Seahawks 27, Rams 9
Malcolm Smith returned an interception for a touchdown and Marshawn Lynch rushed for 97 yards and a score as host Seattle defeated St. Louis to clinch the NFC West and the conference’s No. 1 overall seed for the playoffs.
Steven Hauschka kicked two field goals and the Seahawks (13-3) limited the Rams to 158 total yards and 11 first downs while recording 13 victories for only the second time in franchise history. The Seahawks will have a first-round playoff bye and possess home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Kellen Clemens threw one touchdown pass and was intercepted twice for St. Louis (7-9), which was just 2-of-11 on third-down conversions. The losing season is the seventh straight for the Rams.
Smith set the tone for Seattle’s strong defensive showing by picking off a deflected pass and returning it 37 yards just five-plus minutes into the game. Hauschka kicked field goals of 28 and 35 yards in the second quarter as the Seahawks took a 13-0 lead.
After Greg Zuerlein booted a 36-yard field goal in the third goal for the Rams, Seattle navigated 80 yards on 14 plays with Lynch darting in from the 2 to make it a 20-3 margin. Russell Wilson teamed with Golden Tate on a 47-yard touchdown play with 9:14 remaining before the Rams scored on Clemens’ 2-yard pass to Jared Cook.
GAME NOTEBOOK: St. Louis RB Zac Stacy had just 15 yards on 15 carries to fall 27 yards shy of becoming the third rookie in franchise history to rush for 1,000 yards. … Seahawks CB Bryon Maxwell also had an interception as Seattle raised its league-leading total to 28. … Rams DE Kendall Langford was ejected late in the third quarter after drawing a personal foul for inadvertently making contact with an official. He landed a second personal foul after slamming his helmet to the turf before exiting the field.