NFC West: Silver linings
The facts: The Seattle Seahawks finished the season with a 7-9 record following a 23-20 overtime defeat to the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The defeat improved Seattle's draft status by 4-6 spots. The Seahawks will pick 11th or 12th in the order pending a coin flip with the Kansas City Chiefs. Those extra spots could make the difference in landing a quarterback to develop.
- Rookie receiver Ricardo Lockette followed his 44-yard reception against San Francisco in Week 16 with a juggling 61-yard scoring reception against the Cardinals. Lockette now has two catches for 105 yards through his first two NFL games.
- Seattle made all-world receiver Larry Fitzgerald work for most of what he got. Fitzgerald turned in a heroic performance, dominating in the second half. But he did not dominate physically the way he did in years past when the Seahawks lacked size in their secondary. Brandon Browner, Richard Sherman and the team's safeties roughed up Fitzgerald, leaving him with a bruised lung.
- Sherman picked off a pass deep in Cardinals territory, his fourth pick in the team's final 10 games.
- Leon Washington's 48-yard touchdown run tied the game after Seattle fell behind early. Washington also had a 47-yard kickoff return and a 17-yard punt return.
- Marshawn Lynch rushed for 86 yards, moving past 1,200 for the season despite missing one game. Seattle finished with 178 yards on 34 carries. The Seahawks averaged 134 yards rushing per game over their final nine games, up from 77.7 over the first seven and 89.0 last season.
- Receiver Golden Tate caught five passes without a drop. He had zero drops all season.
- Linebacker David Hawthorne had 13 tackles and one sack. One big hit on Andre Roberts sent the receiver's helmet flying off.
- Defensive tackle Alan Branch had a sack against his former team.
- Earl Thomas forced a fumble that K.J. Wright recovered.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams finished the 2011 season with a 2-14 record after suffering a 34-27 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the Edward Jones Dome.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The Rams scored two rushing touchdowns, one by Kellen Clemens and the other by Cadillac Williams. The 49ers had allowed only one rushing touchdown all season previously.
- Clemens' 18-yard run gave the Rams a 7-0 lead. His touchdown pass to Brandon Lloyd in the fourth quarter pulled the Rams within striking distance. A low completion percentage and one interception left Clemens with a 67.4 NFL passer rating out of a possible 158.3, but Clemens' broader contributions -- his rushing touchdown, plus his strong play late in the game -- equated to the Rams' highest single-game Total QBR score of the season (64.9 out of 100).
- Lloyd finished with 100 yards receiving, his first game in triple digits since the Rams acquired him from Denver before the trading deadline.
- Veteran defensive end James Hall collected his sixth sack of the season.
- Josh Brown and the Rams' kickoff coverage team executed a successful onside kick late in the game, keeping alive the Rams' chances. Linebacker Bryan Kehl made the recovery with 4:45 remaining. Cadillac Williams then scored on a 1-yard run to get the Rams within a touchdown at 34-27.
- Brown also made both field goal attempts. Punter Donnie Jones had a 41.2-yard net average.
- Resting Sam Bradford allowed the Rams' franchise quarterback to avoid further injury in an ultimately meaningless game against a tough defense. Clemens suffered a leg injury late in the game. There was no sense in putting Bradford at risk. He missed the game with a high-ankle sprain.
Silver linings: Cardinals vs. Bengals
December, 26, 2011
12/26/11
2:59
PM ET
By
Mike Sando | ESPN.com
The facts: The Arizona Cardinals fell to 7-8 following a 23-16 road defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The Cardinals rallied from a 23-0 deficit in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie the game with a play that left receiver Early Doucet wide open in the end zone when Arizona trailed by seven.
- Larry Fitzgerald caught six passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Andre Roberts added six receptions for 75 yards.
- The Cardinals held the Bengals to 301 yards. They allowed no plays longer than 23 yards.
- Calais Campbell collected another sack, his eighth of the season. He had seven tackles, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.
- Rookie Sam Acho collected his sixth sack of the season.
- Adrian Wilson had a pass defensed and a forced fumble.
- Kerry Rhodes recovered two fumbles.
- Beanie Wells picked up three yards on fourth-and-2 when the Cardinals were making their comeback in the fourth quarter.
- Doucet's 27-yard reception in the fourth quarter moved the Cardinals past midfield for the first time.
- Arizona is a home victory away from finishing 8-8, an improvement of three games from last season.
The facts: The Seattle Seahawks fell to 7-8 with a 19-17 home defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Marshawn Lynch ended two impressive 49ers streaks: 36 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher, and 15 games without allowing a rushing touchdown. Lynch rushed for 83 of his 107 yards in the first half. San Francisco had been allowing 71 yards rushing per game.
