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Seahawks 23, Rams 20: Rams Defense Fizzles Late in the Game

Dec 14, 2008 – 4:27 PM
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Matt Snyder

Matt Snyder %BloggerTitle%

At one point early in the second half, the St. Louis Rams had out-gained the Seattle Seahawks by nearly double. They did not, however, close out the game on offense or defense. When the dust settled, the Rams only amassed nine more yards than the Seahawks, and they ran 10 more plays. They also won the time of possession battle by nearly eight minutes. And they still came up short.

Just in case anyone thinks Jim Haslett is really going to retain this job because of winning his first two games, today was yet another reminder on how the Rams need to dismantle this team. Richie Incognito was penalized with regularity, the offense fumbled twice -- one was taken back for a touchdown -- and solid offensive efforts from Marc Bulger and Steven Jackson were wasted.

The Rams held a 17-7 lead at the half, but were outscored 16-3 in the second half.

The Seahawks weren't much better. They struggled to get any sort of offensive rhythm until the fourth quarter, counting on a bunch of field goals and a defensive touchdown to keep them in the game. And this was against the Rams, who came into the game 29th in overall defense and 31st in scoring defense.

All in all, Maurice Morris looked very solid, as did rookie tight end John Carlson, who battled through several big hits by the Rams secondary. The Seahawks still have enough offensive parts to put something together for their new head coach next season.

As for the Rams, well, I think they have to keep Steven Jackson around. The defense showed some promise, albeit against a subpar team. The rest of the offense and the secondary need to be blown up in the offseason, along with the entire coaching staff.
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