A swarming St. Louis defensive line hit Russell Wilson 13 times in the (7-9) Rams' 23-17 upset victory over the (9-6) Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. Here's what you need to know:
- For the first time in 71 regular-season and postseason games, Wilson's Seahawks never held a lead, breaking the longest such streak in NFL history. Seattle's offense regressed to October form with William Hayes, Aaron Donald and Akeem Ayers dominating the line of scrimmage for St. Louis. Wilson had opportunities for a fourth-quarter comeback, but the Seahawks couldn't make the plays with the game on the line.
Rams center Tim Barnes recovered two Rams fumbles on one possession, leading to a Todd Gurley two-yard touchdown. A bad snap by center Patrick Lewis sabotaged a third-and-2 on the ensuing Seahawks series. Down two scores, J.R. Sweezy's holding call negated a 25-yard catch by Jermaine Kearse that would have put Seattle on the doorstep of the end zone with 3:23 remaining. Two plays later, Wilson fumbled inside the 10-yard line when he chose to fight for extra yardage rather than running out of bounds. That rare bad decision by Wilson effectively ended Seattle's comeback.
- One of the most effective rotational pass rushers over the past few years, Hayes whipped the Seahawks' offensive line for three sacks, four tackles for loss and five QB hits. Ayers added 0.5 sacks, two QB hits and a 45-yard touchdown via fumble recovery. Pro Bowl snub Trumaine Johnson stole the show in the secondary with an interception and two passes defensed. The Rams defense outshone the Seahawks' more celebrated Legion of Boom.
- A few weeks back, Seahawks fans were wondering how Marshawn Lynch would fit into the offense once he returns from groin surgery. With rookie star Thomas Rawls out for the season, Seattle's backfield of Fred Jackson, Bryce Brown, Christine Michael and fullback Will Tukuafu combined for just 21 yards and a costly lost fumble on 16 carries (1.3 YPC) Sunday. Lynch can't get back soon enough for a Seattle squad that has already clinched a playoff berth.
- A hamstring injury couldn't keep Doug Baldwin down. The hottest receiver in the league scored his 11th touchdown in the past five weeks, adding 118 yards on eight receptions in a gutsy performance. Baldwin picked up 28 yards on a 3rd-and-31 and finished off that third-quarter drive with a 25-yard touchdown on third-and-18, keeping the Seahawks in the game. Baldwin is tied with Allen Robinson for the NFL lead in touchdowns (14).
- The Rams drafted Todd Gurley to pound the rock and kill the clock in tooth-and-nail NFC West clashes. That plan bore fruit on Sunday, as Gurley churned out 57 yards and a touchdown on 10 fourth-quarter carries, staying Seattle's comeback attempt.
- RamsPro Bowl punter Johnny Hekker spent the rest of the game living in fear of a big hit from Seahawks special teamers after getting flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty on a blindside hit of Cliff Avril early in the second quarter. This was a hard-hitting game, with at least a half-dozen players undergoing concussion evaluations.
