Since the Rams' playoff hopes disappeared following a loss to Arizona more than two weeks ago, coach Jeff Fisher and his players have often stressed the importance of carrying some positive momentum into the offseason.
They'll have trouble finding it after falling 20-6 in Sunday's season finale at Seattle thanks to a disastrous fourth quarter against the NFC West champions. St. Louis ended the year with a three-game losing streak to seal their eighth consecutive losing season.
Ending poorly has become something of a tradition since the Rams last won their season finale in 2006 to post an 8-8 record, which wasn't good enough to end a playoff drought that stretches all the way back to 2004. To be fair, scheduling has been part of the problem, since Seattle and San Francisco have ended St. Louis' season in each of the past six years, including four games at Seattle.
The Seahawks clinched the NFC's No. 1 seed with Sunday's win, so this one doesn't look nearly as bad as last week's 37-27 home loss to the New York Giants. That game and a 34-6 loss to Minnesota stand out as sore spots in an up-and-down season full of missed opportunities that included wins over Seattle and Denver.
Still, it's important to remember the Rams are one of the NFL's youngest teams and played plenty of close games against one of the league's toughest schedules. No desperate or rash moves should be needed before next September, so long as St. Louis can stay focused on working hard and moving forward.
FIRST DOWN: Defense returns to form
The defense remains the best reason to believe the Rams' fortunes could change in the future, thanks to an abundance of young talent.
They did their best to prove last week's dismal performance was just an anomaly, holding Seattle's offense to only 13 points, all in the second half. It looked much more like the group that went three weeks without allowing a touchdown, including shutouts against Oakland and Washington.
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As usual, St. Louis' defensive line play led the way by hounding quarterback Russell Wilson all afternoon, bringing him down for three sacks. Pro Bowl defensive linemen Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald lived up to their reputation with solid help from linebackers James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree.
Seattle's Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch finished with only 60 yards, his third-lowest total of the season. Rookie LaMarcus Joyner filled in well for injured cornerback E.J. Gaines and another rookie, Marcus Roberson, got his first interception when Wilson evaded pressure and badly overthrew his receiver in the first half.
Wilson ended the day 17-for-25 for 239 yards, 38 of which came on a deep pass to Doug Baldwin against blown coverage to highlight Seattle's lone touchdown drive. Those costly secondary mistakes have been the Achilles heel for St. Louis all season, but it's scary to imagine how good this defense could be if the young defensive backs mature and improve their communication.
SECOND DOWN: QB, O-line still glaring needs
Another woeful offensive performance left no doubt what the Rams should be looking for in terms of trade offers, free agency or the 2015 NFL Draft.
Quarterback Shaun Hill looked utterly overmatched against the league's best defense, though his second interception should have been a catch for tight end Lance Kendricks. Hill also didn't get much help from his offensive line, which gave up four more sacks to increase the season total to 47.
Of course, both position groups would have been significantly better if quarterback Sam Bradford and Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long hadn't suffered season-ending injuries. But with Bradford's future in doubt and a whole host of problems along the line, it's clear St. Louis needs some major upgrades at both positions to compete in the loaded NFC West.
THIRD DOWN: Mason still looks like future at running back
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Fisher and his staff should feel much better about their options at running back, thanks to the emergence of Tre Mason.
He ended his rookie year with a rather quiet 11 carries for 28 yards and three catches for 29 yards. Still, those watching couldn't miss the elusiveness and explosive ability he brings to the offense every time he touches the ball.
It would be easy to be cynical of Mason's impressive finish to the season, considering his 767 yards are 200 less than what Zac Stacy gained in just one more game during his rookie season. He became almost invisible in the second half of this season thanks to a guy who didn't even get on the active roster until the season's fifth game.
Both were good enough to be on pace for a 1,000-yard season if they had played the full 16 games, and certainly the unpredictability of NFL running backs makes the future of both somewhat uncertain. But Stacy has still never had a run of longer than 20 yards, while Mason accomplished the feat in six different games and even reeled off an 89-yard touchdown run against Oakland.
That's a positive sign for a player who hasn't been shy about sharing his intentions to work hard enough be the best running back ever.
FOURTH DOWN: Fourth quarter problems
The Rams' last quarter of the season felt familiar for all the wrong reasons.
St. Louis entered the last 15 minutes tied at six and even looked poised to take the lead with possession well inside Greg Zuerlein's long field goal range. Then everything went wrong.
It began on the first play of the quarter, when Hill tried to throw the ball away at the line of scrimmage and the Seahawks' defensive end Jordan Hill made an impressive diving interception. Six plays and 54 yards later, Seattle had its first lead of the game.
Seahawks defensive back Bruce Irvin provided the dagger on the next drive when he stole a completion from Kendricks for a 49-yard interception return. It would have been more dramatic if three different Rams opponents hadn't already scored on interceptions to seal games in the fourth quarter this season.
This time, St. Louis might have actually still had a chance if Benny Cunningham had succeeded in stretching out for the end zone on third and goal with more than six minutes remaining. Instead, he fumbled out of bounds for a touchback and the Rams' only drive longer than 50 yards all afternoon ended with no points.
Turnovers have been the biggest reason for the fourth quarter failures of St. Louis, who got outscored 120-83 and blew two leads in the final 15 minutes this season. Hill and Austin Davis combined for six touchdowns and ten interceptions in the fourth quarter, compared to 14 touchdowns and six interceptions in the first three.
It's hardly a surprise St. Louis struggled when quarterback play becomes most important, and the offense's inability to stay on the field may have occasionally led to a tired defense. The Rams even struggled to run efficiently to kill clock when they had the lead, thanks to a shaky offensive line.
Whatever the reason for the fourth quarter struggles, correcting them should be another top priority.
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
