Soooo many field goals. Another useless Kallerup holding call. A couple of bad no-calls that would have helped us. The greatest punt I've ever seen.
Sam's worst day as a Seahawks QB was the hardest element to overcome, but there were a lot of little things that just didn't bounce quite right. We're right there, y'all. It was a good terrible game.
We will go as far as Sam can take us. It’s a superbowl level defense. I believe Sam could take us far, but I’m reasonably concerned against great defensive fronts.
I picked Seattle in my pool, but I'm not disappointed in the loss. The defense was incredible against an elite offense. The offense was able to move the ball against a top defense. The difference was obviously the interceptions, two of which I think he should have just taken the sack on. Under this coaching staff this will be a learning experience for everyone and will ultimately make them better. To have a chance to win at the end despite a -3 turnover differential speaks to the resilience and character of the team and are the traits of great teams.
26 first downs for the Hawks to 12 for LA. Man, turnovers killed us.
Not to overreact, but Myers is probably gone next year right? Kudos to him for the first 4 fgs, but considering his salary and with kickers setting all sorts of records this year, that final attempt wasn't even a squeeze. So disappointing.
I'm super proud of the way Darnold handled himself with poise, in spite of a bad game. Very refreshing given the temper tantrums we've had to endure the past few years when things go wrong. He didn't pout on the sidelines, he didn't throw his helmet, he wasn't seeing ghosts, he didn't fall apart, and he didn't give up. He hung in there and battled to the last play when things were going about as badly as they could have gone. I was inspired by Sam Darnold today, and all of the silly narratives aren't worth my time.
The D should feel good. The team and Darnold should not. This was a game we should have won and we only have ourselves to blame. The Rams did not beat us, we beat us.
Now let’s all take a deep breath… this L may come back to bite us, but I believe we learn more from our mistakes than our success. I believe this team will grow from this and be better. Darnold knows he blew it. We had no business being in a position to win this game, yet we were right there. Learn from it and move on.
I want to apologize. This game all on me. I kept my Defensive hat on all game. Well until mid 4th quarter. I didn’t switch. Then I started to switch and defensive was great and offense picked up. I’m truly sorry for not switching the defense vs offense hat sooner.
Hate to say it but the determining factor in the game were the gifts from Darnold to the Rams. It was a bad day for him but I remain a staunch supporter and am glad he is the quarterback for this team.
The Hawks defense is certainly for real and played lights out. This looks like the best defense we have fielded since the LOB days.
The Rams defense is also for real. They managed to take away some of the elements of our big play pass offense. Kudos to their coaching staff.
At the end of the day, the Rams looked like the best team we have faced this year and will likely remain the best team we face this year. We stacked up well with them and we pretty much were our own worst enemy today.
I wrote in one of your prior posts, Kenneth, that this game would come down to QB play, and that until proven wrong, Stafford had the edge. More than once he threw a ball that only his guy could make, and they fell harmlessly incomplete. Darnold has to learn to eat the ball or dirt it. On the jump pass pick, just throw that one to nobody. Even if you push yourselves out of FG range, you punt them deep. Better still, you throw it to nobody and beyond the LOS and it's not grounding and you're within Meyers' range.
I don't think you abandon Darnold. But he has to learn how to deal with duress. Look: The Rams gave up on a very good QB and traded him to the Lions. That guy finally grew up and learned how to throw the ball away. Darnold needs to handle pressure better.
But.... the dude with the doo outcoached Kubiak, too. He muddled the seam, forcing Darnold to play against his strength. That's what good teams do. And btw., McDonald did the same thing to Stafford. Who knew better than to force the issue. It's called wisdom, and Darnold has to learn from this game and fight through it. He's very talented... and he's going to have to learn to handle the stress, too, because if Zabel misses any time at all his O-line is going to be like what happened to the Vikings' O-line at the end of last season. Darnold works well on script. Off-script, he can struggle. But the key there is that he has to trust what he already knows: If it's not there, don't throw. And three of four of those pics were emblematic of forcing it. (One, his TE zigged instead of zagged and I'll grant that's not on Darnold.)
