The only thing missing from Bobby Wagner’s revenge game was a win

Bobby Wagner treated Sunday like “just another game,” but he turned it into one of the best performances of his career

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”WThltrAEtb-2403041-7498″]

Bobby Wagner said last week that he was treating Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, his former team of 10 seasons, like “just another game.” He was initially upset about the way the Seahawks cut him without notice, but he moved on from it and set his focus on helping the Rams.

“It’s just another game. It’s just a game coming up played in our stadium against a team that’s pretty good,” he said last week.

Despite what he said about moving on, he seemed to play with some extra fire Sunday, reminding the Seahawks what they had in the middle of their defense. It was almost the perfect revenge game for the future Hall of Famer, doing everything but securing a win for the Rams as they fell to Seattle, 27-23.

His stat line was unlike any other he’s had in his decorated career. It was the first time he’s ever recorded two sacks and an interception in the same game. It’s just the third time he’s had a multi-sack game, with the previous two instances coming in 2016 and 2020. His three tackles for a loss also tied a career-high, with his two QB hits being the fourth-most he’s had in a game.

Wagner’s interception was especially impressive, somehow ripping it away from the receiver as they went to the ground.

Wagner has been great all season, but he saved his best for the Seahawks. And while he’ll downplay what it meant to him, there’s no hiding the passion he felt for this revenge game against a team he spent a decade with.

Just look at the way he fired up the defense on the sideline when the game was close in the second half. That’s the look of a guy who really wanted to beat the team on the other side of the field.

Wagner would’ve loved to come away with a win, beating the Seahawks in his first game against them. But as disappointing as the loss was, it was a game he’ll probably never forget.

It will even go down as one of the better individual performances by a Rams defender in the last 30 years.

He’s just the fourth Rams player to finish with two sacks and an interception in the same game, joining D’Marco Farr, Kevin Greene and Grant Wistrom.

Only two other players this season have accomplished that feat this season, too: Justin Houston in Week 9 and Jerry Hughes in Week 1. And dating back to last season, Wagner is the sixth with two sacks and an interception in one game.

It wasn’t a game for the ages, but given the circumstances with Wagner facing his former team, it was a terrific performance in a game with a lot of meaning.