Seahawks vs. Rams Postgame Observations
Final Score: Seattle 30, St. Louis 13 

• The Rams are terrible

There’s no getting around this fact in the Seahawks’ 30-13 drubbing of the Rams on Monday Night Football. Actually, they might be the worst team in the NFL right now with the amount of injuries they’ve stacked up. They have no capable receivers aside from Brandon Loyd, which led to a field day for Seahawks corners Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman. St. Louis’ offense in general can’t function, as Sam Bradford was under pressure the entire night, getting hit nearly every pass play.

The only thing the Rams have going for them is an above-average defensive line, but that’s not enough to win an entire football game at CenturyLink field.

• Doug Baldwin deserves the Seahawks MVP

This undrafted rookie from Stanford has emerged as the most productive player on the Seahawks’ offense. Against the Rams, Baldwin caught seven balls for 93 yards and a touchdown adding to his season total of 718. Baldwin is by far the Seahawks’ leading receiver, with Ben Obomanu coming in second with 31 receptions for 336 yards and 2 touchdowns. Baldwin also blocked a punt in the first quarter, which led to Michael Robinson scooping the ball up and taking it in to put the Seahawks u[ 7-0.

Baldwin also has 32 first down catches, second for rookie wide receivers. His play style reminds me a lot of former Seahawk wide receiver Bobby Engram with the way he makes his cuts and how he releases from cornerbacks. Doug has been Tarvaris Jackson’s security blanket.

• Aaron Curry who?

2009 fourth overall pick Aaron Curry has been all but forgotten by Seahawks fans with the emergence of rookie linebacker K.J. Wright. Wright isn’t as near as athletic as Curry, but Wright’s defensive football I.Q. is his redeeming trait that led to a solid 5 tackles, 2 for loss, and a sack against St. Louis. Even before the season started, coaches praised Wright for his ability to pick up and execute the Seahawks' aggressive defensive scheme.

With Wright, David Hawthorne and Leroy Hill, the Seahawks have one of the top-10 line backing cores in the NFL.

• Paul McQuistan is not Russell Okung

From the very first snap of the game, left guard turned left tackle Paul McQuistan struggled. He consistently got beaten around the edge by the Rams’ pass rushers, not being able to shuffle his feet fast enough. This lead to Tarvaris Jackson never being truly comfortable in the pocket until the second half when the offensive line started chugging away at the demoralized Rams defensive line.

While McQuistan struggled in pass protection, he played decent when run blocking, having some nice kick-out blocks on the defensive ends throughout the game. McQuistan’s and the entire offensive line’s efforts lead to Marshawn Lynch rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown, with fans actually throwing skittles on the beast while celebrating his touchdown.

While no one truly felt the absence of Russell Okung tonight, expect it to be felt when the Seahawks head out to Chicago to try to avenge last year’s playoff loss. Bears defensive end Julius Peppers is one of the best in the game, and I imagine he’s licking his chops after watching tonight’s game.


--Nathan Parsons (@nathanparsons98)