That's basically the ballgame. Yes, the D was excellent. Yes, they had a chance in the end. Yes, McD coached his tail off and didn't screw anything up, the way I have little doubt poor Pete would have. This is why you got Mike. Even in a loss, you can see the difference. There are no consolation prizes, but this team is farther along than anyone thought they would be when the season started. I really want them to:
1. Get in the dance. Always job one.
2. Win at least one playoff game, and finally slay that dragon, since it's been ages.
3. Maybe push deeper, ideally the NFC title game, though looking at some of the holes they still have in their game, I think that's a serious push. You need a healthy O-line. You need to be able to run more efficiently than they have all season. And the next time you face either these same Rams, or a team that can play this style of defense, you need an answer. Especially in the red zone. They studied Seattle's tendency in short passing and took away much of what Darnold relies on. Seattle needs some new ingredients there, because this is the blueprint for stopping them—and that's with cornerbacks that really aren't the best in the league.
Goff is a great quarterback and even he had a 5 interception performance last year. Sam will bounce back, KK will make adjustments and MM will continue to kick ass.
Donald had a bad game. They are allowed to every once in a while I guess. The Defense look great we were running the ball pretty well. We have one lineman out on the offense and the other hurting.
Don’t forget in one of Wilson’s big years 2015 he threw four picks against Green Bay in the playoffs
I had picked this as a loss. I still think they will win the division.
For so many years - 9? 10? - we haven’t been able to play on the level of the top teams. The Rams are a top team and we’re on that level too. That’s the takeaway. And pray for Zabel.
I had this game as a loss, and I still believe the Hawks will come out of the bye week with 9 wins 1 loss. I think we will still win the division and finish 14 -3. I had three landmarks the Hawks needed to hit to win this game and finish 15 and 2 for the season. Landmarks 1) Pressure Stafford. Boy did they do this! Take out the first quarter and this defense owned the Rams offense. Landmark 2) get 125+ yards rushing. They did this with 135 yards and 4 ypc. Landmark 3) was win the turnover battle. People just didn’t seem to mind all the 2 or 3 or 4 turnover games we’ve had recently, because we managed to win despite the turnovers. I repeatedly said we would pay the price against very good teams if this does not change. We paid the price today. At least 14 of the 21 points scored by the Rams are directly due to offensive turnovers. If we can just keep turnovers even, we will be awesome. If we win the turnover battle the next time we play the Rams, we will win by double digits. Go Hawks!!!
The Rams are the only team that come close to the equal of the Seahawks. That’s why I had them losing this game in LA, but winning when they face them in Seattle. In every other game remaining, the Seahawks are the better team. The toughest games left, besides the Rams are the Vikings and Colts. All three of those games are at Lumen and I believe Lumen field advantage is back.
I still believe in Sam and the coaching staff for the rest of the season,
No one feels worse that Sam Darnold does right now. I wont beat up on him I just expect our QB
to be better. I believe in him and his talent. He has the ability to get this right. He can make or break this team and he is smart enough to correct his errant throws. I am looking forward to the rematch in Seattle with the Ram's and the 9er's buckle up Hawk fans were in for some great football.
I've thought the same thing in all three losses: Seattle looked like the better team. On the road. The Rams were ranked by most scribes as the #1 team in football and Seattle more than held its own -- including 38 mins in time of possession despite the 4 interceptions. Without those, if he just throws those balls into the stands, do we end up with 40 mins?
Ok: the Rams did what they have done the whole season -- win the turnover game. So kudos to them. But I didn't come away feeling like other Rams losses in past years where it was so hopeless. Quite the contrary: if it comes down to the last Rams game, we definitely have a great chance.
Sam had a bad game. It happens. Our D was excellent. I think we win the game in the end if not for that lucky punt.
My big worry is about Zabels injury. Without him we are stuck with ? and future Hall of Famer Anthony Bradford at guard!
Soooo many field goals. Another useless Kallerup holding call. A couple of bad no-calls that would have helped us. The greatest punt I've ever seen.
Sam's worst day as a Seahawks QB was the hardest element to overcome, but there were a lot of little things that just didn't bounce quite right. We're right there, y'all. It was a good terrible game.