- Rookie receiver Ricardo Lockette sparked Seattle's opening drive to a touchdown with a 44-yard reception, the longest offensive gain for either team.
- Rookie receiver Doug Baldwin scored on a 13-yard reception.
- Seattle limited Frank Gore to 3.6 yards per rushing attempt.
- Leon Washington gained 24 yards on his lone punt return.
- The Seahawks finished with better average starting field position than the 49ers. San Francisco entered the game leading the NFL in field position.
- Chris Clemons had three quarterback hits.
- Special-teamer Heath Farwell blocked Andy Lee's punt deep in 49ers territory, setting up Lynch for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
- Alan Branch and Leroy Hill each had one sack and one quarterback hit.
- The Seahawks limited Alex Smith to 6-of-15 passing for 43 yards in the first half.
- Seattle became the first team since Detroit on Oct. 16 to score a first-quarter touchdown against the 49ers. The Seahawks became the third team all season to score more than one red zone touchdown against the 49ers in a game.
- Tarvaris Jackson threw no interceptions. The 49ers had thrown at least one pick in all but two games previously this season.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-13 with a 27-0 road defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Steven Jackson carried 24 times for 103 yards, his fourth 100-yard game of the season and 31st of his career. Only Ray Rice and Arian Foster had topped 100 yards against the Steelers previously this season.
- Jackson joined Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Eric Dickerson, Curtis Martin, Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders as the only running backs with seven consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
- Cornerback Josh Gordy picked off a pass for the second game in a row.
- Nick Miller had a 17-yard punt return and a 10.3-yard average.
- The Rams committed no turnovers. In fact, they became the first team since at least 1940 to rush for 164-plus yards and commit no turnovers while getting shut out by 27 or more points. I'm not sure whether that counts as a silver lining, but it's an amazing note.
- The Rams held the Steelers to one third-down conversion in seven attempts, one reason they narrowly won time of possession.
- Rookie Robert Quinn had a tackle for loss.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-12 with a 20-13 home defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Steven Jackson finished with 143 yards rushing and receiving, with a long run of 18 yards. He needs 34 yards rushing to reach 1,000 for a seventh consecutive season.
- Chris Long collected his 13th sack of the season, adding to his career high.
- The Rams held Cedric Benson to 3.5 yards per rushing attempt.
- Cornerback Josh Gordy picked off a pass and returned the ball 30 yards.
- The Rams won the turnover battle.
- Receiver Danario Alexander caught a 25-yard touchdown pass. Alexander also had a 22-yard reception.
- Kellen Clemens completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 229 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in his first start with the team. Clemens finished the game with a 95.7 NFL passer rating, highest by a Rams starter this season.
- Rookie defensive end Robert Quinn deflected a Bengals punt, limiting it to 21 yards. This was his third deflection or outright block of a punt this season.
- Safety Quintin Mikell forced two fumbles.
- The Rams led the game for 5:04.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-11 with a 30-13 road defeat to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Steven Jackson scored his 52nd career rushing touchdown, leaving him four shy of Eric Dickerson's franchise record. Jackson also moved past Henry Ellard on the Rams' career list for all-purpose yardage. His 50-yard reception was a career long.
- Brandon Lloyd averaged 16.4 yards per reception. His longest gain covered 37 yards.
- Rookie tight end Lance Kendricks had a 26-yard reception early in the game.
- Jerious Norwood's 47-yard kickoff return was a season long for the Rams.
- Gary Gibson and C.J. Ah You recorded sacks, while Brady Poppinga recovered a fumble.
- Quarterback Sam Bradford, though sore afterward, did not appear to aggravate his ankle injury. Chris Long also made it through the game despite an ankle injury.
- The Rams' defense kept the team in the game through three quarters.
The facts: The San Francisco 49ers fell to 10-3 with a 21-19 road defeat to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The 49ers remain in position to claim the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff race. They hold the tiebreaker over 10-3 New Orleans.
- San Francisco set a franchise record by holding its 14th consecutive opponent without a rushing touchdown. The 1985-86 Chicago Bears made it 15 consecutive games, the longest streak since at least the 1970 merger.
- The 49ers extended their streak to 35 games without allowing a 100-yard rusher. That is the longest streak in the league since Minnesota went 36 games in 2007-09. The 49ers held Beanie Wells to 27 yards on 15 carries.
- Frank Gore had a 37-yard touchdown run and passed 1,000 yards rushing for the season. He joined LaDainian Tomlinson, Steven Jackson, Thomas Jones and Ricky Williams as the only active running backs with five or more 1,000-yard seasons, according to the 49ers.
