SEATTLE — When Cooper Kupp lined up in motion on what looked like a standard jet sweep, the Seahawks’ defense didn’t blink. They’d seen Sean McVay’s misdirection magic before. But when Kupp suddenly pulled up and launched a pass downfield, jaws dropped across Lumen Field. For a split second, it looked like brilliance. Then came the interception — and with it, a flurry of questions.
The Rams’ trick play gone wrong turned into one of the game’s defining moments. Instead of extending a promising drive, Kupp’s pass floated just long enough for Seahawks safety Julian Love to make a leaping interception near midfield. The turnover didn’t just swing momentum — it reignited an uncomfortable discussion in Seattle about the state of the Seahawks’ offense and their growing reliance on opportunistic defense to stay alive.
“Those are the plays that change games,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said afterward. “We had momentum, the crowd was loud, and then boom — our offense couldn’t capitalize.”
That’s been the recurring theme for Seattle in recent weeks. The defense keeps creating chances. The offense, meanwhile, can’t seem to finish the job.
Head coach Pete Carroll tried to downplay the frustration postgame. “We had our opportunities,” he said. “The defense gave us short fields, and we didn’t take advantage. We’ll look at the film and clean it up.”
But behind the calm words was a deeper problem — rhythm. Quarterback Geno Smith, coming off two uneven performances, never looked fully comfortable. The offensive line struggled to contain pressure, and the run game sputtered outside of a few flashes from Kenneth Walker III. Each stalled drive drew more groans from the home crowd, especially after the Kupp interception had given Seattle a golden chance to strike.
Instead, three plays later, the Seahawks punted.
“Stuff like that hurts,” wide receiver DK Metcalf admitted. “You get a turnover, the energy’s up, and then we go three-and-out. That’s on all of us.”
For Rams fans, the moment was equally jarring. Cooper Kupp is the last player anyone expected to throw an interception — a Super Bowl MVP, one of the league’s most precise route runners, now suddenly the center of a failed gadget play. But for the Seahawks, the aftermath was even more revealing.
The trick play exposed not the Rams’ creativity, but the Seahawks’ offensive stagnation.
“It’s hard when you see your defense doing everything right,” said one NFC scout watching from the press box. “They’re creating turnovers, holding teams under 20 points, and the offense can’t cash in. That’s not sustainable.”
Social media lit up with criticism. Fans praised the defense’s grit while venting about offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s play-calling. “Same story, different week,” one fan posted on X (formerly Twitter). “The D bails us out, the O wastes it.”
To be fair, the Seahawks have faced adversity. Injuries along the offensive line have forced constant reshuffling. Rookie receivers are still learning the system. And Geno Smith’s timing with his targets has been off — a half-second hesitation that can turn completions into sacks or missed opportunities.
Still, frustration is mounting. After the game, Smith took accountability. “We’ve got to finish,” he said bluntly. “That’s on me. The defense gave us chances — we’ve got to put points on the board.”
The Kupp interception, oddly enough, became a mirror moment for Seattle — showing what innovation can look like when it backfires, and what stagnation feels like when it lingers. The Rams, for all their risk-taking, still managed to score late and control tempo. The Seahawks, meanwhile, played it safe and paid for it.
Analysts were quick to point out the contrast. “You can criticize McVay’s play call all you want,” said ESPN’s Mina Kimes on her postgame segment, “but at least the Rams are trying to dictate the game. Seattle looks like they’re reacting, not attacking.”
That reactive mindset is what worries longtime fans the most. The Seahawks built their identity on aggression — taking shots, forcing turnovers, playing fast. But lately, their offense has lacked that spark. Even the locker room vibe reflected it. Players were quiet, focused, maybe even frustrated.
“Everyone’s locked in,” Tyler Lockett said, choosing his words carefully. “We know what we’re capable of. We’ve just got to find that rhythm again.”
With a tough stretch ahead — including matchups against the 49ers and Chiefs — the pressure to fix things is growing. Carroll remains optimistic, pointing to resilience as a team trait. “We’ve been here before,” he said. “We’ll respond.”
But optimism only goes so far when the scoreboard keeps telling the same story.
As for the Kupp play, it will live on as a quirky highlight — a rare blemish on one of football’s most dependable stars. Yet for Seattle, the interception was less about Kupp’s arm and more about the mirror it held up to their offense: boldness fading, rhythm missing, urgency overdue.
The question now isn’t whether the Seahawks can recover — it’s whether they’ll take the risks necessary to spark life back into their attack.
Because in today’s NFL, playing not to lose might be the quickest way to fall behind.
