While it was technically a Jason Myers missed field goal which did the Seattle Seahawks in come the waning moments against the Los Angeles Rams, there is plenty of blame to go around for an NFC West result that frankly never should have come to this.
Seattle had a 16-7 lead at the end of the third quarter without Geno Smith, who was lost due to injury. It's unknown if Smith will have to miss more time beyond just this week, but his replacement Drew Lock did not play well.
The Seahawks entered the game as the No. 6 seed in the NFC. Only seven teams make the postseason, and the No. 7 seed Minnesota Vikings play later on Sunday Night Football. Every result in the second half of the season means something, and the Seahawks loss to the LA Rams, a team on the outside looking in at the playoff picture right now, could come back to haunt them come Week 18 as it pertains to seeding or even making the postseason at all.
Unfortunately for Jason Myers, he does deserve some blame for missing a Seahawks game-winning kick
When the Seahawks put Jason Myers in position to make a game-winning kick -- a 55-yard field goal nonetheless -- they expected him to sink it. Unfortunately for Myers, that did not come to fruition. Seattle still has plenty of confidence in their kicker, but players at this position in particular have fragile egos. One missed kick can result in another at a critical time if the Seahawks don't handle this situation well.
Seattle managed to put Myers in position for the game-winning kick, and even put the ball at his preferred hash mark. The end result was not what Myers or the Seahawks had in mind. Myers is one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL at his best. Even Justin Tucker missed a field goal every now and then, but it rarely comes in a big moment.
Drew Lock deserves blame for the Seattle Seahawks defeat
Backup quarterback is not an enviable position in the NFL. You have to be ready at a moment's notice to replace essentially the most important player on the team. Geno Smith's career turnaround has been notable with the Seahawks. Once a castaway with the New York Jets, Smith has turned into a potential Pro Bowler with Seattle.
Drew Lock is hoping for a similar arch in his career. The former Broncos draft pick received a limited opportunity in Denver, only to be traded to Seattle in the deal for Russell Wilson, which is looking awfully good for the Seahawks right about now despite Wilson's turnaround this season.
Lock made just four throws in Sunday's loss to the Rams. One of them was picked off at a critial time, as he made a deep pass attempt down the sideline which was intercepted by LA.
It's tough to place too much blame on Lock because he was placed in a tough situation. However, his interception directly led to the Rams taking the lead. While Smith nearly led the Seahawks down the field to win the game late, Myers couldn't come through with the contest on the line.
Pete Carroll was the main culprit in the Seahawks defeat
With eight seconds remaining, Geno Smith put the Seahawks in a position to attempt a game-winning field goal. The attempt was over 55 yards, and Carroll and Co. called a running play to set up Myers on the correct hash mark.
The Seahawks didn't have timeouts at the time, so Carroll elected to play it safe and set up the game-winning kick. However, the fact that he was satisfied with a 50-plus yard attempt was curious to say the least. Myers missed the kick, and the rest is history.
With the loss, Carroll's team could fall to the No. 7 seed in the NFC. While an NFC Wild Card berth is still well within reach, the matchup gets tougher. By no means is Seattle guaranteed a playoff berth, either.
Yes, calling a pass play in that situation could have gone horribly wrong, but Carroll ought to have trusted his quarterback in that situation. Calling a pass play towards the sideline could have set Myers up for a better, more makable field goal attempt.