Seahawks-Rams game thread

Seahawks hold on for a 20-13 win

The Seahawks had a 90-yard drive to score the go-ahead touchdown, a one-yard run by Russell Wilson, then held on after the Rams drove to the Seahawks 29.

And fittingly for this week, that Rams drive ended when Richard Sherman stepped in front of a pass on fourth-and-10 for a game-clinching interception.

Seahawks take the lead; Wilson ties a record

Russell Wilson hit a wide open Michael Robinson for a 10-yard touchdown, giving the Seahawks a 13-10 lead with 2:09 left.

That touchdown pass was Wilson’s 26th this season, with ties him with Peyton Manning for the most by a rookie in NFL history.

Rams field goal extends lead

The Rams answered Seattle’s field goal with one of their own, a 39-yarder by Greg Zuerlein, and now lead Seattle 10-6 with 5:31 left in the third quarter.

Linebacker K.J. Wright briefly came out of the game injured, but was back in by the end of the series, so he appears to be OK.

Seahawks get a field goal, still trail

It’s 7-6 now after a 49-yard Steven Hauschka field goal. Seattle had a promising drive going, then wouldn’t you know it, Wilson was sacked again, the sixth of the game for St. Louis. Seattle’s protection has been shaky, but Wilson has also held onto the ball too long at times trying to evade the pass rush, something he’s been very effective at this season.

Halftime, Rams still lead 7-3

The Seahawks have now allowed a season-high five sacks, and as a result the offense has been stagnant, to say the least.

Seattle is fortunate, however, to not be down more, because Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein, missed a 51-yard field goal at the end of the half. And if you’ll recall from the previous meeting between these teams, 50-plus yarders are hardly a stretch for Zuerlein.

Seattle has 123 yards of offense so far and seven first downs, while the Rams have 158 yards and eight first downs.

Russell Wilson is 7 of 9 right now for just 73 yards, and he has added 20 rushing yards. Marshawn Lynch has carried eight times for 66 yards, and as was mentioned earlier, he is the third Seahawks running back to gain 1,500 yards in a season.

Sam Bradford has completed 14 of 21 attempts for 139 yards, including a two-yard touchdown pass to Austin Pettis.

Rams take a 7-3 lead

For the first time since Seattle’s win in Chicago on Dec. 2, the Seahawks are losing. St. Louis took the lead on a two-yard pass from Sam Bradford to Austin Pettis. The Rams caught a bit of a break on that play, as the pass was deflected at the line of scrimmage by Kam Chancellor, but still floated to Pettis, who made a nice diving catch.

Seahawks take 3-0 lead

Pete Carroll’s decision early on to play a field position game paid off with Seattle getting a short field. When the offense again couldn’t much aside from one big Marshawn Lynch run, the Seahawks settled for a 43-yard field goal.

On that drive, Robert Quinn got past Russell Okung for the Rams’ fourth sack of the game. According to Stats, Inc., Okung had only allowed one sack this season prior to this game.

Scoreless after one quarter

Seattle’s offense has been a juggernaut of late, but the Seahawks haven’t done much against the Rams so far, and it’s 0-0 after one quarter with each team punting twice.

The Rams are known for their pass rush (they came into the league ranked third with 46 sacks) and it’s showing so far. Russell Wilson was sacked three times in the first quarter, which is particularly notable seeing as the Seahawks haven’t given up three sacks in a game since Nov. 11.

On the plus side, seldom-used (of late) punter Jon Ryan is getting to knock off the rust before the playoffs.

Rams, Seahawks trade punts to open the game

Seattle’s defense got off the field quickly after giving up one first down, but for the first time in what seems like forever, the offense didn’t immediately respond with a score. The Seahawks did get the field position in their favor, however, when Jon Ryan pinned the Rams at their 11, but the fact that Seattle punted instead of attempting a 53-yard FG with no win is a bit telling. Pete Carroll hasn’t let Steven Hauschka attempt a lot of long field goals this year, and that was another instance where Carroll elected to play the field position game rather than let Hauscka kick.

On that drive, Marshawn Lynch went over 1,500 yards for the season, making him the third Seahawk to hit that mark along with Shaun Alexander (2004 &2005) and Chris Warren (1994).

Russell Wilson wins Steve Largent Award

Seattle’s rookie quarterback Russell Wilson was just named the 2012 recipient of the Steve Largent Award, which is named after the Seahawks’ Hall of Fame receiver and is given to the player who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication and integrity of the Seahawks.

The Steve Largent Award, which began in 1989 and is voted on by players, had not gone to a rookie before this year.

Pregame

We’re a little over an hour away from kickoff of what will either be an incredibly important game for the Seahawks, or a pretty meaningless one (from a playoff standpoint anyway).

The Seahawks see this game as an important one no matter what happens in San Francisco, however, so don’t expect to see Seattle let off the gas, even if they get word at halftime that the 49ers are blowing out the Cardinals.

The Seahawks will be without linebacker Leroy Hill today, who is inactive because of a hamstring injury. Second-year linebacker Malcolm Smith will start in Hill’s place. Right tackle Brendo Giacomini, who was listed as questionable with an elbow injury, will play. Also of note, G John Moffitt, who lost his starting job to rookie J.R. Sweezy, is inactive for the second week in a row.

Seahawks inactives

S Winston Guy

CB Walter Thurmond

CB DeShawn Shead

LB Leroy Hill

G Rishaw Johnson

G John Moffitt

T Mike Person

Rams inactives

QB Austin Davis

WR Steve Smith

RB Terrance Ganaway