SEATTLE (AP) — For all the other times when Seattle’s Russell Wilson was the best player on the field and made highlight plays, this was different.
It could have been the stage of prime time or facing a division nemesis in the Rams. Or the circumstances of building an early lead, losing it and then rallying once more in the fourth quarter.
Whatever the reason, Seattle received a performance from Wilson that’ll be hard to top.
“It was one of the best, I think,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Carson on fourth-and-goal with 2:28 gave Seattle the lead, and the Seahawks held on for a 30-29 win over the Rams on Thursday night when Greg Zuerlein’s 44-yard field goal with 11 seconds left missed wide right.
Whether it was his throws from the pocket or when he was forced to improvise, Wilson was at his best. It was one stunning play after another from Seattle’s star, continuing the best start to a season in his career.
Even his opponents were left in awe.
“Russell Wilson is playing out of his mind right now,” Rams safety Eric Weddle said.
Wilson was 17 of 23 for 268 and four touchdowns, and rushed for another 32 yards. He had touchdown passes of 13 yards to Tyler Lockett and 40 yards to DK Metcalf in the first half. He threw a 10-yarder to David Moore in the third quarter and he had a final answer after the Rams’ had taken a 29-24 lead.
Wilson led Seattle 60 yards in 12 plays, helped during the drive by a roughing-the-passer call on Clay Matthews. After stalling inside the 10, Seattle faced fourth down at the 5. Wilson scrambled as he had all night, buying enough time to find Carson open in the corner of the end zone.
The running back scared nearly all of the 69,000 in attendance by juggling the pass before gaining control. Carson said he lost the pass in the stadium lights, which led to the juggle.
“I thought Russell played one of the best games I’ve ever seen him play,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.
Seattle appeared to wrap up the victory when Tedric Thompson made a juggling interception of Jared Goff’s pass while lying on the turf with 2:08 left. But the Rams forced Seattle to punt and took possession at their own 7 with 1:38 left.
Zuerlein had hit three field goals earlier in the game.
“It’s one kick. He’s made a lot of big kicks for us. He’s going to continue to make a lot of big kicks for us,” Rams coach Sean McVay said.
Goff finished 29 of 49 for 395 yards and one touchdown just days after throwing for a career-high 517 yards and tying an NFL record with 45 completions in a loss to Tampa Bay. Everett had seven catches for 136 yards, and Cooper Kupp had nine grabs for 118 yards and a TD.
“We had some things that didn’t go our way where we didn’t finish drives but we were moving the ball really well,” Goff said.
Carson finished with 118 yards rushing on 27 carries. The touchdown was his only reception.
“Everyone kept their composure. Everyone was so poised and stayed in the moment,” Seattle offensive lineman Duane Brown said. “We were always very optimistic and had all the faith in the world and big time players stepped up for us.”
LOCKETT’S CATCH
Lockett’s toe-tapping TD catch in the first quarter was as improbable as it gets. According to NFL statistics , the catch had a 6.3% catch probability, the most improbable completion of the past two seasons.
“It doesn’t get any more on time or on the money with his footwork there,” Wilson said.
GURLEY’S MISTAKE
Todd Gurley was a featured part of the Rams’ offense early and finished with 51 yards on 15 carries, but the run game vanished during most of the second half.
“I thought he had some really good, hard-earned yards against a really good defensive front,” McVay said.
Gurley also fumbled for the first time since Week 3 of last season. The fumble was ripped out by Jadeveon Clowney, who also recovered the ball. It was Gurley’s first fumble in 338 offensive touches. He had gained 1,915 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns between his two fumbles.
KEY CATCH
Brandin Cooks had just one reception but it was a big one. Cooks pulled in a 29-yard catch from Goff on third-and-8 from the Rams 27 early in the fourth quarter as he was being covered tightly by Shaquill Griffin.
Cooks was being evaluated for a concussion after the play and did not return. Carroll challenged there should have been offensive pass interference, but the call on the field stood. The catch led to Zuerlein’s field goal that gave the Rams a 29-24 lead.
INJURIES
D.J. Fluker suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter. He was replaced at right guard by Jamarco Jones, who typically is a backup tackle, but was forced to play guard with normal backup Ethan Pocic out because of a back injury.
UP NEXT:
Rams: Los Angeles stays in the NFC West, hosting San Francisco on Sunday, Oct. 13.
Seahawks: Seattle is at Cleveland on Sunday, Oct. 13.
Photo credit – Andy Bao / The Seattle Times via AP / Seattle, WA