We will go as far as Sam can take us. It’s a superbowl level defense. I believe Sam could take us far, but I’m reasonably concerned against great defensive fronts.
I picked Seattle in my pool, but I'm not disappointed in the loss. The defense was incredible against an elite offense. The offense was able to move the ball against a top defense. The difference was obviously the interceptions, two of which I think he should have just taken the sack on. Under this coaching staff this will be a learning experience for everyone and will ultimately make them better. To have a chance to win at the end despite a -3 turnover differential speaks to the resilience and character of the team and are the traits of great teams.
26 first downs for the Hawks to 12 for LA. Man, turnovers killed us.
Not to overreact, but Myers is probably gone next year right? Kudos to him for the first 4 fgs, but considering his salary and with kickers setting all sorts of records this year, that final attempt wasn't even a squeeze. So disappointing.
I believe we are a top 5 team in the NFL. I hope Zabel is OK or heals fast. We were the better team.
I'm super proud of the way Darnold handled himself with poise, in spite of a bad game. Very refreshing given the temper tantrums we've had to endure the past few years when things go wrong. He didn't pout on the sidelines, he didn't throw his helmet, he wasn't seeing ghosts, he didn't fall apart, and he didn't give up. He hung in there and battled to the last play when things were going about as badly as they could have gone. I was inspired by Sam Darnold today, and all of the silly narratives aren't worth my time.
The D should feel good. The team and Darnold should not. This was a game we should have won and we only have ourselves to blame. The Rams did not beat us, we beat us.
Now let’s all take a deep breath… this L may come back to bite us, but I believe we learn more from our mistakes than our success. I believe this team will grow from this and be better. Darnold knows he blew it. We had no business being in a position to win this game, yet we were right there. Learn from it and move on.
Go Hawks!
I want to apologize. This game all on me. I kept my Defensive hat on all game. Well until mid 4th quarter. I didn’t switch. Then I started to switch and defensive was great and offense picked up. I’m truly sorry for not switching the defense vs offense hat sooner.
Argh, Randall... I just had a gut feeling that was what did us in. It's good you have reflected and will correct the error going forward.
Do my best Don. Kicking myself. :-).
Hate to say it but the determining factor in the game were the gifts from Darnold to the Rams. It was a bad day for him but I remain a staunch supporter and am glad he is the quarterback for this team.
The Hawks defense is certainly for real and played lights out. This looks like the best defense we have fielded since the LOB days.
The Rams defense is also for real. They managed to take away some of the elements of our big play pass offense. Kudos to their coaching staff.
At the end of the day, the Rams looked like the best team we have faced this year and will likely remain the best team we face this year. We stacked up well with them and we pretty much were our own worst enemy today.
Go Hawks!
I wrote in one of your prior posts, Kenneth, that this game would come down to QB play, and that until proven wrong, Stafford had the edge. More than once he threw a ball that only his guy could make, and they fell harmlessly incomplete. Darnold has to learn to eat the ball or dirt it. On the jump pass pick, just throw that one to nobody. Even if you push yourselves out of FG range, you punt them deep. Better still, you throw it to nobody and beyond the LOS and it's not grounding and you're within Meyers' range.
I don't think you abandon Darnold. But he has to learn how to deal with duress. Look: The Rams gave up on a very good QB and traded him to the Lions. That guy finally grew up and learned how to throw the ball away. Darnold needs to handle pressure better.
But.... the dude with the doo outcoached Kubiak, too. He muddled the seam, forcing Darnold to play against his strength. That's what good teams do. And btw., McDonald did the same thing to Stafford. Who knew better than to force the issue. It's called wisdom, and Darnold has to learn from this game and fight through it. He's very talented... and he's going to have to learn to handle the stress, too, because if Zabel misses any time at all his O-line is going to be like what happened to the Vikings' O-line at the end of last season. Darnold works well on script. Off-script, he can struggle. But the key there is that he has to trust what he already knows: If it's not there, don't throw. And three of four of those pics were emblematic of forcing it. (One, his TE zigged instead of zagged and I'll grant that's not on Darnold.)
