Bobby Wagner dominates, but Seahawks prevail  

INGLEWOOD (News4usonline) – Los Angeles Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner played out of this world against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13. Wagner’s inspired play against his former team, however, did not translate into a Rams victory. It should have. 

Seattle quarterback Geno Smith upended that possibility when he connected with wide receiver DK Metcalf on an 8-yard touchdown strike with 36 seconds left in the game to lift Seattle to a scrappy 27-23 win at SoFi Stadium. 

“Okay, great game,” Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said after the game in a postgame press conference. “Congratulations to (Seattle Seahawks Head Coach) Coach (Pete) Carroll and the Seahawks for finishing it out, getting it done. That’s the tough thing about sports, you come up short but I’m proud to be rolling through with this group. 

“I’m proud to be battling through adversity with them. I’m going to continue to do everything in my power for us to try to change the result, but you can’t deny that there’s been improvement. You’re not going away with the moral victories, but I think we can all see the steps that this group (has) taken. (There’s) a lot of positives, but we want to be able to try to win the football game.”

The loss to the Seahawks all but ended any outside chances McVay and the Rams would have in making the postseason. With their sixth straight defeat, the Rams now fall to 3-9 on the season. 

But with an assortment of success running the football (171 yards total) and passing from backup John Wolford (14 of 26 for 178 yards), the Rams nearly toppled their NFC West rivals. 

It looked like the Rams would succeed in ending their slide when running back Cam Akers fell into the endzone to complete a 6-yard touchdown run with 2:56 left in the game. 

That’s a lot of time left on the clock for another team to march down the field to do damage. That’s exactly what Smith (28 of 39 for 367 yards, 3 TD) and Seahawks did, going 10 plays and 75 yards for the winning score.   

“For us, it meant a lot,” Smith said. “Right now, we’re fighting to try to get into the playoffs, division game against a division opponent. That was a real tough game out there, as you guys can see, it was a real scrappy game out there. And also, it felt like during this season we had some opportunities where we could have done the same thing and might have [fallen] short. And so, as we continue on late into the season, you want to show improvement and I think that’s what it showed, a lot of grit, determination.”   

McVay and the Rams did not come up with the win they sought, but they were able to muster a valiant effort against the Seahawks, nonetheless. The 171 yards rushing gave the Rams three straight games in which they rushed for 100 yards or more. Defensively, the Rams held Seattle’s offense to 90 yards rushing and produced four sacks on Smith. 

Then there was the Wagner factor. Wagner spent the first 10 seasons of his NFL career playing for Seattle head coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks. In his first game playing against the team that he won a Super Bowl with, Wagner was outstanding. Wagner registered seven tackles, recorded two sacks and came up with an interception.     

McVay talked admirably about Wagner’s performance against the Seahawks. 

“Yeah, what a baller,” said McVay. “The steadiness, the consistency, the leadership. I think there was nothing that we wanted more as a team, as a coaching staff, and really everybody in that locker room to be able to try to get that done and be able to give him that game ball that he deserved. But we came up short and like I said, these are the times that you really learn. 

“I know for me personally, this is the most challenging thing that you’ve ever gone through. It’s forcing a lot of reflection that wouldn’t exist otherwise. I don’t want to go through this, but I’m grateful because if you have the right perspective, growth can occur and I want to be better for these players, for these coaches.” 

McVay was not the only coach to have glowing remarks about Wagner. Carroll, during his presser, talked about some of the challenges that Wagner presented to his offense.  

“Bobby played great today,” Carroll remarked. “He was a factor in the running game. He had two sacks today. He gets a pick on the play that I’m still arguing about and I can’t wait to see him so I can argue to him too, cause I’ll tell him he didn’t catch it and he’s going to tell me he did. 

“I’m really proud to tell you was a great player in our program for all those years. He’ll always be one of our guys, but today, to rise up like that and to play like that is something he’s going to remember, and it was notable. What else is he going to do? Of course, he’s going to do something like that. So, hats off to him.”

Wolford, stepping in at quarterback for the injured Matthew Stafford, said the team knew how important this game was for Wagner.

“Bobby is an amazing leader, a pros pro, works so hard,” Wolford said. “We really wanted to get it done for him. So, a ton of respect for him just in the weeks that I’ve seen him and how he prepares and how he works. Just upset that we weren’t able to get it done for him.”