- Ted Ginn Jr.s' 52-yard punt return deep in Cardinals territory helped the 49ers jump to a 19-7 lead.
- The 49ers downed three punts inside the Arizona 20-yard line, including one at the 1. They prevented Patrick Peterson from hurting them with long returns, holding him to an 8.8-yard average and a long return of 19 yards.
- Aldon Smith recorded another sack, giving him 10.5 for the season. He's the first 49ers player since Andre Carter in 2002 to reach 10 or more sacks in a season.
- Cornerback Tarell Brown and safety Dashon Goldson picked off passes.
- The 49ers won the field-position battle. Their drives started at their own 38-yard line on average. The Cardinals' drives began at the Arizona 25 on average.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-10 with a 26-0 road defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Chris Long collected two more sacks, giving him 12 for the season. Long has the most sacks by a Rams player since Leonard Little had 13 in 2006. Kevin Carter had 17 in 1999, the most for a Rams player since the NFL began tracking sacks officially during the 1982 season. Kevin Greene twice had 16.5-sack season with the team. Pro Football Reference shows all Rams players with at least 12 sacks during the sack era. Long joins a list featuring Carter, Little, Greene and Mike Wilcher. Long has at least one sack in each of the Rams' last six games. He added two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits Sunday.
- Steven Jackson moved within 16 yards of Henry Ellard for third place on the Rams' all-time list for all-purpose yardage. Jackson has 11,691 all-purpose yards.
- Quarterback Sam Bradford gained a week to get his high-ankle sprain healthier. Bradford aggravated the injury during practice.
- Brandon Lloyd made another improbable catch, this one for a 34-yard gain along the sideline.
- The Rams' defense held the 49ers to field goals on all four San Francisco possessions in the red zone.
Silver linings: Seahawks vs. Redskins
November, 28, 2011
11/28/11
1:09
PM ET
By
Mike Sando | ESPN.com
The facts: The Seattle Seahawks fell to 4-7 with a 23-17 home defeat to the Washington Redskins.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Marshawn Lynch reached 100 yards rushing for the third time in his last four games.
- Starting cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner picked off passes.
- Strong safety Kam Chancellor delivered a big hit early in the game, an indication recent fines have not diminished his aggressiveness.
- Lynch and second-year receiver Golden Tate caught touchdown passes.
- Seattle's offensive line generally played well, helping to limit the Redskins' Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan to a half-sack between them.
- Leon Washington had 51- and 35-yard kickoff returns.
- Seattle held the Redskins to 30 percent conversions on third down and one touchdown in three red zone possessions.
- Red Bryant blocked a field goal attempt and an extra point attempt.
- Seattle did not fumble and won the turnover battle.
- The Seahawks, though held to one sack, finished the game with nine quarterback hits, two apiece from Brandon Mebane and Clinton McDonald.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-9 with a 23-20 home defeat to the Arizona Cardinals.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Nick Miller's 88-yard punt return for a touchdown gave the Rams a 7-0 lead. This tied for the third-longest punt return in franchise history. It was the Rams' first punt return for a touchdown since Dante Hall had one against Dallas in 2007.
- Chris Long collected his 10th sack of the season, a career high. Long and his father, Howie, joined Clay Matthews Sr. and Jr. as the only fathers and sons to record double-digit sack seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Chris Long now has a sack in each of the Rams' last five games, a career-long stretch.
- Rookie Austin Pettis made a spectacular leaping grab for a 35-yard gain.
- Former Cardinals cornerback Rod Hood picked off a pass against his former team. Linebacker James Laurinaitis also picked off a pass, while linebacker Brady Poppinga forced and recovered a fumble. Pressure from Gary Gibson set up Laurinaitis' pick.
- The Rams prevented touchdowns on three of four red zone possessions for Arizona.
- Rookie first-round draft choice Robert Quinn collected his fifth sack of the season.
- Sam Bradford threw no interceptions.
- Receiver Brandon Lloyd's 16-yard scoring reception was his fourth since joining the Rams. He has one touchdown in each of the team's last three games.
- Safety Darian Stewart now has sacks in back-to-back weeks.
- The Rams allowed 106 net yards passing.
The facts: The San Francisco 49ers fell to 9-2 with a 16-6 road defeat to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The 49ers remain five victories ahead of their nearest NFC West challenger.
- Games against St. Louis and Arizona await over the next two weeks, giving the 49ers a strong shot at clinching the division title before facing Pittsburgh in a Monday night game.
