There are two ways to look at what transpired Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium, where the Seattle Seahawks fell to the Los Angeles Rams 21-19 in an NFC West showdown of Super Bowl hopefuls.
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On one hand, yes, there was Sam Darnold’s disastrous four-interception performance.
There’s no sugar-coating it. It was rough.
During his scintillating first half of the season, Darnold showed a superb level of precision, decision-making and efficiency. But that seemingly all vanished on Sunday, as he made four brutal mistakes that ultimately cost Seattle the game and a spot atop the division standings.
And given Darnold’s history – specifically how last year’s breakout campaign with the Minnesota Vikings fell apart in the two biggest games of the season – it’ll only add fuel to those who remain skeptical that he can perform when the lights are brightest.
But here’s the other way to look at it: Even with a nightmare performance from their quarterback – even after essentially handing the Rams 14 points off turnovers – the Seahawks still nearly beat one of the NFL’s best teams on the road.
To put it in perspective, NFL teams are 1-23 this season when finishing minus-3 or worse in the turnover margin, according to Stathead. (Ironically, that one win belongs to the Seahawks, who beat the Houston Texans last month despite losing the turnover battle 4-1.)
In other words, losing the turnover battle by that much is an almost certain roadblock to victory – especially on the road against one of the league’s premier teams.
And yet, the Seahawks were still right there at the end.
It’s a major testament to Seattle’s defense, which completely suffocated the Rams’ high-powered attack.
Matthew Stafford & Co. entered Sunday on an absolute heater, piling up 34-plus points in each of their previous three games. But against the Seahawks, the Rams’ offense looked rather ordinary.
The Rams’ 249 total yards were their second-fewest of the season. Stafford, one of the NFL’s leading MVP candidates, had season lows in completion rate (53.6%), passing yards (130) and yards per pass attempt (4.6). In fact, it was the fewest yards per attempt of Stafford’s entire 67-game Rams tenure and the fourth-fewest of his 116-game career.
And for the final two-thirds of Sunday’s contest, the Rams simply couldn’t move the ball at all. The Seahawks limited the Rams to just 105 total yards over their final eight drives, none of which spanned more than 25 yards.
There wasn’t anything fluky about it, either. This was the seventh time this season that the Seahawks have held an opponent to fewer than 300 total yards. Week after week, Mike Macdonald’s crew has put the clamps on opposing offenses.
It was also reminiscent of the Seahawks’ overtime loss to the Rams last year, when they limited Stafford & Co. to just 13 points in regulation and 283 total yards prior to OT.
The other aspect to consider is that Seattle’s offense still managed 414 total yards, which was the most the Rams have surrendered all season. When Darnold wasn’t turning the ball over, the Seahawks were able to move the ball – at least until they reached the red zone, where they finished with only one touchdown in four trips.
Again, Darnold’s interceptions can’t be diminished. He now has 10 picks this season, which is third-most in the NFL. And as a team, Seattle now leads the league with 20 turnovers.
The Seahawks can’t reach their ceiling if Darnold & Co. keep giving away the ball at this rate. Given what happened Sunday, a healthy dose of concern is warranted.
But what if Darnold does reel in the turnovers? What if he proves that Sunday was just one setback in an otherwise stellar season? And with more high-stakes opportunities down the stretch – including a Week 16 rematch against the Rams – what if Darnold finally sheds the label that he can’t come through in the biggest games?
If their QB1 can grow from this moment and bounce back, the Seahawks showed on Sunday just how high their ceiling could be.
More on the Seattle Seahawks
• Seattle Seahawks find fault in more than Darnold’s 4 picks
• Stacy Rost: A Seahawks problem cost them against Rams
• Observations from Seattle Seahawks’ 21-19 loss to Rams
• Instant Reaction: Turnovers doom Seahawks in loss to Rams
• Roster Moves: Seattle Seahawks place center Jalen Sundell on IR