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Week 7 Game Recap: St. Louis Rams 6, Seattle Seahawks 33
What you need to know
| St. Louis Rams |
Marc Bulger returned after sitting out for two games, and promptly got sacked seven times and threw for three interceptions. He managed 225 yards on 40 attempts, as he kept getting up again and again to try and get this poor team a touchdown. Didn't happen.
RB Steven Jackson remained out, and in his place the Rams used a trio of backs, headed by rookie Brian Leonard. Leonard appeared to be quite at home as the starter, but was limited in carries due to the timeshare with Travis Minor and (to a lesser extent) Antonio Pittman, and the fact that the team was playing from behind all day.
The receiving corps still features a not quite 100% Torry Holt, but he still looked ten times better than any other Rams receiver. Isaac Bruce returned from injury, and had a couple of big plays, but was only thrown to three times.
The Rams defense is not that bad. They kept the game close, but the Seahawks pulled ahead with a return touchdown to begin the second half. If they need to shut out the opponent every week in order to win, keeping it close won't matter.
| Seattle Seahawks |
The Seahawks regrouped after two tough losses. They did not quite dominate on offense, but remained in control, and consistently put points on the board, even if they fell short a few times in the red zone. The defense, however, did dominate, and forced the Rams to make mistake after mistake.
Hasselbeck was again playing without top receiver Deion Branch, but was able to spread the ball around effectively, and managed to throw two touchdown passes to heretofore unknown TE Will Heller. He was nailed at one point by one of the Rams linemen and was favoring his ribcage area afterward, but continued to play.
The running game was unimpressive. Shaun Alexander's frustration showed, and backups Maurice Morris and Leonard Weaver spelled him frequently.
There was no true go-to receiver. Bobby Engram was the favourite target (11) but none were red zone looks, and TE Will Heller, subbing for an injured Marcus Pollard, caught two for TDs. Nate Burleson and Ben Obomanu were used as deep threats, but were not successful in catching any long pass attempts.
What you ought to know
| QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 21 - 40 - 225 - 0 TD / 3 INT |
Back in the saddle after a couple of weeks off to heal, Bulger went right back to playing the part of sacrificial lamb to the opposing teams pass rush. Let's get this straight, though: Bulger didn't look half bad, but his makeshift offensive line gave him no time to pass. He was sacked seven times on the day, and threw three interceptions as a result of the constant pressure. His main fault was that he continued to try and make something happen, which only resulted in more turnovers. Part way into the second half, he basically locked on to Torry Holt, his only reliable target this day.
| RB Brian Leonard, Rush: 12 - 44 - 0 (2 targets) |
Leonard was the primary back for the Rams, but they were mixing it up, giving Travis Minor and Antonio Pittman some reps as well. Leonard was by far the most productive runner of the three, but was limited to twelve carries (four of which went for first downs), as the Rams were playing from behind all day. He did not factor into the passing game.
| RB Travis Minor, Rush: 1 - 1 - 0, Rec: 5 - 37 - 0 (7 targets) |
Minor had only one rush attempt, but was the back of choice on third and long, and was targeted out of the backfield several times; twice for first downs.
| RB Antonio Pittman, Rush: 4 - 8 - 0 |
Pittman was clearly the third option on the ground, behind Brian Leonard and Travis Minor. Three of his four carries were late in the game when the Rams were far behind.
| RB Steven Jackson |
Jackson remained inactive due to injury (groin).
| WR Torry Holt, Rec: 8 - 82 - 0 (15 targets) |
Holt looked like he may have been the only Rams receiver out there in the second half, Bulger threw five in a row to him to start the half, in order to get something going on offense. He pulled in nearly every catchable ball, but uncharacteristically he also dropped a sure touchdown pass.
| WR Isaac Bruce, Rec: 2 - 52 - 0 (3 targets) |
Bruce returned to action after missing two games with a hamstring injury. He made a couple of nice plays (one 31 yard catch and run early on), but was only targeted three times (two for receptions, one for an interception).
| WR Marques Hagans, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (4 targets) |
Hagans did not make an impact as the Rams third receiver. He made one clutch grab in the third quarter for a first down, but otherwise was a non-factor.
| WR Travis Taylor, Rec: 1 - 4 - 0 (3 targets) |
Taylor was signed recently to help bolster an injury depleted group of receivers. He was the fifth option in the passing attack, which doesn't bode well considering how the second, third, and fourth options fared.
| WR Drew Bennett |
Inactive due to injury (hamstring).
| TE Randy McMichael, Rec: 3 - 34 - 0 (5 targets) |
McMichael was able to make a couple of key catches, but mainly he is being used to help out the porous offensive line with blocking.
