Bobby Wagner already checked one box when he faced his former team, the Seahawks, for the first time in his career in Week 13. He’ll check another on Sunday when he returns to Seattle where he spent the first 10 years of his career.
He’s looking forward to facing the Seahawks in Seattle this weekend, closing out the 2022 season – his first with the Rams. And if he plays the way he did against Seattle five weeks ago, he and the Rams will have at least a fighting chance to pull off the upset on the road.
Wagner sure wouldn’t mind that, especially knowing that if the Rams win, the Seahawks will be eliminated from playoff contention.
“It’s a lot of emotions, man, to be honest, but like I said last time I played them, I’m a master of my emotions,” Wagner said of the chance to play spoiler. “But it’s going into a stadium I’ve been thousands of times, played hundreds of times, and to be in a position to spoil their playoff hopes is always a good position, something worth playing for. It will be fun to go back there, be back in front of those fans that I spend so much time (around) and it should be a fun game.”
Wagner played with a ton of fire and passion against the Seahawks last month, and it translated to one of the better games of his career. He had two sacks in a game for the first time in his career, adding an interception, seven total tackles and three tackles for a loss.
You could tell the game meant a little something extra, and it’s probably because he was facing a team that he felt gave up on him when he was released in the offseason. Not to mention, he was facing several former teammates, so he knew how to get under their skin throughout the game.
“Again, I think there was a reason for that and I think it’s different,” he said when asked about his passion in the Week 13 game. “I’m pretty sure you played your family before in basketball, golf or whatever. When you play your friend or like that person you met over there, y’all playing, y’all might talk a little trash, it is what it is, but when you’re playing your family member that knows your deepest, darkest secrets and knows exactly what to say to you to make you feel a certain type of way and also you’re playing the organization that you feel gave up on you, so it was warranted to be honest. And then again, I’m playing against people I know how to push their buttons too, so I know exactly what to say to them to make them mad and I did that.”
Wagner wasn’t happy with the way his time in Seattle ended, and understandably so. He wasn’t given any warning before his release, getting blindsided by the decision. Now with a chance to end the Seahawks’ season before the playoffs, he hopes to capitalize on it and end 2022 on a high note.
