(Courtesy Photo LA Rams)
The Los Angeles Rams suffered their sixth consecutive loss on Sunday at SoFi Stadium to the Seattle Seahawks, 27-23. Head coach Sean McVay announced the biggest Rams news. In his postgame interview, McVay revealed that Stafford has a spinal cord contusion and is probably out for the season. Stafford has been in concussion protocol twice during the 22/23 season. The Seahawks did not face a loaded Rams team, as Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald, and Allen Robinson also did not play.
John Wolford, the backup quarterback for the Rams, started the game with a 77-yard drive in 10 plays resulting in a Cam Akers one-yard touchdown run. Matt Gay’s field goal gave the Rams a 7-0 lead. The Seahawks answered with quarterback Geno Smith finding wideout Tyler Lockett for a 36-yard pass. The Seahawk field goal tied the score 7-7. With 2:34 remaining in the first quarter, Gay kicked a 40-yard field goal giving the Rams a 10-7 lead.
In the second quarter, both teams scored, with the Seahawks scoring on a 4-yard pass from Smith to tight end Noah Fant, and the Ram’s Matt Gay kicked a 54-yard field goal bringing the Rams within one point, 13-14.
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Both teams would kick field goals in the third and fourth quarters, keeping the game close in points. In the third, the Seahawks extended the lead with a 41-yard field goal, putting the Seahawks up by four points, 17 – 13. Rams kicker Matt Gay would follow early in the fourth quarter, kicking a 32-yard field goal, bringing the Rams within one point of the Seahawks, 17 -16. With 6:46 on the clock, the Seahawks would land a 26-yard field goal, taking a four-point lead over the Rams, 20 -16.
(Credit: Brevin Townsell)
Late in the fourth quarter, with 2:56 on the clock, Rams running back Cam Akers ran six yards into the endzone, putting the hometown team up by three points, 23 – 20. Akers would finish with 60 yards in 17 carries. With less than a minute left to play, the Seahawks would score with an eight-yard pass to DK Metcalf. Seahawks quarterback Smith completed 28 of 39 passes for 367 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception.
A tough loss for the Rams, but it was a game that showcased the skills of several members of the Rams; Linebacker Bobby Wagner, a former member of the Seahawks, played a great game with seven tackles (three for loss), two sacks, two quarterback hits, and one interception that he ripped from the hands of Seahawk running back Tony Jones. For his efforts, the team rewarded Wagner with the game ball.
“What a baller,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said. “The steadiness, the consistency, the leadership. There was nothing more we wanted as a team, as a coaching staff, and really everybody in that locker room, to try to get that done and be able to give him that game ball that he deserved, but we came up short.”
(Credit: Brevin Townsell)
“I just felt like we had a lot of guys out, we had a lot of playmakers out on (defense), so I wanted to try to provide a spark for the team and help us find a win,” Wagner said.
TuTu Atwell, whose one-handed catch should make the Sunday’s Best Highlight Reel, catch he turned into a 30-yard gain. Backup quarterback John Wolford completed 14 of 26 passes for 178 yards, with two interceptions.
The Rams have a short week and will meet the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday at SoFi. The Rams will miss the services of cornerback David Long after he sustained a groin injury during Sunday’s matchup; Ben Skowronek with shoulder soreness is day-to-day, and quarterback John Wolford with neck soreness.
