Seahawks can find comfort in knowing they're not as bad as the Rams

ST. LOUIS — So the Seahawks haven't hit rock bottom.

They can still smack around the St. Louis Rams.

Until that gimme vanishes, they'll always have hope, or at least a self-esteem booster. The Rams are the NFL's version of a college guarantee game, a cupcake, and when you're struggling like the Seahawks have been the past two years, nothing is sweeter than knowing there's an elixir on the schedule.

Seattle has been on the decline since its 2005 Super Bowl season, but St. Louis apparently hasn't heard that. On Sunday, the Seahawks swept the Rams for the fifth straight season with a 27-17 victory at a half empty (or half full?) Edward Jones Dome.

That's 10 in a row for the Seahawks over the team they once had to conquer to join the NFL's elite. They won Sunday despite being outgained by nearly 100 yards and having their passing game sputter. They also snapped a six-game road losing streak, and naturally, their last road win came against the Rams.

The Seahawks have won only eight times over the past two seasons. Half of them have come against St. Louis.

And to think that, before the game, the public-address announcer exclaimed to a morose crowd, "Let's get ready for Rams football!"

The reaction seemed to be, "Um, do we have to?"

It was a competitive game, just not a good one. This contest told us nothing definitive about the Seahawks other than they're better than a hapless team that has won just six games over the past three years.

"Well, it wasn't pretty, but we accomplished our objective," Seahawks coach Jim Mora said. "Nobody is going to call it beautiful except for the ones that are in that locker room and got a win on the road."

There were plenty of positives. You just don't know if they'll translate to progress.

Running back Justin Forsett had the best game of his young NFL career with 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns. It's his second 100-yard performance in the past three games, and likewise, the Seahawks' entire maligned rushing attack has been good twice in the past three outings. Then again, sandwiched in between those good performances was that franchise-worst 4-yard rushing effort against Minnesota. Progress or St. Louis? Eh, call back later.

The defense had a nice afternoon, too. The Seahawks gave up 364 yards, but their maligned (what about this team hasn't been maligned?) pass rush contributed four sacks and kept consistent pressure on quarterback Kyle Boller. In addition, safety Jordan Babineaux intercepted a pass in the end zone, and just before halftime, cornerback Josh Wilson made the biggest play of the day when he returned a pick 65 yards for a touchdown. That play constituted at least a 10-point momentum swing because the Rams were in field-goal range.

Good defense. Strong running game. Those are the characteristics of a football team that can win on the road. So maybe the Seahawks experienced a breakthrough Sunday. Or maybe they just beat the Rams again.

"It's a good feeling," defensive end Darryl Tapp said. "We show flashes. We really show flashes. I didn't look at it from the standpoint of we got a monkey off our backs winning on the road or anything. I looked at it like we needed a win."

Mora was also careful not to make too much of this victory. He praised first year Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo for what he's done to change the team's losing culture and declared that the 1-10 Rams are getting better, but Mora tempered any excitement about his team. The Seahawks still have a hideous 4-7 record, and they're amid the most edible stretch of their season. Their five remaining games: San Francisco, at Houston, Tampa Bay, at Green Bay, Tennessee. There are no dominant opponents left, although a few of these games are deceptively difficult. Still, this is the Seahawks' chance to make something of a season that was lost early.

If they don't capitalize, well, at least they're not at the bottom. At least they're still stepping on St. Louis. For now.

"It is different," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. "Those of us that have been here a while remember coming to this stadium when it was AstroTurf, when it was The Greatest Show on Turf, when it was Grant Wistrom, Leonard Little, the defense that they had. They were very, very tough to beat. Going back to '04 even, we were a pretty good team, and we lost to them three times that year. They were the team we needed to beat. We spent the whole offseason getting ready for them.

"It's obviously a little different now, but that's just how the NFL goes."

You never want to be the awful team that used to be good. It's another lesson as the falling Seahawks attempt a soft landing.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer