Often considered one of the weakest divisions in football, the NFC West contained three teams over .500 going into Week 4. The Rams were the only team under that mark, thanks to some very inconsistent offensive play. That inconsistent performance remained this week, but a touchdown on a fake field goal, and 12 points from real field goals were enough to beat a turnover-prone Seahawk team. With this win St. Louis has matched its 2011 total in just four games under Jeff Fisher.
The Seahawks were still in the national spotlight for the officiating debacle they were involved in a week ago. With media attention comes distractions, and whether it was these distractions or having to travel to the Midwest on a short week, Seattle gave away too many chances against a Rams team that was relatively mistake-free in both the turnover and big-play department.
Seattle – Three Performances Note
Running Free
Going into this game, Marshawn Lynch (+3.2) led all running backs in missed tackles forced, and with another six against St. Louis Lynch showed no sign of wanting to relinquish that lead. He had little trouble running through Rams’ defenders on his way to 5.9 yards per carry. With his work in this game, Lynch is now fourth in our Elusive Rating Signature stat among backs that have at least 10 touches. If you’re wondering how good his 70.8 rating is, it would have earned him a Top 3 spot in any of the past four years. The only knock against Lynch in this one is his lack of a big run to break the game open — his longest run was 18 yards.
One of the three halfbacks ahead of Lynch on our Elusive Rating Signature stat is fellow Seahawk Robert Turbin (+1.9) with an Elusive Rating of 92.3 (though on far fewer touches). In on just 11 plays, Turbin made the most of his snaps and forced five missed tackles on only six carries. If he can maintain anywhere near this level of play, Seattle appears to have a great second option to spell Lynch.
Opposite Ends of the Spectrum
It’s been a rough start to the season for former sixth-overall pick Russell Okung. He has committed six penalties in his past two games, a very worrisome display. None of that mattered against the Rams though. Okung (+5.6) was adequate in pass protection (he gave up just a pair of hurries), but in the run game he made life miserable for Robert Quinn and JoLonn Dunbar. Okung forced the duo out of the running lanes multiple times, as evidenced by Lynch’s eight yards per carry on runs to either side of Okung.
Much of Okung’s good work was undone by his teammate on the other side. Breno Giacomini (-7.9) had a rough go of it in every facet of play. Chris Long was sure to be a tough assignment, but the speed with which Giacomini gave up pressure did his rookie quarterback no favors. Some sub-standard run blocking and three penalties (including a personal foul) rounded out a poor performance.
Held in Check
Seattle’s defensive line had to be excited to match up against Wayne Hunter and Barry Richardson, after an eight-sack outing against the Packers. But the Rams held up fairly well against a Seahawk defensive line that could very well have taken over the game. The Seahawks got a respectable 14 disruptions on Sam Bradford, but only Alan Branch (+2.0 pass rush) generated more than two pressures. It has to come as slightly disappointing that Seattle couldn’t get to Bradford more considering the injury-depleted line they were facing off against.
St. Louis – Three Performances of Note
Tackling Troubles
If you’re looking for someone to blame for all those missed tackles by Seahawks running backs, you only have to look to the middle of St. Louis’ defense. Starting linebackers James Laurinaitis (-6.0 run defense), Rocky McIntosh (-1.8 run def), and JoLonn Dunbar (-4.1 run def) combined to miss seven tackles on the day. They were pushed around as if they were on wheels for much of the afternoon by the left side of the Seahawks' offensive line. Positive plays in run defense were hard to come by for this trio — Dunbar was the only one of the group to record a single stop. Even Quintin Mikell (-3.7 run defense), who spent plenty of time in the box in run support, contributed to the cause with four missed tackles to his name.
A Long Day for Wilson
The key to St. Louis’ defensive success can be credited to its ability to get after rookie Russell Wilson. Eleven different Rams got pressure on Wilson, who was disrupted on over half of his drop-backs. Long (+3.9 pass rush) set the tone with seven hurries on 24 pass rushes. Proving again that sacks aren’t the only statistic that matters when evaluating a pass rusher, two of Long’s hurries resulted in a sack for a teammate. He more often than not got the better of Giacomini in a performance that forced Wilson to tuck and run, and disrupted the rookie’s rhythm.
Center Folding
With the loss of Scott Wells to Injured Reserve in Week 1, Robert Turner (-4.9) has had to make the transition from left guard to center. Turner managed to avoid giving up any pressure, but it was far from a good day for him. He was victimized in the run game by Brandon Mebane (+5.1 run defense) and Clinton McDonald (+1.3 run def). The duo had Turner out of position often and forced him into a pair of holding penalties.
Replacing Turner at left guard is Quinn Ojinnaka (-2.8). He gave up five QB disruptions again this week, giving him 14 in three games, an alarming amount for a guard. The ease with which Jason Jones bullrushed Ojinnaka with 6:40 to go in the first doesn’t inspire much confidence, and it will be another long season for Bradford if Ojinnaka’s play doesn’t improve.
Game Notes
— The Rams collectively missed 22% of the tackles they attempted.
— Think right-handed quarterbacks prefer throwing to their right? Bradford and Wilson each threw three passes outside the left numbers, compared with a combined 23 attempts outside the right numbers.
— Rams nickel corner Bradley Fletcher graded over +1.0 in coverage for the third time in four weeks. Quarterbacks now have a QB rating of 25.0 when throwing his way.
Game Ball
It’s not an exciting choice, but how can you not give it to Greg Zuerlein? He was perfect on his four field goal attempts, including tries from 48, 58, and 60 yards.
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