Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett sacks Rams quarterback Jared Goff on Thursday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The Seahawks sacked Goff four times in the game. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett sacks Rams quarterback Jared Goff on Thursday at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The Seahawks sacked Goff four times in the game. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Seahawks’ pass rush goes from dormant to dominant

SEATTLE — As Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff dropped back after taking his first snap of the third quarter, Cliff Avril beat Rams offensive lineman Rob Havenstein around the left edge and stripped Goff of the football deep inside L.A. territory.

Goff, the Rams’ rookie signal-caller, recovered for a loss of 7 yards, but Avril was credited with his second sack of the game.

That pushed Avril’s season total to a career-high 11.5 sacks, a particularly poignant statistic given that the veteran defensive end has pledged to build a house in Haiti for each sack he records this season.

“That’s my job, to get sacks and make the plays I’m supposed to make,” said Avril, who had not recorded a sack since Seattle’s 26-15 win over Philadelphia on Nov. 20. “So when you go a few weeks without getting (any sacks), it can get frustrating.”

For Seahawks fans it signaled the return of a pass rush that had been dominant for the first half of the 2016 season, only to go dormant in recent games.

In fact, the Seahawks recorded just one sack in their previous three games and that came when Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers fell down in the third quarter of last Sunday’s 38-10 loss at Lambeau Field. That sack prevented what would have been a unprecedented three-game stretch in the Pete Carroll era without a sack.

“Last week showed if we don’t do our job as defensive lineman, look at what can happen,” Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark said. “We saw a very embarrassing loss out there in Green Bay, but they deserve lots of credit. It’s no disrespect to them. They’re a great team. But it shows without the pass rush, without that same type of effort, it’s not going to get done for us as a team as a whole.”

Seattle found the perfect whipping boy in Goff, the first overall pick in April’s NFL draft out of Cal, who has struggled since replacing Case Keenum under center prior to the Rams’ Nov. 20 loss to Miami.

The key was getting to Goff early, and Clark did that when he brought down Goff for a loss of 9 on the Rams’ initial third down less than a minute into the contest.

“No quarterback wants to get hit,” said Avril, who along with Clark finished with 1.5 sacks. “So I think putting pressure on him, making him move his feet in the pocket, that’s always going to worry him a little bit and think about the rush more so than the guys downfield. It works hand-in-hand. The guys on the back end were doing a good job as well.”

Cassius Marsh added another sack as the Hawks finished with eight tackles for loss. It was the type of performance Seattle fans have grown used to seeing from a defense that piled up 27 sacks in the first eight games of the season.

“We definitely got better results,” Marsh said. “We had some more opportunities and we took advantage of those opportunities to rush the passer. Obviously we were able to get home four or five times, get some hits, have him move around. We’re happy, but not satisfied, and we’ll get back to work on Monday.”

The Rams’ best opportunity to find the end zone came on their second drive of the game. Michael Thomas got behind the Seattle secondary, but dropped what might have been a 59-yard touchdown pass. Then, with Los Angeles facing third-and-1 at the Seattle 7-yard line, Goff’s pass attempt was behind a wide-open Brian Quick. The Rams attempted to go for it on fourth down. Todd Gurley was initially ruled to have gained the necessary yard, but it was overturned when Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll successfully used his second challenge of the game.

Seattle took over at its own 7 and finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Luke Willson at 12:27 in the second quarter.

It didn’t get much better for Los Angeles after that. The Rams’ lone points came on a 36-yard field goal with 59 seconds to go in the first half.

Goff eventually left the game with nine minutes to play and was evaluated for a possible concussion after taking a shot from Richard Sherman at the Seahawks 2-yard line. The play was negated for holding and Goff finished 13-for-25 for 135 yards before he was removed for Keenum.

“I think we showed how good we can be,” Avril said. “There’s definitely room for improvement on a few things, missed tackles, more sacks, different things like that.

“But I definitely feel like we took a step forward for sure.”

Follow Herald Writer Jesse Geleynse on Twitter.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

Silvertips forward Shea Busch participates in the Florida Panthers development camp at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on July 1, 2025. Florida selected Busch in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft on June 28. (Photo courtesy Shea Busch)
Shea Busch experiences whirlwind NHL Draft week

The Florida Panthers selected the Silvertips forward in the fourth round on June 28.

Late Mystics surge dooms Storm as stars struggle

Seattle dropped to 13-9 after shooting 36.2% from the field.

Rome Odunze scans the field in a scrimmage at his youth football camp at Archbishop Murphy High School on July 10, 2025. The former University of Washington star is entering his second NFL season with the Chicago Bears. (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Odunze ‘gives back’ in Everett youth football camp

The former University of Washington star hosts a single-day camp at Archbishop Murphy on Thursday.

The New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, top right, celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off sacrifice fly ball during the 10th inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, July 10, 2025, in New York. (Justin Casterline / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Yankees walk off Mariners on Judge’s sac fly for series sweep

Seattle blows 5-0 lead after Bryan Woo takes no-hitter into eighth inning.

Raleigh says Munoz tipped pitches during Yankees’ comeback

The Yankees had a bead on Seattle Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz. That’s… Continue reading

Midfielder Christian Soto dribbles up field during Snohomish United's 5-1 win against the Tacoma Stars at Stockers Fields on July 9, 2025 (Joe Pohoryles / The Herald)
Snohomish United keeps playoff hopes alive in home finale

With 5-1 win against Tacoma, the USL2 club’s focus on local talent keys success in inaugural season.

Silvertips forward Carter Bear fields questions after the Detroit Red Wings selected him 13th overall in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft in Los Angeles on June 27, 2025. (Photo courtesy Natalie Shaver / CHL)
Two weeks after Draft, Silvertips’ Bear still can’t believe it

The Red Wings’ first-rounder reflects on draft night and his experience at Detroit’s development camp.

AquaSox down Devils for consecutive wins

The AquaSox were on a 2-10 stretch coming into the series.

Cam Schlittler’s strong debut freezes Mariners

The Mariners fell to the Yankees, 9-6, on Wednesday night.

Storm flies too close to the Sun, loses in an upset

Connecticut snapped a 10-game losing streak to beat Seattle 93-83 on Wednesday morning.

Giancarlo Stanton of the New York Yankees flips his bat after hitting a three-run home run in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, in New York. (Evan Bernstein / Getty Images / Tribune News Services)
Raleigh, Judge heat up homer race at Yankee Stadium

In the battle of baseball’s biggest sluggers, Aaron Judge… Continue reading

Seattle Seahawks linebackers Derick Hall (58) and Boye Mafe (53) celebrate a defensive play during the 2024 season. (Rio Giancarlo / Getty Images / The Athletic)
Season to reveal long-term plans for Seahawks linebackers

The Seattle Seahawks selected edge rusher Boye Mafe with… Continue reading

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.