INGLEWOOD, Calif. — One team gained 414 yards, the other 249. One team had 26 first downs, the other 12. One team converted 8 of 17 third or fourth downs, the other 4 of 14. One team held the ball for 37 minutes and 49 seconds, the other team 22:11.
The team that had the lesser of all those numbers Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams, had the bigger number in the only stat that matters — points — escaping with a 21-19 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
And they did so because of one of the few stats they had the advantage — turnovers.
The Seahawks lost the ball four times, all on Sam Darnold interceptions, while the Rams had just one turnover.
That proved the difference in giving the Rams round one of two games that could well decide the NFC West title.
But to a man, the Seahawks felt they proved a point despite the loss.
“Two really good teams,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “Two great teams went after it.”
The Seahawks will eagerly await the rematch Dec. 18 at Lumen Field while hoping Darnold begins to play a bit cleaner.
Let’s review the grades:
Quarterback
While Darnold almost helped win this game for the Seahawks at the end, the reality is he was the person most responsible for the need to try to pull out a miracle at the end.
Aside from the picks, Darnold needed to get just a little bit more air under a long pass to an open Rashid Shaheed in the third quarter that would have gone for a touchdown.
If this were just one game that would be one thing. But Darnold has thrown 10 interceptions in 10 games, two shy of the 12 he threw in 17 last year, with seven coming in the last four games.
Darnold’s resiliency to keep flinging it even after all those picks Sunday is impressive.
But the picks simply need to stop.
Grade: D.
Running back
Kenneth Walker III continued a quietly good season with 67 yards on 16 carries and a TD and 44 yards on three receptions. He also had an apparent 15-yard TD called back in the third quarter.
Zach Charbonnet added 35 yards on 11 carries as the backs combined for 110 yards on 29 carries.
Grade: A.
Receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba had another star-turning day with 105 yards on nine receptions, including a highlight-reel 28-yard one-handed grab late in the first half. He also drew a defensive pass-interference penalty in the final seconds that got the Seahawks close enough to try a field goal.
As noted, Shaheed almost had his first big play as a Seahawk, finishing with two catches for 27 yards on five targets, and Cooper Kupp had a mostly quiet homecoming with three receptions for 23 yards.
Grade: B.
Tight end
AJ Barner set a career high with 10 catches for 70 yards on 11 targets. Two for 13 came on the final drive. He was finally stopped on a Tush Push play late in the third quarter. Rookie Elijah Arroyo had no catches but was the target on two passes that were picked off and Nick Kallerup was called for the hold that negated the Walker TD.
Grade: C.
Offensive line
Given the strength of the Rams’ defense and how its front seven have often made life miserable for the Seahawks, it felt like an OK day for the line. Olu Oluwatimi filled in at center for the injured Jalen Sundell and seemed to hold up fine.
Right guard Anthony Bradford was called for a hold on the first play of a series late in the third quarter, with Darnold throwing a pick on first-and-20 on the next play.
And the hope is Grey Zabel is OK after he left late with a knee injury.
Grade: B.
Defensive line
The Seahawks held the Rams to 34 yards rushing on 11 carries in the second half which included 18 by receiver Puka Nacua on L.A.’s final series on an end around.
Byron Murphy II played another solid game against the run and pass with five tackles, one for a loss, and Leonard Williams had four tackles and a QB hit.
Grade: B-plus.
Rush end
The Rams’ game plan and Matthew Stafford’s ability to get rid of the ball quickly played into the lack of QB hits (three) and sacks (zero). While more of each would have been ideal, the edge group seemed to play well.
A few examples: Uchenna Nwosu tackled Kyren Williams for a loss of one on a third-and-two in the fourth quarter when the Rams led 21-12 and another first down or two would have about ended the game. Derick Hall had a QB hit on a third down earlier in the fourth down to force an incompletion. Boye Mafe had a tackle of Blake Corum for a 3-yard loss to help kill a third-quarter drive.
Grade: B-plus.
Inside linebacker
Ernest Jones IV took the blame for three Rams runs in the first half that accounted for most of their rushing yards, notably a 34-yard Williams run on a fourth-and-one that set up L.A.’s second TD and made it 14-3 late in the first quarter.
He and the entire defense settled down from there and Jones led the team with six tackles. Drake Thomas had the recovery of the fumble in the third quarter.
Grade: B.
Safety
The Rams didn’t have a play of longer than 23 yards, and that was a screen to tight end Blake Higbee. That speaks to how well safeties Coby Bryant and Ty Okada kept things in front of them. Bryant made what seemed like a game-turning play with his punch of the ball out of the hands of Nacua for the fumble recovered by Thomas in the fourth quarter.
Grade: A-minus.
Cornerback
The Seahawks went with a three-man cornerback rotation of Josh Jobe, Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen, with Macdonald saying he felt all deserved to play.
All appeared to play as if they’ll keep deserving to play. Davante Adams had just one catch for 1 yard on eight targets, but it was for a TD, but it came on an almost unguardable slant route at the goal line.
Nick Emmanwori played as the nickel back and had a pass defense and three tackles.
Grade: A-minus.
Special teams
A rougher day here than the Seahawks have had this season and we don’t mean the 61-yard field goal by Jason Myers on the final play which was simply going to be a tough one to make.
For the first time this year Myers got a flag for a kickoff short of the landing zone, and a holding call on Derion Kendrick on a punt return forced the Seahawks to start at their own 8.
Grade: B-minus.
Coaching
Credit Macdonald for quickly tweaking his defensive scheme and shutting down the Rams the final three quarters. After moving it 62 and 74 yards on two of their first three drives, the Rams didn’t have a march of longer than 25 on any of their last eight.
Credit them for keeping the team’s spirits in it after all those turnovers.
The clock management at the end of the first half worked out well to get the ball again to start the second without the Rams touching it.
Grade: B-plus.