Takeaways from Seahawks' heartbreaking Week 11 loss to Rams

But the struggles didn’t stop there.

Still trailing 14-12 late in the third quarter, Darnold tossed his third head-scratcher of the day — and his second to Rams defensive back Kamren Kinchens. The Seahawks had a chance to take the lead on all three of those drives that Darnold halted with picks.

The Rams capitalized, extending their lead to 21-12. Darnold had one more horrible play as he evaded pressure, jumped into the air and threw a short dart right to Los Angeles’ Darious Williams. That was the backbreaker if the previous three weren’t.

Combining Darnold’s 10 interceptions with his four fumbles, he’s averaging 1.4 turnovers per game. Comparing that to another leading MVP candidate in Matthew Stafford (0.4 turnovers per game), the difference is clear.

The Seahawks need Darnold to protect the football if they want to make a playoff run. The bad teams they have beaten haven’t been able to make them pay, but the Rams and others have.

Rams’ defense continues to be among league’s best

Los Angeles’ defense was on the field a ton in the second and third quarters. The Rams ran just three offensive plays in the second quarter and 12 in the third. 

Still, the Seahawks couldn’t get anything more than field goals in those periods. Darnold was under pressure, made bad decisions and didn’t have any options down the field. That’s a credit to the Rams, who were able to maintain their over-the-top coverage while dominating the trenches.

Darnold led the league in passes of 20 or more yards coming into the game. Los Angeles almost completely took that area of Seattle’s offense away.

It wasn’t a surprise considering the defensive ranks for Los Angeles entering the game. The Rams came into Week 11 with 14 takeaways, tied for sixth in the league. Even though Darnold wasn’t sacked, he had by far the worst game of his short Seahawks career.

Seattle’s defense kept them in the game

If Darnold had an even half-decent game, the Seahawks almost certainly would have won this game. Following the four turnovers, Seattle’s defense was given difficult hand after difficult hand.

The Rams’ offense had just 112 yards in the second half on seven drives, including forcing three straight punts in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks got the stop they needed to get one more chance to win the game, but Rams punter Ethan Evans pinned them on their own 1-yard line with one of the most masterful punts you’ll see in an NFL game.

That punt by Evans was really the difference, as Seattle could only get to the very edge of Myers’ field goal range in the amount of time they had remaining. Then, the kick wasn’t even close.

Los Angeles was just 2 for 11 on third down, displaying the strength of the Seahawks’ defense in generating stops. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald had his unit ready to go, but Darnold’s poor showing made life four times as hard.

Stafford was held in check, completing 15 of 28 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams' offense was overall quiet, but it didn't have to do much to win the game.

Still, the Seahawks had a chance

Seattle now has three losses this season by a combined nine points. All have come against top teams in Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Los Angeles. But that’s exactly the problem.

These are the kinds of games that the Seahawks have to win to be hailed as a Super Bowl contender. It comes down to the little things, like Darnold throwing even one less interception in a one-score game, or Evans’ insane punt that made the Seahawks have to go almost 60 yards to even have a chance for a game-winning field goal.

That latter example is out of the Seahawks’ control, but it shouldn’t have come down to one final drive in the first place.

The story of this season will rely on whether the Seahawks either begin to overcome those situations or continue to crumble in them.

Up Next

The Seahawks travel to face the Tennessee Titans (1-9) at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23. Tennessee has lost five straight games, most recently falling to the Houston Texans 16-13 in Week 11.