NFL season gone, this loss puts the Seahawks three games behind the Rams in the NFC West.
TOP PERFORMERS
Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks – Carson displayed his physical running style, finishing with 116 yards on 19 carries, good for a 6.1 average.
David Moore, Seattle Seahawks — With the Seahawks desperately needing more pass-catching options, Moore flashed with a pair of touchdown receptions. He finished with three catches for 38 yards.
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams — Gurley wasn’t as dominant as he was against Seattle in Week 14 last year when he totaled 180 yards and four scores. Still, Gurley got his Sunday, finishing with 113 total yards and three rushing scores.
QUOTABLE
“David (Moore) had a good day, and Tyler (Lockett) had a really good day, too, getting in behind them, and the throws were exquisite when we had the opportunity. It was just the way we like to do it.” — Seahawks coach Pete Carroll on big plays in the pass game.
“We’re always disappointed when we lose. It’s never easy. But I do think that it’s very upbeat in the sense that we’re right where we want to be and in the sense of we’re about to turn a corner we feel like.” — Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson
“Very frustrating, because we played with passion, we played with heart, we played with some charisma, and everybody played together. I think we played as a team on fire, and we didn’t stop until the very end. But at the end of the day, a loss is a loss, and we’re going to regroup, come back and go play next week.” — Seahawks offensive lineman DJ Fluker
“I just think the belief. We talk about attacking. You could see that our guys believed. They wanted to go for it. When you have players that believe, you want to put the trust in them.” — Rams coach Sean McVay on going for it on fourth-and-1 at the end of the game.
Seahawks DE Frank Clark from Everett Herald on Vimeo.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Russell Wilson is known for his improvisation and Houdini-like play, and he added to his highlight reel midway through the first quarter.
On a first-and-10 around midfield, Wilson dropped back to pass before pulling the ball down and scrambling to his left. As he neared the line of scrimmage, tight end Nick Vannett flashed open 5 yards in front of him. Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman couldn’t decide whether to cover Vannett or charge Wilson. The Seahawks QB faked a shovel pass, made Robey-Coleman commit to him and then went back to the shovel pass. Vannett caught the ball and rumbled for a 32-yard gain.
BY THE NUMBERS
58 — The percentage of third downs (7 -of-12) Seattle converted one week after going 0-for-10 in Arizona.
5.9 — Seattle’s average yards per rush. Chris Carson averaged 6.1, and Mike Davis averaged 5.7.
7 — The number of total tackles for Seahawks safety Tedric Thompson, who was making his first start after replacing injured All-Pro Earl Thomas.
INJURIES
Seattle came away relatively injury free after losing tight end Will Dissly and Earl Thomas to season-ending injuries last week. Frank Clark, who was battling flu symptoms, played. Chris Carson, who missed last week with a hip injury, also played.
Los Angeles receiver Brandin Cooks exited in the second quarter after a big hit from Tedric Thompson. Cooper Kupp left in the third. Both suffered concussions and didn’t return.
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