reporters do last rites on the SEATTLE game

Rams turn over final game to Seahawks

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-turn-over-final-game-to-seahawks/article_f723fca3-4ddc-5726-bcee-8b89f63e1003.html

SEATTLE • We’ve seen this one before: The Rams fight hard, hang in the game, then make a couple of costly mistakes that prove to the be the difference.

After taking an early 6-0 lead on the defending Super Bowl champions, the Rams couldn’t add to that point total even though they got as close as the Seattle half-yard line.

A busted coverage by — surprise! — Janoris Jenkins led to the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. That followed a play in which quarterback Shaun Hill tried to throw the ball in the ground but instead threw an interception.

The last gasp came with 6 minutes to play when Benny Cunningham, lunging for the end zone and a touchdown, had the ball slapped away and out of the end zone. The result was a touchback, with Seattle taking over at its 20.

The end result was a 20-6 loss that left the Rams at 6-10, their worst record since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach in 2012. Seattle, winners of six in a row and nine of their last 10, finished at 12-4 to earn home-field advantage in the playoffs.

On the strength of a pair of Greg Zuerlein fields goals, the Rams took a 6-0 lead into the locker room at halftime even though they were outgained 189 yards to 66 by Seahawks. Two takeaways helped keep Seattle off the scoreboard.

A late hit by Seattle cover man Ricardo Lockette on Rams punt returner Tavon Austin gave the Rams starting position at the 50 on their second possession of the game. Austin had signaled for a fair catch before being hit by Lockette.

The Rams were able to scratch out 35 yards on 11 plays to reach the red zone, before settling for a 33-yard field goal by Zuerlein and a 3-0 lead with 6:25 left to go in the first quarter.

Seattle’s top-ranked defense gave up yards grudgingly, but the Rams were able to put together three first downs on the drive before stalling out.

Seattle tested the Rams’ defense on its next possession, going for it on fourth-and-5 from the St. Louis 35 with 1:21 left in the opening quarter. But linebacker James Laurinaitis stopped tight end Luke Wilson about a half-yard short of the first-down marker, and the Rams took over on downs.

Then came the takeaways. Five minutes into the second quarter, with Seattle facing a third-and-8, a scrambling quarterback Russell Wilson made a rare bad decision under pressure. Just as he was getting hit by defensive end Robert Quinn, Wilson threw over the middle.

The hit affected the trajectory, and rookie cornerback Marcus Roberson came up with his first NFL interception. Roberson, playing in his first game since Nov. 2 at San Francisco, returned the ball 18 yards to the St. Louis 40.

The Rams couldn’t get anything going on that possession, but benefited from good field position after the Johnny Hekker punt. On second-and-2 from the Seattle 21, Marshawn Lynch took a screen pass from Wilson.

Lynch was heading for a first down and more when stripped from behind by linebacker Alec Ogletree. Safety T.J. McDonald scooped up the fumble and the Rams took over on the Seattle 34. Three plays, plus a false start penalty on Davin Joseph gained zero yards, but Zuerlein was true on a 52-yard field goal attempt that gave the Rams a 6-0 lead with 4:18 left in the half.

That’s the way the half ended, but Seattle got on the board on its first possession after taking the second-half kickoff. The big play on the drive was a 32-yard pass play from Wilson to wide receiver Paul Richardson.

Cornerback Jenkins was in good position on the play, a go route down the left sideline, but Richardson basically plucked the ball before it could get to Jenkins’ hands. That gave Seattle, which only had 117 yards passing in the first half, a first down at the St. Louis 26.

But the Rams’ defense stiffened and Seattle had to settle for a 42-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka, trimming the St. Louis lead to 6-3. With the crowd turning up the volume, momentum seemed to be shifting Seattle’s way.

After a 3-and-out in which the Rams lost six yards, Seattle took over on its 31 after a Hekker punt and moved quickly into field goal range. The big play was a 21-yard strike from Wilson to tight end Tony Moeaki, who was not picked up by a Rams defender on the play.

But once again, the Seahawks had to settle for three points, this time on a 45-yarder by Hauschka that tied the game at 6-6 with 4:45 left in the third quarter. Rookie defensive back Lamarcus Joyner helped keep the Seahawks out of the end zone by registering his first NFL sack on third-and-4 from the St. Louis 21.

Following that kick, the Rams put together what at the time was their best drive of the day. Hill completed five passes, including a 12-yarder to Jared Cook for a first down to the Seattle 25.

After a one-yard gain by Tre Mason and a holding penalty against Stedman Bailey, the Rams faced a second-and-19 from the Seattle 34 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

The Rams tried to set up a screen pass on the first play of the final quarter, but intended receiver Mason was well-covered. So Hill attempted to throw the ball into the turf to kill the play. Instead, Seattle defensive tackle Jordan Hill grabbed the ball before it hit the turf for an interception.

Hill returned the ball eight yards to the Seattle 46. The Seahawks subsequently faced a third-and-7 from the St. Louis 40, when a busted coverage by Jenkins led to a 31-yard gain by Kevin Norwood to the 9.

Jenkins initially was lined up over Norwood on the outside, but Jenkins totally ignored him, committing inside in the direction of slot receiver Doug Baldwin. That left Norwood wide open.

On the next play, Lynch scored untouched on a 9-yard rush up the middle _ defensive tackle Kendall Langford wasn’t even in his stance when the ball was snapped _ and that was that for any hopes of a Rams victory.

