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| Other Week 15 Game Recaps | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF at NYJ | CLE at PHI | DEN at CAR | DET at IND | GB at JAX | MIN at ARI | NE at OAK | NO at CHI |
| NYG at DAL | PIT at BAL | SD at KC | SEA at STL | SF at MIA | TB at ATL | TEN at HOU | WAS at CIN |
Week 15 Game Recap: Seattle Seahawks 23, St. Louis Rams 20
What you need to know
| Seattle Seahawks |
It was just a matter of time for the Seahawks. After spending much of the first half on the sidelines, the offense, led by QB Seneca Wallace, slowly clawed itself back into the game. Wallace had a first half to forget, but made up for it with a gutsy comeback after the half.
Maurice Morris was the clear starter, and handled 90% of the carries. Leonard Weaver and T.J. Duckett were used as short yardage specialists (and both did well in that role), while Julius Jones was hardly utilized at all.
Rookie TE John Carlson was the only Seattle receiver worth mentioning before halftime. The second half saw Wallace spread the ball a bit more, as Branch, Engram, and Robinson each came up with a big play en route to the victory.
| St. Louis Rams |
Marc Bulger looked great when he had time to throw, which was most of the time. He found Torry Holt for a 31 yard touchdown on the first drive, and for a short while the offense was reminiscent of the Rams previously high powered attack. Bulger performed less admirably as the game went on, including going three and out (on three incompletions) with the game tied in the final moments.
Steven Jackson was on fire in the first half, with several 10+ gains among his 18 carries, as well as a touchdown. He was also a threat out of the backfield as he caught a handful of passes, too. Kenneth Darby received a few carries also, as did WR Donnie Avery. Jackson fizzled after halftime, with no one carry over three yards.
Torry Holt and Donnie Avery were able to find room against a suspect Seahawks secondary. The passing game took a backseat to Steven Jackson and the running game, however. The two wideouts were the main focus in the air, with the rest of the targets being spread out relatively evenly.
What you ought to know
| QB Seneca Wallace, Pass: 15 - 25 - 226 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rush: 2 - 3 - 0 |
Wallace had a horrible first half, then shook it off and led his team to the last minute victory. The Rams blitzed a lot, and got to him a lot. But he showed excellent poise under tons of pressure, especially after making adjustments after the half.
| QB Matt Hasselbeck |
Hasselbeck was out due to a back injury.
| RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 15 - 86 - 0 (1 targets) |
Morris not only started the game ahead of backfield mate Julius Jones, but got a workhorse-like number of carries in the second half. The Seahawks offense did not see the field much in the first half, but Morris cranked it up a notch in the second, gaining more yardage each time as he got the ball more.
| RB Julius Jones, Rush: 4 - 18 - 0 |
Jones barely touched the ball in this contest. He had one seven yard run called back on a penalty, but that hardly adds to his meager total.
| RB T.J. Duckett, Rush: 3 - 4 - 1 |
Like clockwork, Duckett came in for the goal line work. He needed a couple of tries at it, but eventually scored the TD.
| RB Leonard Weaver, Rush: 3 - 14 - 0 (2 targets) |
Weaver was targeted in the red zone, and was used situationally. Meaning, he did not touch the ball often, but did get the ball in a few pressure situations. For the most part he responded, converting two thirds of his carries for first downs.
| WR Deion Branch, Rec: 5 - 76 - 0 (7 targets) |
Like the rest of the receivers, there was not much to see in the first half. Post-halftime, Branch brought his numbers up to respectability, and made a long reception to set up the winning field goal.
| WR Bobby Engram, Rec: 3 - 46 - 0 (5 targets) |
Engram made a huge 39 yard catch late in the game. Otherwise, it was a forgettable day for him.
| WR Koren Robinson, Rec: 2 - 28 - 0 (2 targets) |
Both of Robinson's targets came late in the game, and he caught both.
| TE John Carlson, Rec: 5 - 76 - 0 (5 targets) |
Carlson was a favourite target of Wallace, especially when the blitz was in his face. He did most of his damage early in the game, when he was in fact the only Seahawks receiver that gained any significant yardage.
| PK Olindo Mare 3 - 3 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 11 points |
Mare kicked the winning field goal, from 27 yards out. He was also good on two others, including a 50 yard attempt.
| SEA Rush Defense |
The defense had some trouble containing the Rams on the ground; but like the offense it was a tale of two halves. In the first, they struggled, while after the half, they basically shut Steven Jackson down. A fumble recovery by Jordan Babineaux was also responsible for one of the Seahawk touchdowns.
| SEA Pass Defense |
Marc Bulger and the Rams had all day to pass. There was very little pressure, and their receivers often won the battle against the Seahawks smaller cornerbacks.
| QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 19 - 32 - 207 - 1 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 1 - 11 - 0 (1 targets) |
Bulger had a decent game (which, given the Rams season so far, is a high compliment). He was able to hook up with Torry Holt a few times on deep routes, while still spreading the ball around. He also made a rare reception (from Dane Looker).
| RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 24 - 91 - 1, Rec: 4 - 36 - 0 (5 targets) |
Jackson was clearly the focal point of the Rams offense, and for good reason. He was effective as a runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. They used him effectively as a decoy -- drawing defenders as well.
| RB Ken Darby, Rush: 4 - 29 - 0 (1 targets) |
Darby spelled Jackson a few times in the opening half, with some success. He (and Jackson) saw the ball a lot less after the half.
| WR Donnie Avery, Rush: 2 - 11 - 0, Rec: 6 - 61 - 0 (9 targets) |
The Rams clearly wanted to get Avery involved in the offense. In addition to being the team's most targeted receiver, they also managed to hand the ball off to him three times.
| WR Torry Holt, Rec: 4 - 64 - 1 (6 targets) |
Holt only had a few opportunities, but he made the most of them. Despite tight coverage, he hauled in his first catch for a long touchdown, and almost added a fifth catch to his total but was questionably called for offensive pass interference on the play.
| WR Dane Looker, Pass: 1 - 1 - 11 - 0 TD / 0 INT, Rec: 1 - 9 - 0 (1 targets) |
Looker caught the only pass thrown his way, for a nine yard gain.
| WR Derek Stanley, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0 |
Staley fumbled on his first and only carry. It was returned for a TD.
| WR Keenan Burton, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (3 targets) |
Burton was not a regular option for Bulger, but one attempt was in the end zone.
| TE Joe Klopfenstein, Rec: 2 - 25 - 0 (2 targets) |
Fells, Becht, and Klopfenstein were each targeted a couple of times by Bulger. None of the three did anything to distinguish themselves as the receiving TE. Klopfenstein looked good on his two catches, but lost a crucial fumble as well.
| TE Anthony Becht, Rec: 1 - 7 - 0 (3 targets) |
Fells, Becht, and Klopfenstein were each targeted a couple of times by Bulger. None of the three did anything to distinguish themselves as the receiving TE.
| TE Daniel Fells (2 targets) |
Fells, Becht, and Klopfenstein were each targeted a couple of times by Bulger. None of the three did anything to distinguish themselves as the receiving TE.
| PK Josh Brown 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
Brown was good on two field goals, of 36 and 48 yards.
| STL Rush Defense |
While no one will mistake this bunch for the '85 Bears, they did an able job of limiting the Seahawks on the ground. They did, however, lose a goal line battle on the second try, giving up a short TD.
| STL Pass Defense |
The Rams were very aggressive with the pass rush, which was incredibly effective in the early going. Though the Seahawks were able to overcome the pressure in the second half, the Rams still had no difficulty in getting to the QB all day long.
