The Los Angeles Rams dropped their sixth consecutive game with a 27-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13. The matchup was notable in that Bobby Wagner faced his former team for the first time.
The eight-time Pro Bowler was suddenly released by the Seahawks this past March, allowing him to sign a five-year, $50 million contract with the Rams.
While Wagner was excited to play for his hometown team, he felt hurt by the Seahawks’ decision to let him go. The veteran linebacker wanted to prove them wrong and had Sunday’s game circled on his calendar for a long time.
Wagner revealed he was able to contain his emotions leading up to the matchup and let them out on the field against the Seahawks, per Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I’m a master at controlling my emotions,” Wagner said postgame. “I know I can control my emotions very well, so I controlled them during the week and let them out during the game.”
With several of the Rams’ playmakers out due to injury, Wagner felt a responsibility to step up even more than he usually does:
“I just felt like we had a lot of guys out, we had a lot of playmakers out on (defense), so I wanted to try to provide a spark for the team and help us find a win,” Wagner said.
Wagner finished the game with seven total tackles (three for loss), two sacks, two quarterback hits, his first interception of the season and one pass breakup. Through 12 games, the 32-year-old has compiled 97 tackles, five sacks and four passes defended.
