Poo Poo.

I could end this whole review of this game by simple leaving it all right there. Instead, allow me to offers some notes and thoughts.

The Good

After having another predictable rough start to the game, Seattle’s maligned defense actually put together a decent effort against a more rested Ram offense, largely due to the inspired play of safety Jamal Adams. He did everything that he could to will this team to a win. He was sticky against the run, and he harassed Ram QB Jared Goff into sacks and turnovers and bad throws. He did this while playing on a bad shoulder. For the first time this season, Jamal Adams truly impressed me and made me see why this team traded so much to get him. It was an inspiring effort.

Defensive tackle Poona Ford and nickel corner Ugo Amadi also played inspired and made plays. Each game, when these two youngsters are on the field, they almost always do something splashy. With Ford, it’s often dropping a running back for a loss or forcing a fumble, and lately he has been making his presence felt as an interior rusher, and in this game he finally gathered a much deserved sack. With Amadi, it’s often using his ability to close in fast on receivers and ball carriers like a missile, and in this game he had a gorgeous tackle for loss on a screen play doing just that. There has been a lot wrong with Seattle’s defense this season, but these two young players have not been part of the negative issues.

Rookie linebacker Jordyn Brooks also made his presence felt on the defense. It feels like he might be starting to turn the corner as a starter and this is a good thing for the defense.

It was nice to see Alex Collins back in a Seattle uniform and looking effective running the ball.

Jason Meyers hit a 61 yard field goal and set a franchise record, and that was AWESOME.

The Bad

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

Most of us know that quote from Spider-Man when a young Peter Parker is being guided by his Uncle Ben as to how to properly move forward with his new found superpowers. This applies to Russell Wilson, especially if he wants to continue to cook.

I will be blunt about my ultimate assessment of this game. Russell Wilson lost this game for Seattle. Sorry Let Russ Cook crowd, but you can’t hide from this truth.

He turned the ball over three times in a game that had critical meaning for winning the NFC West. He threw as stupid of an interception as I have ever seen him throw when he decided to heave the ball twenty yards down field to the corner of the end zone to tight end Will Dissly when he had two defensive backs in his area, instead of tucking the ball and running for what might have been a twenty yard touchdown score because there was no defender in front of him. That is bad football. In fact, that is really, really bad football.

I’m not going to get much into the other pick where he decided to thread the needle to another tight end covered against a corner, and I won’t bother with the fumbled snap because it was a bad snap from center (but Russ needed to still secure it). I’m just going to say that in two games, Russ has turned the ball over seven times, and that is unacceptable.

Last week, you could lay blame on the defense and maybe some play-calling, but not in this game against the Rams. The defense turned around and played inspired enough for Seattle to win this one, and Brian Schottenheimer drew up some inspired plays. No, this was all on Russ.

If Russell Wilson wants to continue to cook through 2020, he has to get back to playing much, much sharper for Seattle to have any chance of winning their highly competitive division. He has to do it starting this Thursday night against a talented Arizona Cardinal team that already beat them a few weeks ago.

He needs to make better decisions, and he needs to go back to making an effort to protect the ball. Cooking does not mean dishing up interceptions when chasing passing yardage and passing touchdowns while in an MVP hunt. At this juncture, cooking means taking what defenses are giving him, and in this case against the Rams, that Ram defense offered miles of green grass to scamper towards an end zone when they chose to blanket that end zone with coverage.

In three of the last four games, Russell Wilson has not being playing MVP worthy ball. He has been playing either mediocre to bad ball, and I sense that head coach Pete Carroll is getting tired of it. Good. He should. Turning the ball over like this on offense completely cuts against every grain of what he preaches as a head coach.

If Russ want to cook, if he wants the key to the car, then he has to show that he can drive it better. No excuses. No blaming the defense. No blaming play calling. He has to play better because that is what a true MVP candidate would do.

The good news is that I firmly believe that he can, and that he will. But he needs to do it now.

The Ugly

See everything that I just wrote above in The Bad section. Russell Wilson lost this game for Seattle. Period. End of story.

Moving Forward

Play better football, Russ.

You wanted to cook. You wanted the keys to the family car from Dad. Okay, well then, you need to drive it better. You need to show that you are responsible enough to make the right decisions behind the wheel.

In the last two weeks, you have been driving recklessly, and if you continue to do that against this Thursday against the Cardinals, I think Dad is going to take those keys away, and the whole Let Russell Cook thing will be toast for the rest of 2020.

Dad is all about protecting the ball. You, above everyone else on the team, should know this.

In all honestly, this is what you’ve been best known for in this league. It’s not been the flashy scrambling, and all the wow plays with your arm. It’s been your smart decisions coupled with your physical talents. It’s been your efficiency as a passer. That is what has always set you apart.

For the last month, we have not see nearly enough of that. Your play has become something closer to that of Jay Cutler than anything Aaron Rodgers, and that is not you.

So, get back to being you. This team needs that more than anything else if 2020 is to be anything special. It’s all on you.

Play better.

Go Hawks.