THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS edged the Los Angeles Rams 30-29 in an NFL thriller overnight.
The two teams were separated by just one point at half-time after an impressive first half from Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson and a solid two quarters in Los Angeles wide receiver Cooper Kupp’s homecoming.
They were again separated by just one point before the two-minute warning after the Rams were rolling and Seattle sputtered.
But in true Seahawks fashion, they sealed a 30-29 victory after Wilson executed a late scoring drive. Three takeaways from another narrow Seahawks victory:
What can’t Russell Wilson do?
The eighth-year veteran is quietly having the best start of his career and it was highlighted in primetime against the Rams as he finished 17-of-23 passing for 268 yards and four touchdowns.
After Los Angeles put up 14 unanswered points following a missed Seahawks field goal late in the second quarter, Wilson led a scoring drive in the third and another to open the fourth. But at this point, the Seahawks were still trailing.
He continued to escape the clutches of Aaron Donald and Clay Matthews late in the game – only getting sacked once – and had one last scoring drive in him to give Seattle their go-ahead touchdown that almost did not happen after a bobbled catch.
Wilson, however, remained composed despite a late slip up under the two-minute mark that could have ended the game. The Seahawks secured an impressive interception to give Wilson and company the ball back, but he could not get the first down. Despite the rare mistake, it was another nail-biting win that Wilson has become famous for, and much like coach Pete Carroll who was yelling and sprinting down the sideline after a missed Rams field goal, Wilson could barely control his emotions after the game.
Todd Gurley gets going
The Rams underutilised their star rusher on Sunday. Todd Gurley finished with a career-low five carries in the team’s 55-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But they looked to the three-time Pro Bowl player for 15 carries and 51 yards to help open up the field for quarterback Jared Goff.
It was not an amazing performance, but it was one the offense needed if it wanted a chance. He accounted for two touchdowns on the ground against a tough Seahawks defense and showed that not only could he could still get it going, but that the Rams’ offensive line can create opportunities for him.
He finished the night with 15 career games having multiple rushing touchdowns – passing Eric Dickerson for the most in Rams history.
Jared Goff was way too hot and cold
It seems like Goff cannot string along enough successful plays to keep momentum on the Rams’ side. It was apparent on Sunday, when LA just could not turn the tide despite their late efforts, and it happened again in Seattle.
He, again, looked to Kupp to do a bulk of the work. Kupp finished with nine receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown but it was not enough for LA.
Some poor decisions in the end, including a false start penalty that backed the Rams up on their potential game-winning drive resulting in an unsuccessful 44-yard field-goal attempt, left the Rams on the losing end. They dropped to 3-2 this season, while the Seahawks move to 4-1.
