Zuerlein kicks lead Rams over Seahawks 19-13
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Making the jump from Division II to the NFL has been pretty easy for St. Louis Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein.
The rookie kicked four field goals, setting a club record with a 58-yarder and then topping it with a 60-yarder, and helped the Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks 19-13 on Sunday.
Not only is Zuerlein a perfect 12 for 12 on the year, he also was a perfect decoy on the biggest play of the day — a fake field goal that turned into a 2-yard touchdown pass from punter Johnny Hekker to Danny Amendola. The score put the Rams (2-2) ahead 10-7 late in the first half.
The Seahawks (2-2) lost six days after beating Green Bay when a botched call by replacement officials on the final play gave them the winning touchdown. Regular officials were back this weekend.
Marshawn Lynch led Seattle with 118 yards on 20 carries, including an 18-yard score on the game's first possession.
The Rams intercepted Russell Wilson three times, with Bradley Fletcher clinching it with a pick at the Rams 25 with a minute to go.
A week after sacking Aaron Rodgers eight times, the Seahawks got to Sam Bradford twice.
St. Louis is 2-0 at home, also beating the Redskins in Week 2. Attendance was announced as 53,193 but the 66,000-capacity Edward Jones Dome looked about half full with the Cardinals also playing across town in search of the second NL wild card.
The Seahawks may have had an emotional letdown after their last-gasp 14-12 victory over the Packers, with Golden Tate's disputed touchdown grab perhaps the play that hastened the regular referees' return.
Tate had one catch for 7 yards on Sunday.
Referee Mike Carey tipped his cap to fans as he walked onto the field, and also shook hands with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and wide receiver Braylon Edwards. The only moment the officials were really noticed was when umpire Chad Brown got some razzing from fans after he slipped and fell while getting into position before the Rams punted out of their end zone in the third quarter.
Zuerlein was a sixth-round pick from Missouri Western. His 58-yarder had plenty of room to spare and the 60-yarder had just enough distance, putting the Rams up 16-7 early in the third quarter.
On the fake field goal, Amendola appeared to be leaving the field on fourth-and-goal from the 2, but stopped short of the sideline. He was all alone in the end zone, needing just a little bit of a jump when Hekker, a former high school quarterback, stood up and tossed a high spiral.
Carroll was frantically waving for a timeout but couldn't get the officials' attention before the snap.
Bradford was 16 for 30 for 221 yards and an interception. Wilson completed his first seven passes for 78 yards before his first incompletion early in the second quarter. He finished 17 for 25 for 160 yards.
The rookie kicked four field goals, setting a club record with a 58-yarder and then topping it with a 60-yarder, and helped the Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks 19-13 on Sunday.
Not only is Zuerlein a perfect 12 for 12 on the year, he also was a perfect decoy on the biggest play of the day — a fake field goal that turned into a 2-yard touchdown pass from punter Johnny Hekker to Danny Amendola. The score put the Rams (2-2) ahead 10-7 late in the first half.
The Seahawks (2-2) lost six days after beating Green Bay when a botched call by replacement officials on the final play gave them the winning touchdown. Regular officials were back this weekend.
Marshawn Lynch led Seattle with 118 yards on 20 carries, including an 18-yard score on the game's first possession.
The Rams intercepted Russell Wilson three times, with Bradley Fletcher clinching it with a pick at the Rams 25 with a minute to go.
A week after sacking Aaron Rodgers eight times, the Seahawks got to Sam Bradford twice.
St. Louis is 2-0 at home, also beating the Redskins in Week 2. Attendance was announced as 53,193 but the 66,000-capacity Edward Jones Dome looked about half full with the Cardinals also playing across town in search of the second NL wild card.
The Seahawks may have had an emotional letdown after their last-gasp 14-12 victory over the Packers, with Golden Tate's disputed touchdown grab perhaps the play that hastened the regular referees' return.
Tate had one catch for 7 yards on Sunday.
Referee Mike Carey tipped his cap to fans as he walked onto the field, and also shook hands with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and wide receiver Braylon Edwards. The only moment the officials were really noticed was when umpire Chad Brown got some razzing from fans after he slipped and fell while getting into position before the Rams punted out of their end zone in the third quarter.
Zuerlein was a sixth-round pick from Missouri Western. His 58-yarder had plenty of room to spare and the 60-yarder had just enough distance, putting the Rams up 16-7 early in the third quarter.
On the fake field goal, Amendola appeared to be leaving the field on fourth-and-goal from the 2, but stopped short of the sideline. He was all alone in the end zone, needing just a little bit of a jump when Hekker, a former high school quarterback, stood up and tossed a high spiral.
Carroll was frantically waving for a timeout but couldn't get the officials' attention before the snap.
Bradford was 16 for 30 for 221 yards and an interception. Wilson completed his first seven passes for 78 yards before his first incompletion early in the second quarter. He finished 17 for 25 for 160 yards.
