Scott Eklund / Associated Press
After sharing the regular season series with the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams won the rubber match with a 30-20 victory in the NFC Wild Card Round on Saturday at Lumen Field.
Los Angeles limped into the playoffs with a 3-3 record in its last six games, including a 23-20 loss to the New York Jets in week 15. With a fresh start against an opponent they know well, the Rams came back on track to secure a spot in the divisional round next weekend.
The Seahawks beat the Rams 20-9 two weeks ago to win NFC West. They ended the regular season with four consecutive wins, with the defense holding the opponent with 84 points in the last six matches.
This time, it was the Los Angeles defense that took the role. Russell Wilson was detained for 174 passes yards and completed just 40.7 percent of your passes.
Jared Goff was put into action early in the game, when titleholder John Wolford left with an injury. The Rams didn’t ask the quarterback much, but he froze the game with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Robert Woods for a 30-13 lead with less than five minutes to play.
Cam Akers did most of the work for the Los Angeles attack. The running back rookie ended with 176 yards of scrimmage and a touchdown.
Notable game statistics
- Jared Goff, LA: 9 out of 19, 155 yards, TD
- Cam Akers, LA: 28 carries, 131 yards, TD; 2 receptions, 45 yards
- Cooper Kupp, LA: 4 receptions, 78 yards
- Russell Wilson, SEA: 11 of 27, 174 yards, 2 TD, INT
- DK Metcalf, SEA: 5 receptions, 96 yards, 2 TD
- Chris Carson, SEA: 16 runs, 77 yards
Akers, Opportunistic Defense Lift Rams to Upset Win
The Rams were already facing a difficult task when Wolford was named as the starting defender, but coach Sean McVay was forced to adapt when Goff was put back into action at the end of the first quarter.
Already considered one of the best offensive players in the NFL, McVay devised a heavy game plan that allowed his attack to succeed without having to rely on the ball being thrown.
Akers ran 131 yards, received another 45 yards and scored Rams’ only offensive touchdown in the first half, giving them a 20-10 lead.
Fortunately for Rams, the Los Angeles defense has also stepped up against a Seahawks attack that has been trying to resolve itself in the second half of the season.
The defense appeared to be in trouble in the third quarter when Donald left with a chest injury. He was in the entire backfield before that, recording three hitting strikes and two tackles for loss.
Darious Williams made one of the best defensive plays of the entire season. The third year cornerback perfectly read a quick screen for DK Metcalf, took a step ahead of the pass and took him home for a 42-yard touchdown.
Not to be outdone, Jalen Ramsey had another excellent day as the main cornerback against Metcalf, after keeping him under control during the regular season.
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
This was the second Pick-6 of Russell Wilson’s career in the playoffs and the first since 2015 in the Division Playoffs. Wilson has 3-5 in his playoff career when he lost by at least 10 points, after starting 3-1 in such games, he lost 4 straight. https://t.co/aFeonwXlik
The Rams’ ability to cover Seattle receivers outside allowed the rush to pass to obtain constant pressure on Wilson without having to send additional help.
McVay and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley put together a perfect game to maximize the talent at their disposal. The players did it, and as a result, the Rams extended their season for at least another week.
Expensive Doom Seahawks Mistakes
This game followed a similar formula for the Seahawks based on how they ended the season. The offense was carried out in 278 yards against the Rams, scoring his third consecutive game ending with less than 300 yards.
When Wilson hit Metcalf for a 51-yard touchdown in the second quarter to reduce the deficit to 13-10, it looked like the Seahawks would finally find their spot and start crossing against an insufficient Rams team.
Instead of getting on the right track, however, the Seattle attack never found a consistent pace. Wilson launched an interception and had at least two more passes that could have been chosen.
Los Angeles pressure in the top four kept Wilson moving for most of the game. He showed the ability to stand out from the pocket throughout your career, but that wasn’t working for him against an opponent who knows his tendencies very well.
ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo
This was the second Pick-6 of Russell Wilson’s career in the playoffs and the first since 2015 in the Division Playoffs. Wilson has 3-5 in his playoff career when he lost by at least 10 points, after starting 3-1 in such games, he lost 4 straight. https://t.co/aFeonwXlik
The mistakes were not limited to Wilson alone. In their second race of the game, the Seahawks lost 15 yards before starting a move because of a holding penalty on Mike Iupati and a false start by Will Dissly.
Seattle was trying to give a boost at the end of the third quarter to potentially tie the game, but the penalties in consecutive plays put the attack in a first-to-25 situation. In a 4th to 1 at the start of the fourth period, the attack prepared for go ahead, but a false start by Jordan Simmons forced Pete Carroll to punt.
Whatever changed from the attack from the first half of the season to the second, Carroll and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer were never able to find out.
As a result, the Seahawks are entering the off-season much earlier than anyone could have imagined, when they averaged 34.3 points per game during Week 9.
What is the next?
The Rams will play against the New Orleans Saints if he wins the Chicago Bears; otherwise, they will face the winner of the Washington Football Team-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game in the NFC Divisional Round.