Carroll leaves with a loss in return to L.A.

Sep 21, 2017 - 7:48 PM LOS ANGELES -- For Pete Carroll, the return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum wasn't a happy occasion.

The usually bubbly Seahawks coach, who restored the University of Southern California into a powerhouse during his nine seasons at the school, watched the Los Angeles Rams keep Seattle in check in a 9-3 victory on Sunday at the Coliseum, where the Trojans also play their home games.

It was Carroll's first game at the venue since he left USC and headed to Seattle in January 2010.

"I thought the defense played really well again and held them down for the most part, but (the Rams) did make some plays and enough to get the field goals," Carroll said. "On the other side of the ball, I never could have thought we could go the first couple of weeks and score but one touchdown. I'm just surprised at that. We're better than that."

Carroll also wasn't pleased with the officiating. One questionable call occurred early in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Russell Wilson hit wide receiver Jermaine Kearse for a 13-yard gain in front of the Seattle bench. However, Kearse was called for offensive pass interference for pushing off on Troy Hill. The Los Angeles cornerback, though, appeared to slip.

"I just thought the official was in a difficult position to call what he called," Carroll said. "But I'm going to gripe about calls all the time. That was just one of them."

The Seahawks were penalized 10 times for 114 yards compared to nine infractions for 78 yards for the Rams.

--Running back Todd Gurley, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards in his rookie campaign with the Rams last season, struggled to make much of an impact again against Seattle.

Gurley rushed for 51 yards on 19 carries (2.7 yards) on Sunday. His longest run was 11 yards as Seattle frequently loaded the box. He also had a reception for 19 yards.

In a 28-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers last Monday, Gurley gained 47 yards on 17 carries.

"We just have to get him some more touches," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "He ran well when he had the ball. Again, it's the same thing we've been talking about: If we convert more third downs, we get more opportunities. He'll be fine. He'll just be fresh at the end of the season."

--Fisher was pleased with the play of quarterback Case Keenum, who had a poor outing against the 49ers. Keenum completed 18 of 30 passes for 239 yards with no interceptions or touchdowns against Seattle.

"Well, he bounced back. He had a good week, came back and made plays," Fisher said. "That's a tough defense to attack and throw against."