| TE Dominique Byrd |
Inactive due to off field issues.
| PK Jeff Wilkins 2 - 3 FG, 0 - 0 XP, 6 points |
He was two for three, with no PAT attempts.
| STL Rush Defense |
The Rams actually have a rather stout rush defense. Yes, Shaun Alexander has been running poorly, but they also stuffed Maurice Morris on fourth and inches, and almost stopped the Seahawks from hitting 100 yards overall (they rushed for exactly 100).
| STL Pass Defense |
The pass defense was not amazing, but was effective enough to keep them in the game for quite some time. They gave up two touchdowns on rollouts to the tight end, but otherwise kept the receiving corps in check.
| QB Matt Hasselbeck, Pass: 18 - 35 - 195 - 2 TD / 1 INT |
Hasselbeck was back to his very efficient self. He threw a lot in the first half (25 attempts) and much less in the second (ten attempts) as the Seahawks were protecting a reasonably safe lead. In the first half alone he targeted eight receivers, keeping the Rams off balance. With the absence of top wideout Deion Branch, Bobby Engram became his favourite target. Both touchdown throws were not only to the same player, but were a result of running the exact same play. One worry: He was hit hard in the second quarter, and though he kept playing, showed some discomfort in his ribcage area.
| QB Seneca Wallace |
Wallace lined up at receiver at one point, but was not targeted. Late in the fourth quarter, he replaced Hasselbeck, but did not attempt a pass.
| RB Shaun Alexander, Rush: 19 - 47 - 0, Rec: 1 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) |
Alexander was held to 47 yards, but also added an 18 yard reception. He had a 22 yard run negated due to penalty. It would have been his longest of the day. His overall frustration was evident, as he frequently had no room to run. He also continues to run with a cast on his hand, which doesn't affect how he carries the ball, but he did have some trouble catching it. Backups Maurice Morris and Leonard Weaver spelled him frequently, but didn't do much either.
| RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 10 - 42 - 0, Rec: 2 - 18 - 0 (2 targets) |
Morris spelled Alexander often and even had a carry on a fourth and inches play (in which he came up short). His two receptions were both on third and long, but came up just short of first down yardage.
| RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 3 - 11 - 0, Rec: 3 - 37 - 0 (3 targets) |
Weaver caught all three balls thrown to him for first downs. He is no threat to steal a lot of carries, but was productive when given the ball. With the recent retirement of Mack Strong, Weaver appears to be taking on a slightly bigger role.
| WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 6 - 73 - 0 (11 targets) |
Engram was Hasselbeck's favourite receiver, but still he was used in a possession type role, catching balls over the middle and on medium comeback routes. Four of Engram's catches were for first downs and were of 14 yards or longer. No red zone looks, however.
| WR Courtney Taylor, Rec: 2 - 19 - 0 (3 targets) |
Taylor was the number four receiver and caught two passes for first downs, as well as being targeted in the end zone for another.
| WR Nate Burleson, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (5 targets) |
Burleson was targeted on deep routes twice in the early going, but unsuccessfully. After that, he did not see the ball come his way much at all. His primary contribution this game came as a returner. On punts, he was a threat each time he touched the ball, and on kickoffs, Burleson ran back his first ever return touchdown at the start of the second half. The score was a back-breaker for the Rams, since they were only down by seven to start the half.
| WR Ben Obomanu (3 targets) |
Obomanu did not have a catch in the game, but was targeted twice in the end zone.
| WR Deion Branch |
Inactive due to injury (foot sprain)
| WR D.J. Hackett |
Hackett was inactive due to injury (ankle).
| TE Will Heller, Rec: 3 - 18 - 2 (5 targets) |
Heller is normally the number two tight end, and moved up the depth chart due to the absence of Marcus Pollard. Heller caught two touchdown passes, both on rollouts by Hasselbeck.
| TE Marcus Pollard |
Pollard was inactive due to injury (knee)
| PK Josh Brown 4 - 4 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 15 points |
Brown was quite productive, going four for four on field goal attempts, and nailing both PATs.
| SEA Rush Defense |
The Seahawks stopped the run for long enough for their offense to get ahead (and therefore force the Rams to pass more). But they weren't all that convincing in doing so. Rams RB Brian Leonard had some success against them with a small number of carries.
| SEA Pass Defense |
The pass rush was phenomenal. Even though it may have a lot to do with the Rams injury-depleted offensive line, the Seahawks defensive line was in Bulger's face all day, recording seven sacks (four to DE Darryl Tapp) and forcing throws that resulted in three interceptions. Coverage was also excellent, as they gave Bulger very little room to throw.
