Rams blow late lead vs. Seahawks, lose 27-23: Instant analysis of Week 13 loss

Without Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald, Allen Robinson and several starters on the offensive line, the Los Angeles Rams put up as good a fight as they could have against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Unfortunately, they couldn’t hold on to win despite a valiant effort and a late lead.

The Rams took a 23-20 lead with 2:56 left in the game thanks to a 6-yard touchdown run by Cam Akers, but it was too much time for Geno Smith and the Seahawks. They marched down the field, scored a touchdown with less than a minute to play and held on to beat Los Angeles.

It was a heartbreaking loss for a Rams team that has now lost six in a row, summing up their season in a nutshell. John Wolford battled through a couple of injuries, Tutu Atwell and Brandon Powell came alive on offense and Bobby Wagner put together an all-time performance, but it wasn’t enough.

Here’s a recap of the Rams’ loss on Sunday.

Final score: Seahawks 27, Rams 23

Game notes

• The Rams started their 12th different offensive line combination Sunday: LT Ty Nsekhe, LG Matt Skura, C Brian Allen, RG Coleman Shelton, RT Rob Havenstein. They’re the first team since at least 1978 to start 12 different O-line groups in 12 games.

• John Wolford led a near-perfect drive for a touchdown to open the game, going 77 yards in 10 plays with Cam Akers capping it off by punching it into the end zone from 1 yard out. Six different players touched the ball on the opening drive.

• Michael Hoecht and Bobby Wagner were two standout defenders for the Rams, each recording two sacks in the game. Hoecht has looked really good at edge rusher since getting his first chance there last week.

• In addition to his two sacks, Wagner also had a third tackle for a loss and an interception, posting one of the best games of his career.

• Akers got the start at running back and played the majority of the snaps ahead of Kyren Williams. He started off the game strong, too, picking up big chunks of yardage against a poor Seahawks run defense.

• Brandon Powell was one of the Rams’ most productive players, gaining 84 total yards, doing it all as a runner and receiver.

• Tutu Atwell got more opportunities in this game than he has all season, and he turned it into 71 yards on six touches – like Powell, contributing on jet sweeps and as a receiver.

It was over when...

… Wolford threw an interception on fourth-and-16 at the end of the game to seal the win for Seattle. The Rams were already facing long odds as they attempted a late comeback, but that pick ended any hope of beating the Seahawks.

3 stars of the game

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

No. 3 star: Brandon Powell – 4 catches, 39 yards. 3 carries, 45 yards

No. 2 star: Michael Hoecht – 3 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 1 TFL, 1 FF

No. 1 star: Bobby Wagner – 7 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 TFL, 1 INT

Plays of the game

It was hard to pick just one play as the best of the game, so we’re going with two this week.

Tutu Atwell made one of the better catches of his young career Sunday, coming down with an impressive one-handed grab on a crossing route, which he then turned into a 30-yard gain. He nearly scored a touchdown later on during the drive but was unable to get two feet down on the reception.

Wagner’s interception in the third quarter was also a fantastic play, even if it didn’t seem like it should’ve stood as a pick.

What's next?

The Rams have a quick turnaround coming out of this game as they’ll get ready for the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14. They’ll face the Raiders on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium, staying at home in Inglewood for that game against their AFC West foes.

The Raiders looked good themselves on Sunday in a win over the Chargers, so this will be an entertaining battle between two desperate teams.

Story originally appeared on Rams Wire