- Kicker David Akers made his sixth field goal try of at least 50 yards this season. He has not missed from that distance this season.
- San Francisco extended its streak without allowing a rushing touchdown to 12 games, the second-longest in team history. The 49ers' 11-game streak this season is tied for the longest to start a season at least 1970. The 1992 49ers and 1992 Cleveland Browns also allowed none through the first 11 games. The 1997 49ers are among four teams to allow none through the first 10 games in a season.
- The 49ers allowed only 253 yards.
- Alex Smith completed an 18-yard pass to Michael Crabtree on third-and-17.
- The 49ers did not allow a first-half touchdown. They have not allowed one in their last five first halves, according to the team. This is the longest such streak in team history and the longest in the NFL since 2008.
- Ted Ginn Jr. averaged 31.0 yards per kickoff return. He had a 75-yard touchdown reception wiped out by penalty.
- The team's streak without allowing a 100-yard rusher reached 33 games, the third-longest streak in the NFL since the start of the 2000 season.
- The 49ers did not lose a fumble for the third game in a row.
The facts: The Arizona Cardinals fell to 3-7 following a 23-7 road defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The Cardinals held the 49ers to two touchdowns in six red zone possessions. This was Arizona's third consecutive game holding the opponent to 33 percent or worse in the red zone.
- Arizona allowed only 3.3 yards per rushing attempt.
- Calais Campbell and Patrick Peterson blocked field-goal attempts.
- The Cardinals' defense and special teams played well enough early for Arizona to trail only 9-0 at halftime despite getting no help from the offense.
- Daryl Washington's interception in the end zone gave Arizona at least one pick in four consecutive games.
- Larry Fitzgerald became the second-youngest receiver in NFL history to reach 9,000 career yards. Only Randy Moss was younger.
- Rich Bartel completed the first touchdown pass of his career, finding Fitzgerald over the middle. The play spared the Cardinals from being shut out for the first time since 2003.
- Chester Taylor's 34-yard run was the longest run against the 49ers this season.
- O'Brien Schofield, David Carter and Adrian Wilson had tackles for loss.
- Stewart Bradley made multiple impact tackles on special teams, including a memorable hit on 49ers returner Ted Ginn Jr.
- The Cardinals allowed only two sacks, including none to Justin Smith, who had three against them in one game last season.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-8 with a 24-7 home defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The Rams picked off Seahawks quarterback Tarvaris Jackson twice early in the game. One pick was the first of linebacker Chris Chamberlain's career. Safety Quintin Mikell collected the other interception, his second of the season.
- Brandon Lloyd caught a touchdown pass for the third time since the Rams acquired him. Lloyd has at least four receptions in each of his five games with the team.
- The Rams held Marshawn Lynch to 3.3 yards per carry with a long run of 12 yards. They allowed only 289 yards overall and 4.3 yards per play.
- Rookie first-round pick Robert Quinn collected one sack and also deflected a Seahawks punt. He had a blocked punt against New Orleans a few weeks ago.
- The Rams committed eight fewer accepted penalties than the Seahawks.
- Chris Long moved within one sack of his first season with double-digit sacks. He has nine, a half-sack better than the career high he set last season. This was his fourth game in a row with at least one sack. Long has six sacks in the Rams' past four games.
- Chamberlain and middle linebacker James Laurinaitis were particularly active. Laurinaitis was credited with 13 tackles.
The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 1-7 with a 19-13 overtime loss at Arizona in Week 9.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- The Rams got strong production from Steven Jackson in the running game once again. Jackson carried 29 times for 130 yards. He has 289 rushing yards on 54 carries over the last two games. Jackson's one reception moved him past Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch for sixth on the Rams' all-time list with 344.
- Josh Brown made three field-goal attempts.
- The Rams allowed a season-low 262 yards.
- Rookie Greg Salas led all players with seven receptions, one short of his career high.
- The Rams' defense collected two safeties. St. Louis became the first team in NFL history to score exactly four points in a quarter, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
- Chris Long collected his fourth sack int he last two games, giving him seven for the season. He set a career high with 8.5 last season.
- Rookie Robert Quinn had a sack for the second game in a row. He has three for the season.
- Safety Darian Stewart had three passes defensed, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. He broke up a long pass for tight end Jeff King. Stewart, in his second season, has come on strong lately. He had the clinching interception return for a touchdown against New Orleans last week.
- The Rams' run defense played well for a second week in a row, limiting Beanie Wells to 20 yards on 10 carries.
- The Rams held a 12-minute advantage in time of possession.
- Sam Bradford made it through the game on his injured ankle, passing for 255 yards.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
