Sean McVay might start getting people hired as head coaches again.
The Rams head coach, whose offense seemed to plateau this year, had his guys back in gear in Sunday’s 28-12 win over the Seahawks.
Despite a pair of Jared Goff interceptions, the Rams moved the ball efficiently throughout the night.
Goff finished 22-of-31 for 293 yards. He had a pair of touchdown passes early, as they built a lead they wouldn’t surrender.
They also had Todd Gurley involved, which hasn’t always been the case. Gurley finished with 23 carries for 79 yards and a touchdown.
The win keeps the Rams (8-5) alive for the final wild card spot, a game behind the Vikings for the sixth seed.
The Seahawks (10-3) missed an opportunity to clinch their own spot, though that seems inevitable. But the difference between home games throughout the playoffs and the fifth seed is a significant, if only because you’ll have to get on an airplane to go see the NFC East winner.
Here are five more things we learned during Sunday Night Football:
1. Maybe it’s his background in baseball, where the starting pitchers put on jackets between innings in the middle of the summer.
But it was a bit weird for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to be wearing a parka on the sidelines when he wasn’t on the field.
It was far from a chilly night in Los Angeles, and it could have simply been a fashion choice.
Or perhaps he didn’t feel great, which you might surmise from looking at a box score. Wilson was 22-of-36 for 245 yards and an interception, and like his team, seemed to lack any amount of juice.
2. The Lions thought they didn’t need Quandre Diggs.
The Lions were wrong.
Diggs has found an immediate home in the back of the Seattle secondary, while the Lions are already eliminated from playoff contention at 3-9-1.
Diggs had a pair of interceptions in the second half, returning one for a touchdown. That gave him three in four games since joining the Seahawks.
Of course, the Lions got a 2020 fifth-round pick in exchange, and that guy might turn into a Hall of Famer or something. But they also had to send a 2021 seventh back to Seahawks for the privilege of improving their secondary.
The Lions had given Diggs a three-year, $18.6 million contract extension in September, 2018, but soured so quickly they just wanted rid of his contract. So I guess mission accomplished. Unless the point is being good at football.
3. Tyler Higbee is full of the Christmas spirit. Or something.
The Rams tight end has been incredible in December, with a pair of 100-yard games this month.
He had seven catches for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals last week, and seven catches for 116 yards against the Seahawks.
He hadn’t gained more than 47 yards in any non-December game this year, and only broke the elusive 25-yard barrier twice.
4. The Seahawks clearly missed Rashaad Penny, who left early in the game with a knee injury.
He had become a bigger part of their offense in recent weeks, when he was getting more work in response to Chris Carson fumbling.
He had 14 carries for 129 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles, and a combined 107 yards from scrimmage and two scores last week against the Vikings.
Penny was quickly ruled out, and they can only hope it’s not serious, as he gave them a certain balance.
5. The call of the night came from referee Shawn Hochuli, who held up play in the second quarter.
“We need the cheerleaders off the field please,” he said.
There was a gaggle of Rams cheerleaders and a mascot dancing at the time, spending more time in the end zone than the Seahawks offense did.