Seattle Seahawks vs. Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterbacks
- Russell Wilson: 22/36, 245 yards, 1 INT | 5 rushes, 28 yards
We saw a less-than-stellar performance from Russell Wilson against the Rams on Sunday night, a rare occurrence this season from the MVP-candidate. The Rams’ defense did a solid job of disrupting the pocket with pressure and making Wilson’s job tough all game long. Wilson led the Seahawks’ offense down the field on a field goal drive in their opening possession, and they wouldn’t score any more offensive points until the 4th quarter. The Rams also played well in coverage, not allowing Wilson and the Seahawks’ receivers to get many big plays. Wilson was also sacked 5 times in this game – the third time out of Seattle’s last 4 games that Wilson was sacked at least 5 times. This was the first game all season that Wilson was held without a TD. The loss is certainly a setback for Wilson and the Seahawks, but he’ll look to get them back on track next week against the Panthers.
Running Backs
- Chris Carson: 15 carries, 76 yards | 4 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards
- Rashaad Penny: 1 target, 1 reception, 16 yards
- CJ Prosise: 1 carry, 2 yards
Seattle’s running game (and many of your fantasy lineups) took a big blow on their very first possession as Rashaad Penny injured his knee after a 16-yard reception and was knocked out of the game. After Penny’s emergence over the past few weeks, he had worked his way into RB2/Flex consideration. We hope Penny’s injury isn’t serious, and we wish him a speedy recovery. With Penny out, RB Chris Carson took back the leading-back role that he held for most of the season. He looked solid but wasn’t quite able to bust any big plays. Finishing with 76 rushing yards, Carson became the first Seahawks’ RB to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons since RB Marshawn Lynch. RB CJ Prosise played a handful of snaps backing up the injured Penny but looked out-of-sorts after being inactive since Week 7. Prosise would end the game with only one touch. With Seattle being unable to score a single offensive TD, it’s unlikely that Carson or Penny was a huge help to your playoff chances.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- DK Metcalf: 6 targets, 6 receptions, 78 yards
- Tyler Lockett: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 43 yards
- Jacob Hollister: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards
- Josh Gordon: 5 targets, 2 receptions, 34 yards
In the same vein of Seattle’s offense unable to score any touchdowns, the Seahawks’ receiving corps likely didn’t help anyone’s playoff chances this week. WR Tyler Lockett was able to slightly bounce back from his goose egg last week but finished with only 4 catches and less than 50 yards for the game. It was once again WR DK Metcalf who paced the Seahawks in receiving yardage, yet he was unable to find the end-zone for a 4th consecutive week. There were several opportunities where Russell Wilson made accurate passes downfield for his receivers, but the Rams’ secondary was able to maintain solid coverage and make several deflections. All of Seattle’s pass-catchers will look to improve on this week’s performance next week against Carolina’s secondary – who’ve allowed the 10th most fantasy points to receivers this season.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterbacks
- Jared Goff: 22/31, 293 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT | 2 carries, 4 yards
It was a tale of two halves for Rams’ QB Jared Goff, starting hot and cooling down tremendously in the second half. Goff threw for over 200 yards and 2 TDs in the first half, taking advantage of a superb gameplan that found many wide-open receivers. The Rams ran multiple plays with receivers in a bunch formation to one side of the field all running crossing routes in the same direction – setting picks for a single receiver or tight end to cross in the opposite direction from the other side. Combined with a solid performance in the running game, Goff and the Rams did a solid job of keeping Seattle’s offense off the field. In the second half, however, things soured a bit for Goff. In the third quarter, Goff threw his first pick-six since back in his rookie season in 2016. He threw another interception on the Rams’ very next possession, but at least that one didn’t lead to any points for Seattle. Rams’ head coach Sean McVay employed a more conservative approach in an attempt to run out more clock for the rest of the game. Goff’s good-but-not-great numbers likely weren’t enough to put anyone over the top in their playoff matchups this week, and Goff will have a tough time through the air next week against a tough Dallas secondary.
Running Backs
- Todd Gurley II: 23 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 34 yards
- Malcolm Brown: 5 carries, 21 yards, 1 TD
It was a vintage performance from Los Angeles RB Todd Gurley against the Seahawks as Gurley logged 27 total touches and went over 100 yards from scrimmage in back-to-back weeks. Sean McVay has shown less hesitance recently to use Gurley more in his traditional bell-cow type role and less in the load-management type role he’d employed earlier in the season. Seattle didn’t have an answer for Gurley and the Rams’ offense in the first half, or the second half really for that matter. Gurley showed flashes of his former days with a stretch 23-yard run to the outside in the third quarter – it would be his longest play of the night. RB Malcolm Brown only logged 5 touches on the night but did poach a TD from Gurley on the Rams’ opening possession. If Gurley’s past two performances are any indication, Gurley seems to be back to his must-start status – right in time for the thick of the fantasy playoffs.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
- Cooper Kupp: 4 targets, 4 receptions, 45 yards, 1 TD
- Robert Woods: 9 targets, 7 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD
- Tyler Higbee: 11 targets, 7 receptions, 116 yards
It took 14 weeks, but WR Robert Woods caught his first TD of the season in the Rams’ victory over the Seahawks on Sunday night. It was a well-designed play – after fooling Seattle’s secondary for the entire drive on delayed opposite crossing-routes, Woods ran a beautiful route where he faked the inside crossing-route, only to break back towards the outside for the open score. WR Cooper Kupp also had a TD reception for Seattle on a play where he slid into a soft-spot in Seattle’s cover 3 zone – where the safeties left too much space between themselves and the goal line. TE Tyler Higbee had another outstanding outing in TE Gerald Everett’s absence – finishing as Los Angeles’ lone pass-catcher to eclipse 100 receiving yards on the game. Higbee made several catches where he would fake blocking down only to slip out over the middle of the field wide open. Higbee’s longest catch of the night came on the Rams’ first possession. Higbee slid out towards the right sideline and made a wide-open catch – he almost scored but lost his footing around the 5-yard line and was touched down by Seahawks’ safety Jordan Simone. WR Brandin Cooks was once again held without a catch on 2 targets. If Gerald Everett is forced to miss week 15’s matchup against the Cowboys, Woods, Kupp and Higbee all seem to be in for solid starting consideration.
— Corey Saucier