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SEATTLE -- The Los Angeles Rams may have changed head coaches, but Thursday night's result was all too familiar. Interim coach John Fassel was on the sideline for the first time, three days after the Rams fired previous head coach Jeff Fisher after four-plus seasons. Fassel's team, though, couldn't muster enough offense to challenge the Seattle Seahawks, who clinched the NFC West for the third time in four years with a 24-3 victory at CenturyLink Field.
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Despite the quick turnaround, Los Angeles guard Rodger Saffold refused to use the team's coaching change as an excuse.
"You can say we lost Fish, that it's a short turnaround, but that's just B.S.," he said. "We came out here prepared, expecting to win, and once again we didn't execute."
After a quiet past few weeks, Seattle's pass rush awakened and spent much of the night beating up on Rams quarterback Jared Goff. The Seahawks (9-4-1) sacked Goff four times and held him to 13 of 25 passing for 135 yards.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Goff took a big hit from Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman near the end zone and left the game with a possible concussion. Case Keenum closed out the contest for the Rams (4-10).
"You admire the courage, but he's just got to get out of bounds," Fassel said of his quarterback. "He's super tough, but a lot of young quarterbacks just need to learn."
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, meanwhile went 19 of 26 through the air for 229 yards and three touchdowns. His lone interception came on Seattle's final drive, when the game was already well in hand.
It was a much-needed performance after Wilson was intercepted five times during Seattle's 38-10 defeat at Green Bay last Sunday.
"It was a nice bounce-back game," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "He showed us what he's all about."
Wilson put the nail in the Rams' coffin early in the fourth quarter with a 52-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Tyler Lockett that made it a three-possession game. It was his second touchdown toss in as many drives, following a 1-yard pass to Doug Baldwin on Seattle's previous trip.
The victory snapped a three-game Seattle streak against the Rams dating back to last season. The Seahawks did it by holding Los Angeles to a mere 183 yards of total offense.
"We came into this game hoping the defense was going to play like they did," Carroll said. "They did everything we expected -- rushed the passer, kept the run game down, did really well on third down."
Referee Brad Allen spent much of the first half under the replay hood. Carroll threw his challenge flag three times in the first 20 minutes, on each occasion to review a spot near the first-down marker. His first two attempts were successful -- the first time giving the Seahawks a new set of downs after a Lockett reception was marked just short, the second forcing a turnover on downs after the Rams attempted a fourth-and-1.
Carroll's third challenge, after yet another Lockett reception on third down was again marked short, was a failure. But it mattered not. Los Angeles was called for a hold on the ensuing fourth-down try, and Russell Wilson tossed an 8-yard touchdown to tight end Luke Willson on the next play to take a 7-0 lead.
Shortly thereafter, Seattle made it 10-0 with a 48-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka. The Seahawks took advantage of their best field position of the first half after the Rams turned the ball over with a failed fake punt in their own territory, when a pass attempt by punter Johnny Hekker fell incomplete.
Seattle attempted a fake punt of its own late in the fourth quarter, when Jon Ryan sprinted up the middle of the Los Angeles defense for a 26-yard gain before taking a shot from Troy Hill and nearly fumbling. Ryan left the game with a possible concussion and Fassel challenged the call, but the Seahawks retained possession.
Los Angeles scored its only points of the game with a 36-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein less than a minute before halftime. But the Rams couldn't keep the momentum going after the intermission.
"That second half, we just kind of lost our focus. We didn't execute and we didn't finish," center Tim Barnes said. "It's never fun to lose. It never gets easier and it never will."
NOTES: S Kam Chancellor was given the Steve Largent Award prior to the game, which is presented each year to the Seattle player "who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication and integrity of the Seahawks." He became the second two-time winner. ... Rams QB Jared Goff, the top pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, entered the game 0-4 as a starter. ... Los Angeles DE Robert Quinn was placed on injured reserve earlier Thursday due to a concussion that kept him out of the previous two games. Rams RB Benny Cunningham was also placed on injured reserve.
