5 Rams quarterbacks who upset Pete Carroll’s Seahawks when they couldn’t afford it

The Seattle Seahawks are playing for their playoff lives on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. And even though the Seahawks are favored by six points, have everything to lose, the Rams have nothing to gain, and L.A. will be without their starting quarterback, top two receivers, top two left tackles, starting center, top two or three left guards, their best defensive player, and are down to their fourth option at QB...

Only a fool would think that Seattle has a cake walk towards beating the Rams and ending Jared Goff’s bid to lead the Detroit Lions to a shocking playoff play-in game on Sunday night against the Packers.

I’ve seen this story before. I’ve seen it at least 10 times before. The Rams are never out of it against the Seahawks and whether the quarterback is Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, or Austin Davis, the Rams franchise has been the ultimate tormenters of Pete Carroll’s Seattle teams.

Sam Bradford

September 30, 2012 - Rams 19, Seahawks 13

Sam Bradford’s first start against Pete’s Seahawks came in Week 4 of the 2010 season, a 20-3 Rams victory in which Bradford had 289 yards and two touchdowns. Seattle would end up winning the season finale to reach the playoffs as NFC West champions, Bradford would lose his next three starts against the Seahawks, but St. Louis would get some revenge in 2012.

Despite Jeff Fisher’s team finishing (you guessed it) 7-8-1 that year, and Seattle going on a tear to end the season to reach the playoffs at 11-5, the Rams got some revenge in Week 4.

Bradford was only 16-of-30 for 221 yards and an interception, but the Seahawks alllowed a touchdown pass to Johnny Hekker and intercepted rookie quarterback Russell Wilson three times en route to a 19-13 victory in the Edward Jones Dome. The Seahawks were 2.5-point favorites, but lost by six.

Even in the season finale, when Seattle was red hot, the Rams had a 13-13 tie for most of the fourth quarter and nearly pulled a second upset. It was not to be, as the Seahawks won 20-13, but St. Louis gave them everything they had.

Austin Davis

October 19, 2014 - Rams 28, Seahawks 26

Coming off of a Super Bowl championship, the Seahawks were 7-point favorites against a Fisher team that went (yep) 7-9 the year before. Not only that, undrafted free agent Austin Davis was making his fifth career start and had lost the last three games. But for one day at least, Davis would shine.

Davis went 17-of-20 for 155 yards and two touchdowns against Seattle’s vaunted Legion of Boom defense, pulling out to a 21-3 lead in the first half and then a 28-19 lead in the fourth quarter during Wilson’s attempted comeback.

After Seattle cut the lead to 28-26 with 3:22 left, the Rams executed another fake punt, this time with Johnny Hekker completing an 18-yard pass to Benny Cunningham on fourth-and-3. The Rams ran out the clock and Davis took the final knee.

Nick Foles

September 13, 2015 - Rams 34, Seahawks 31

Coming off of their second straight Super Bowl appearance, Seattle was favored by 4 points in Week 1 of the 2015 season. The matchup would be the guy who just threw the goal line interception against newly-acquired Nick Foles, a quarterback who hadn’t made an appearance since Week 9 of the previous season.

In fact, Foles would be one of the worst quarterbacks of the 2015 season, as outside of a dominant start against the Cardinals, he had a total of four touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games. But remarkably he won a game against each of the NFC West teams, as well as a 24-6 win over the Browns.

Foles got off to a good start (kind of), going 18-of-27 for 297 yards with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdowns, but also two lost fumbles in his Rams debut against Seattle. The Seahawks dominated time of possession and recovered three fumbles, leading 31-24 with under 5:00 remaining, but they allowed an 84-yard touchdown drive to Foles in the final minute with a 37-yard touchdown to Lance Kendricks, then a 37-yard field goal to Greg Zuerlein in overtime.

On fourth-and-1 on the ensuing possession, the Seahawks stuffed Marshawn Lynch at their 42-yard line to end the game and seal another upset.

The Seahawks wouldn’t have to face Foles in the rematch. It didn’t matter.

Case Keenum

December 27, 2015 - Rams 23, Seahawks 17

Even though the Rams kept proving themselves against Seattle and didn’t have to worry about Nick Foles anymore, the Seahawks were 12-point favorites in this Week 16 matchup against Case Keenum. I never care what the point spread is in Seahawks-Rams...place your bets!

The Rams had won Keenum’s previous two starts and were back on track post-Foles.

St. Louis pulled out to a 16-0 lead on the road, then 23-10 when Todd Gurley scored early in the fourth quarter. This was never a close contest. Keenum went 14-of-23 for 103 yards and a touchdown, Gurley had 83 yards, Russell Wilson had two turnovers, and Seattle’s running backs were stuffed for only 26 yards on 15 carries.

To make the universe right, Fisher made sure to lose that year’s finale so that the Rams could end 7-9.

In Week 2 of the 2016 season, Keenum would make one more start against the Seahawks. At 5.5-point underdogs, the Rams upset Seattle again, this time winning 9-3 as neither team scored a touchdown.

Jared Goff

December 17, 2017 - Rams 42, Seahawks 7

The tables had definitely turned a little bit by this point, but still the Rams had yet to officially end their playoff drought and the Seahawks were still meant to be one of the most dominant teams in the NFL. However, L.A. was 10-4 going into the game and Seattle was 8-6. The Rams were 1-point favorites in Seattle, but this was expected to be a dogfight for the NFC West crown.

Instead, the Seahawks got embarrassed like they hadn’t been since Pete Carroll’s second season in Seattle six years earlier. This was the first time the Seahawks lost be more than eight points since the middle of the 2011 season—and they lost by 35.

We even saw an appearance by Sean Mannion (now on Seattle’s practice squad) and Gurley scored four touchdowns with 180 total yards.

After losing his first two starts against the Seahawks, Goff beat Wilson in six of eight contests, including the 2020 wild card game in which he came into the game in place of John Wolford. Goff didn’t even have two healthy hands that day, but the Rams easily defeated the Seahawks 30-20 when Seattle was favored by 3-points.

Notable, Wolford did get a second chance as he started against Seattle earlier this season when the Seahawks were favored by 7-points. It took everything Seattle had to beat the Rams, as L.A. lead 23-20 following a Cam Akers touchdown with 2:56 remaining.

Only a Geno Smith-to-DK Metcalf touchdown with :36 seconds left saved the Seahawks against John Wolford. Against John Wolford!

So Baker Mayfield, the stars have already made it clear: They’re aligned for you. Don’t miss.

Every QB who has thrown at least one pass in a win against Pete Carroll’s Seahawks: Sam Bradford, Austin Davis, Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion, Jared Goff, John Wolford, Matthew Stafford, Johnny Hekker, Cooper Kupp.