Seattle Seahawks: Studs and duds vs. Rams in Week 5
By Samuel Teets
The Seattle Seahawks turned in one of their best performances this season in a 30-29 win against the Los Angeles Rams.
This is the kind of Thursday Night Football people will stay up to see. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams put on a show, leaving the winner of the rivalry game undecided until the final minute.
After an all-around great game by both teams, Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yard field goal that would have given Los Angeles a two-point lead with 11 seconds to go. As you can imagine, the 12s went crazy and CenturyLink Field was shaking once again.
It was such a good game for the Seahawks that it was hard to find duds. This is the second week in a row where it’s been hard to point out players and say they had bad games. So, keep in mind while you’re reading that even the duds this week weren’t terrible.
Also, while he isn’t on the list, it would be wrong to write this article and not mention Tedric Thompson pulling off a Troy Polamalu-esque interception late in the fourth quarter. While the Rams did get the ball back and missed the field goal attempt, Thompson’s interception likely saved the game for Seattle.
Stud: Chris Carson, RB
To be fair, I might have put Chris Carson as a dud if he’d dropped that wide-open touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. However, he managed to hang onto the pass after juggling it once. That five-yard catch was Carson’s only reception on the night, but the touchdown gave Seattle the go-ahead lead.
Carson is much more comfortable operating on the ground than he is through the air. After a rough start to the season, he finally returned to form last week against the Arizona Cardinals. Carson carried his Week 4 success into Thursday night’s game. He carried the ball a whopping 27 times for 118 yards (4.4 yards per attempt), which allowed Seattle to control the pace of the game. It also opened up passing lanes, which Russell Wilson exploited.
Dud: Rashaad Penny, RB
The backup back carried the ball six times for 18 yards and caught two passes for 31 yards. That’s not bad for the attempts he got, but Penny has largely been overshadowed by Carson, despite the starter’s early struggles.
Normally, former first-round picks face a lot of pressure to perform well. However, Penny isn’t facing that kind of pressure because he’s not needed. That’s not to say the Seahawks aren’t happy to have a dynamic player like Penny, but the team has reaffirmed its commitment to Carson moving forward. That leaves Penny in an awkward position.