Seattle Seahawks: 5 takeaways from Wild Card loss to Rams

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JANUARY 09: Morgan Fox #97 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after a stop against Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks on fourth down during the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card game at Lumen Field on January 09, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /

Rams defensive line controlled this game

After the month of December, many became skeptical of this Seattle offense. They went from having one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league to barely putting the ball in the end zone. A large part of those struggles were the injuries this team sustained. Specifically, on their offensive line. RT Brandon Shell missed a handful of games. G Mike Iupati just seemed to never get right after suffering a back injury. G Damien Lewis, C Ethan Pocic and LT Duane Brown were able to stay healthy for the majority of this season.

The good news for the Seahawks was that all 5 of their starting offensive linemen would be good to go in the Wild Card round. When all 5 started throughout the regular season, the Seahawks were undefeated. This was the best offensive line Russell Wilson has had since being drafted by the Seahawks. Despite the offensive struggles late in the season, many thought with the return of the offensive line, the Seahawks would once again be able to light that spark on offense.

Well, that wasn’t exactly the case. Actually, this Seattle offensive line put together one of their worst performances of the season. Granted, the Rams defensive line is to be considered one of the best, if not, the best in the NFL. But, they failed to give Wilson adequate protection throughout the entirety of the game. Whenever Wilson was able to get himself out of the pocket and on the run, it more likely than not came back due to a holding penalty.

The lack of discipline displayed by this offensive line on Saturday was disheartening. When evaluating the state of this team after the month of December, I simply declared that this team will go as far as this offensive line takes them. Russell Wilson was the third most sacked QB in the NFL this season. But, I will say, this offensive line showed flashes of potential. While they never played that “perfect game”, they clammed down when need be. Against the Rams in Week 16, they did just that in the second half to allow this Seahawks offense to get going. But, in the Wild Card round, they got manhandled and it adversely affected the outcome of this game.

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