Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks at Rams: 5 takeaways from Seattle's ugly loss

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Seahawks at Rams: What an ugly and terrible loss for the Seattle Seahawks. There is very little to be happy about, especially on offense.

It is easy to be frustrated with the Seattle Seahawks right now. There 9-3 loss to the LA Rams was difficult to watch in a lot of ways.

In fact, Dan already went on an amazing rant about the game. I’m sure he’s enjoying an adult beverage right now trying to calm himself down. I’m trying to be more reserved and logical about the loss, but it is easy to be unhappy about the team’s performance.

Here are my 5 takeaways from today’s game:

1. Wilson’s ankle hurting him more than team says

Wilson had decent stats overall today. He threw the ball well, and connected on a few long passes when the team needed a spark.

Stats are decent, but it wasn’t a typical day from Wilson. pic.twitter.com/V3DcAaoEqT

— 12th Man Rising (@12thMan_Rising) September 19, 2016

The problems for Wilson today were more than just the pass rush. His ankle was causing him genuine problems, and not just when he wanted to scramble.

Wilson’s throwing mechanics were off because he didn’t have his normally solid base. He couldn’t drive off his back foot. Wilson’s his in-pocket footwork has become solid, but it simply wasn’t there today.

Instead, Wilson was arm-throwing a lot of his throws, and his accuracy suffered for it. There were a couple of passes that sailed on him, and a couple of others that were thrown too low.

This simply wasn’t the magical Wilson we’re used to. (He was still pretty good though)

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) pressures Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) in the second half of the game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Sowell is terrible

I’m afraid that this is going to become a weekly entry in this space. Calling him a turnstile is an insult to turnstiles. (Did I use that joke last week too? I think I did.)

Not included in that tweet was that he was also called for a hold on the play, though that penalty was declined.

Sowell has no business being on the field. He’s worse that Paul McQuistan was a few years ago. The problem is that there’s no Russell Okung coming back from injury to replace him. The Seahawks don’t have much in the way of options right now.

Until Russell Wilson’s ankle heals and he gets his mobility back, Sowell’s performance alone is enough to make the entire offense struggle.

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Christine Michael (32) falls against the Los Angeles Rams during the second half of a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Christine Michael was Seattle’s best offensive player

The Rams defensive front dominated Seattle’s offensive line all day. The result was a pathetic performance overall for by Seattle’s offense. The one bright spot out there was Christine Michael, who showed that he’s ready to be the lead back.

The Seahawks want to be a running team, but only 1 player had success on the ground. pic.twitter.com/gsqUxyvTn6

— 12th Man Rising (@12thMan_Rising) September 18, 2016

With no blocking for the most part, Michael averaged six yards per carry. Let that sink in a bit. Rawls averaged -1 yards per carry today.

Fans are understandably going to kill him for his fumble at the end of the game. He was fighting for extra yards and didn’t brace for the 2nd hit. That can’t happen, and hopefully he learns from that mistake.

It would be wrong not to recognize how well he played before that final play. Michael was the only thing working for Seattle’s offense for long stretches of the game.

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll yells at officials after wide receiver Jermaine Kearse (15) was called for a penalty on a pass play in the second half of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Penalties are killing this team

The Seahawks continue to shoot themselves in the foot on both sides of the ball. They ended up with 10 penalties for 104 yards, and that is only the penalties that were accepted.

Most of these weren’t even the “overly aggressive” types that aren’t a big deal. False starts, holding, facemasks and needless offensive pass interference calls ruled the day. All of those are entirely avoidable.

The worst one of the day came late in the fourth quarter. Cassius Marsh sacked Case Keenum on third down just outside of their end zone.

For reasons I’ll never understand, Marsh decided to grab Keenum’s helmet as he made the tackle giving them a free first down. Instead of Seattle getting the ball back near midfield, the Rams were able to run out most of the clock and pin Seattle deep.

There are penalties, and then there are dumb bone-headed penalties. The Seahawks are committing far too many of the latter type.

Sep 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson (22) attempts to tackle Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin (89) during a NFL game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Injuries are becoming a major concern

On top of Wilson and everyone else who was hurt coming into this game, the Seahawks suffered three more significant injuries today:

I never thought i’d say this, but that Week 5 bye looks like it’ll turn out to be a good thing for Seattle. They need to get healthy if they are going to make another playoff run this year.