So trailing 13-6, the Rams got the ball back, and gained a couple of first downs to their 43. But on first down from the 43, a pass from Hill to tight end Lance Kendricks was poked loose before Kendricks could establish control but grabbed in the air just a few feet away by Seattle linebacker Byron Irvin.

Irving made the interception a “pick 6” when he returned it 49 yards for a touchdown and a 20-6 Seattle lead with 9:50 left to play.

Deja vu for Rams

Seattle clinches No. 1 seed, beats Rams 20-6

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/deja-vu-for-rams/article_845dbebd-3e71-59b3-a3b6-3256bd41e3a7.html

SEATTLE • We’ve seen this one before. Rams fight hard, hang in game, then make a couple of costly mistakes that prove to be the difference.

“The difference between 10-6 and 6-10 is a couple plays in four ballgames out of 16,” quarterback Shaun Hill said. “And that’s a fact. That’s every year in the NFL.”

The Rams seem to have perfected the art of NOT making those plays. A 20-6 season-ending loss Sunday to Seattle, the defending Super Bowl champion, was merely the latest example.

“Well, we gave it our best shot, problem is that we didn’t finish,” coach Jeff Fisher said afterward, in what qualified as words we’ve heard before.

After taking an early 6-0 lead, the Rams couldn’t add to that point total even though they got as close as the Seattle half-yard line in the fourth quarter.

A busted coverage by — surprise! — cornerback Janoris Jenkins led to the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter.

That followed a play in which quarterback Shaun Hill tried to throw the ball into the ground for an incompletion but instead threw an interception. You know it’s not your day when a glorified spike ends up as a turnover.

Later, what looked like a completion to tight end Lance Kendricks became a fluky interception that was returned 49 yards for a victory-clinching touchdown by Seattle linebacker Bruce Irvin.

Trailing 20-6 after that “pick 6,” the last gasp came with 6 minutes to play when running back Benny Cunningham, lunging for the end zone and a TD, had the ball slapped away by safety Earl Thomas and out of the end zone. The result was a touchback, with Seattle taking over at its 20.

“For a second, I actually thought I was in the end zone,” said Cunningham, who had taken a short pass from Hill at the 6. “And then I saw the ref (signal) touchback. It’s a tough break. I really feel like I let the team down. In a situation like that, you’ve really got to take care of the ball.”

It was merely the last of a handful of game-deciding plays that went against the Rams, sending them into the offseason at 6-10, their worst record since Fisher took over as coach in 2012.

Seattle, winners of six in a row and nine of its last 10, finished 12-4 to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage. It was the 10th consecutive loss for the Rams at what is now known as CenturyLink Field.

On the strength of a pair of Greg Zuerlein fields goals, the Rams took a 6-0 lead into the locker room at halftime even though they were outgained 189 yards to 66. Two takeaways helped keep Seattle off the scoreboard, one on rookie cornerback Marcus Roberson’s first career interception and the other on a Marshawn Lynch fumble that was recovered by safety T.J. McDonald.

Seattle managed a couple of field goals to take the game into the fourth quarter tied at 6-all. And then, as frequently happens to the Rams, stuff happened. Bad stuff.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Rams tried to set up a screen pass to Tre Mason on second and 19 from the Seattle 34. But it was well-covered and Hill tried to throw the ball into the ground for an incompletion.

Alas, Seattle defensive tackle Jordan Hill managed to grab the football before it hit the ground.

When asked if his quarterback could’ve done anything differently on the play, Fisher answered with a touch of sarcasm: “Yes. He should’ve thrown that ball into the ground. … You try and throw it to the feet of the back. That’s what you try and do. He just didn’t make the play.”

The last thing Shaun Hill expected was to see a 303-pound lineman get low to the groud and come up with the ball.

“I was surprised to see him make the play, yeah,” Hill said. “It was heck of a play by him. You’ve got to get the ball close to the running back’s feet. I can’t get it directly down, or else you get an intentional grounding penalty.”

Then came the Jenkins coverage bust, which resulted in a freebie for the other team; there have been a lot of those this season by the Rams’ secondary. The result was an uncontested 31-yard pass play to wide receiver Kevin Norwood to the St. Louis 9.

Jenkins initially was lined up over Norwood on the outside, but Jenkins totally ignored him after the snap, committing inside in the direction of slot receiver Doug Baldwin. That left Norwood wide open.

Fisher said he had no idea what Jenkins was doing on the play.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about it,” Fisher said. “He should’ve been playing ‘thirds’ — outside thirds. (Baldwin) had an inside seam route running. That’s why he probably leaned towards the seam, and left the flat route out there. It was a good play by them.”

And a bad play by Jenkins, who had cleared out his locker stall and was unavailable to comment.

On the next play, Lynch scored untouched on a 9-yard rush up the middle for a 13-6 Seattle lead.

The backbreaker came on the Rams’ next possession when Hill threw what looked like a completion over the middle to Kendricks. But before Kendricks could get control of the ball it was poked out by linebacker Bobby Wagner, and grabbed in the air by Irvin for the interception.

“I caught the ball and I tried to tuck it,” Kendricks said. “As soon as I was pulling it down to tuck it, (Wagner’s) arm came around and hit the ball out. I did what I could. I was blind to it.

“The ball bounced right into his hands. I don’t know what to say. It might happen one out of a hundred times.”

Be that as it may, plays like that symbolize another lost season of Rams football.

“Yeah, in a sense,” Kendricks said. “Just like Benny’s play.”

Or just like the dozen or so others that spelled the difference between 10-6 and 6-10 for the 2014 Rams.