SEATTLE -- Teammates insisted last week quarterback Russell Wilson's demeanor never wavered, even after one of the worst performances of his career four days ago in Green Bay.
On Thursday night, in a 24-3 win by the Seattle Seahawks over the Los Angeles Rams, Wilson once again showed that he's capable of bouncing back.
He completed 19 of 26 passes for 229 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 122.1.
"I thought it was a nice bounce-back game for Russ," Pete Carroll said. "He came back and had a really good night."
The Seahawks have struggled to find offensive consistency. Last week in a 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers, they turned the ball over six times and scored one offensive touchdown. In a Week 12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle produced one field goal.
And in six of the team's first 13 games, the offense managed one or zero touchdowns.
Wilson's biggest weapon against the Rams was Tyler Lockett. The second-year wide receiver got the start in place of Jermaine Kearse and caught 7 of 8 targets for 130 yards and a touchdown.
"I just wanted to see more," Carroll said of the decision to start Lockett. "He's been so good, and we just wanted to see more of him to see if he could continue to create impact, and he certainly did. So it's a good decision."
A win against the Rams is not going to erase concerns down the stretch. But with the victory, the Seahawks clinched the NFC West, and if they can pick up one game on the Detroit Lions, they can still earn a bye in the first round.
It's tough to know what to make of Carroll's squad. The defense bounced back against an overmatched opponent and will not get to face the likes of Jared Goff & Co. in the postseason.
The run game never got going vs. the Rams as Thomas Rawls carried the ball 21 times for 49 yards (2.3 yards per carry). And the offensive line remains the biggest question mark.
The Seahawks close out the season with games against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers -- two teams with a combined record of 6-19-1. If Seattle takes care of business, it will finish with an 11-4-1 record.
"It's a big deal to be NFC West champs," Wilson said. "It's not easy to do. ...It's something that really matters and something that we cherish, to be able to win enough and to be able to do what we're doing."
While the results are obviously important, the key for the Seahawks going down the stretch will be to find consistency on offense. That means Wilson stringing together a few good games in a row.
With Lockett, Doug Baldwin, Jimmy Graham and Rawls, the pieces are in place for the Seahawks to present problems to opposing defenses. They just have to find a way to put it all together going into the postseason.
"The good part about it is that here we have a couple more games left, and we can continue to work at it and see if we can really develop some momentum and some better play and already know that you're going," Carroll said. "I'm anxious to see how we do that."