That's basically the ballgame. Yes, the D was excellent. Yes, they had a chance in the end. Yes, McD coached his tail off and didn't screw anything up, the way I have little doubt poor Pete would have. This is why you got Mike. Even in a loss, you can see the difference. There are no consolation prizes, but this team is farther along than anyone thought they would be when the season started. I really want them to:
1. Get in the dance. Always job one.
2. Win at least one playoff game, and finally slay that dragon, since it's been ages.
3. Maybe push deeper, ideally the NFC title game, though looking at some of the holes they still have in their game, I think that's a serious push. You need a healthy O-line. You need to be able to run more efficiently than they have all season. And the next time you face either these same Rams, or a team that can play this style of defense, you need an answer. Especially in the red zone. They studied Seattle's tendency in short passing and took away much of what Darnold relies on. Seattle needs some new ingredients there, because this is the blueprint for stopping them—and that's with cornerbacks that really aren't the best in the league.
Goff is a great quarterback and even he had a 5 interception performance last year. Sam will bounce back, KK will make adjustments and MM will continue to kick ass.
Good post.
Donald had a bad game. They are allowed to every once in a while I guess. The Defense look great we were running the ball pretty well. We have one lineman out on the offense and the other hurting.
Don’t forget in one of Wilson’s big years 2015 he threw four picks against Green Bay in the playoffs
I had picked this as a loss. I still think they will win the division.
For so many years - 9? 10? - we haven’t been able to play on the level of the top teams. The Rams are a top team and we’re on that level too. That’s the takeaway. And pray for Zabel.
I had this game as a loss, and I still believe the Hawks will come out of the bye week with 9 wins 1 loss. I think we will still win the division and finish 14 -3. I had three landmarks the Hawks needed to hit to win this game and finish 15 and 2 for the season. Landmarks 1) Pressure Stafford. Boy did they do this! Take out the first quarter and this defense owned the Rams offense. Landmark 2) get 125+ yards rushing. They did this with 135 yards and 4 ypc. Landmark 3) was win the turnover battle. People just didn’t seem to mind all the 2 or 3 or 4 turnover games we’ve had recently, because we managed to win despite the turnovers. I repeatedly said we would pay the price against very good teams if this does not change. We paid the price today. At least 14 of the 21 points scored by the Rams are directly due to offensive turnovers. If we can just keep turnovers even, we will be awesome. If we win the turnover battle the next time we play the Rams, we will win by double digits. Go Hawks!!!
They already have 3 losses, so 9 wins and 1 loss is going to be a tall order....
"I still believe the Hawks WILL COME OUT OF THE BYE WEEK with 9 wins 1 loss"
You missed A PART of what he said...
The Rams are the only team that come close to the equal of the Seahawks. That’s why I had them losing this game in LA, but winning when they face them in Seattle. In every other game remaining, the Seahawks are the better team. The toughest games left, besides the Rams are the Vikings and Colts. All three of those games are at Lumen and I believe Lumen field advantage is back.
With Purdy back, don't overlook the away game against the Niners. Much more worried about the Colts than the Vikings.
I think without Bosa and Warner, their defense is not good enough to compete with us. In my opinion.
Sad day in Hawk-ville,
I still believe in Sam and the coaching staff for the rest of the season,
No one feels worse that Sam Darnold does right now. I wont beat up on him I just expect our QB
to be better. I believe in him and his talent. He has the ability to get this right. He can make or break this team and he is smart enough to correct his errant throws. I am looking forward to the rematch in Seattle with the Ram's and the 9er's buckle up Hawk fans were in for some great football.
Go Hawks
I've thought the same thing in all three losses: Seattle looked like the better team. On the road. The Rams were ranked by most scribes as the #1 team in football and Seattle more than held its own -- including 38 mins in time of possession despite the 4 interceptions. Without those, if he just throws those balls into the stands, do we end up with 40 mins?
Ok: the Rams did what they have done the whole season -- win the turnover game. So kudos to them. But I didn't come away feeling like other Rams losses in past years where it was so hopeless. Quite the contrary: if it comes down to the last Rams game, we definitely have a great chance.