Rice is a #2 wideout at best and Tate maybe a 3.Â
You're all the coach!  Look at the dropped passes, in ability of the receivers to break loose and come open, inept offensive line! Â
Russell Wilson is not an NFL starter on any team, 5"11" not quite, I've seen him up close at pre-season at VMAC and he is more like 5'10", every NFL athlete exagerates their height and he is no exception. He is too short and he will be a bust for this team, Flynn is the man for the job, Carroll is a moron with too big an ego to make the change. This will be a 6-10 year, if that, if Carroll keeps this Leprechaun in the games.
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BTW, Wilson is no Drew Brees, so don't even go there.
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Go Heeeee Hawks.
You all need a reality check, any how. Better check the schedule. 2-6 is looming large.Â
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Please start Flynn! I get more and more frustrated every week watching Russel Wilson play. He's a good QB but not ready for the NFL. I've vouched for Flynn to start ever since week 1. Just because Wilson played slightly better in the preseason does not mean he should just stay the starter for the whole season. Look what he's done on offense. Seahawks are 32nd in passing. That guy never throws for over 200 yards. And, he's always scrambling out of the pocket even when he has time to throw IN the pocket. I'm getting fed up with the way he plays. Our defense gives 110% each week and does their job but Wilson is bringing this team down with his below average performances. LET HIM SIT AND LEARN for a year or two while letting Flynn take the lead. After today's abysmal performance, I hope Carroll realizes it's Flynn's time.
The one silver lining I'd like to say is that once again the defense did their job today by only allowing 1 touchdown, bringing their total to five. Arizona is the only team in the league right now that has allowed fewer touchdowns with four, & Seattle is 4th in the NFL in total points allowed with 58.
Another game and another anemic passing effort. I keep commenting that Wilson is too short and panics out of the pocket to easily putting pressure on his offensive tackles, instead of stepping up in the pocket. But, I suppose if you cannot see over the offensive line, that is all that you can do. I point this out every week and people comment that I am a hater. Well, this week even the announcers were talking about his difficulties seeing over the line. News flash to the people who say I am a hater, Wilson is not Drew Brees, the common comparison everyone tries to throw in my face. This game should have been easily won if we had a passing offense. It is time for Flynn!
 @UWGrad_96 The game was losy because of the three int and none were Wilson's fault. But I would like to see Flynn.
 @sirgavin7 I don't even blame him for the three ints, however, I would say that one of them was his fault.  He allowed his pass to get batted up into the air by the d-line.  I guess if he were taller, he may not of had that happen or maybe it still would have happened.  Who knows for sure.  Either way, it makes a stronger case for a taller QB.
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My criticism is that he cannot see over the line and it makes him abandon the pocket quickly. Â There were many times in the last two games at least that he panicked and bailed out of the pocket to run into a defensive end that his tackle was properly blocking up and out. Â All he had to do is trust the pocket and step up in it, getting the ball off quickly. Â Then, our solution to his height impairment is to perform set roll-out plays. Â Well, all this does is eliminate half the field as an option to attack. Â It is much easier for a defense to defend half the field than the entire field that a QB can attack if he stayed in the pocket. Â It is one thing to do this every once in awhile, but to have to do it to compensate for his height is not good.
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I am not saying Wilson is a scrub. Â I think he has a good skill set. Â He is just too short to be a starting QB. Â He would be fine for game-situation plays or the wildcat, but not every down. Â After four games of mediocre passing, this team needs a spark in the passing game. Â Give Flynn his shot. Â It will be a matter of time when teams will start stacking the line to stop Lynch because of this anemic passing game.
so the Hawks are 2 and 2, oh wait a minute, it should be 1 and 3, Pete C. should re-think his QB choice.
Well, after Wilson was appointed the starter, I predicated that he would start 4 games before he lost the job. Is it time yet?
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However, I don't know why anyone is surprised the Seahawks lost today. When was the last time they won a road game that counted. Five years?
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Whether Russell Wilson's height does or doesn't "define his skill set", it sure looked like an issue today. Â He was obviously having trouble finding passing lanes. Â Glad to hear Carroll was trying to call timeout on the fake field goal, it's up to the coaches to catch stuff like that.
How is Wilson a starting QB? We have a super bowl type defense and the worst offense in the league. Its very frustrating to watch Pete Carrol toy with the fans that support his million dollar paychecks by starting. We have EVERYTHING we need to be a championship team except a passing game. Its not just Wilson, its also our receivers. Time to make the switch to Flynn....although I know Pete is far to egocentric to make that move....
And Seahawks fans came crashing back down to Earth this morning...
And smug, petty people couldn't be happier. Congrats.
I don't understand why late in the game and the Seahawks were moving the ball well on running. They decided to pass on a 3rd and 2. The Offense clearly needs to step it up. There isn't much you can do about a field goal kicker who kicks 55 & 60 yard field goals.
Time for a QB that can stand tall in the pocket.
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Pun intended.
 @Hachee_Bungwhy Agreed, Wilson will never be able to get it done regularly and we are starting to see what we can expect from him...going to be a lost season now that the 49'ers and the Cardinals have clearly taken control of the division....and our next two games are against the pi$$ed of panthers and the patriots....were in trouble.
After that its at San Fran and Det.......yep, u b hurtin.