Fans of the Seattle Seahawks are becoming increasingly fickle over recent years. Winning no longer appears to be enough. Sad.

You know, chasing highs is a classic sign of addiction, and addiction needs to not be about sex, or drugs, or the bottle. For some, it’s simply about football, and in that, Seahawk football.

Many of these Seahawk high chasers seem to be expressing a deep dissatisfaction in the Seattle coaching staff, and much of that dissatisfaction seems to be directed towards the head coach. That’s a clear sign that maybe you need to make that phone call.

Never mind that this head coach has brought his team to the playoffs nine out of eleven seasons since taking over the franchise in 2010. Presently, that is not enough for many. Style points are now needed. If the $35 Million a year quarterback is not allowed to cook in every game like Patrick Mahomes is, then Pete Carroll is outdated. If a vastly improving defense gives up a long drive in the middle of the second half of the game, suddenly the defensive guru of a head coach is out to pasture.

You could feel this sentiment spill into Pete Carroll’s press conference when asked about his offense by a couple of the younger beat reporters. The questions were fairly loaded, essentially asking “were you happy with how your offense played?” and “how do you feel about your offense only managing 39 yards in the fourth quarter?”

To no surprise, Carroll defended his offense’s effort stating that against this particular club, this was exactly how they wanted to play against them. He wanted Russell Wilson to get the ball out quickly and not take sacks, and he wanted them to establish the run. Seattle’s offense did exactly that and managed 20 points against a defense that hasn’t given up a lot of points in over a month of football. It was enough to win, and Carroll was, in my opinion, understandably a bit chippy about the questioning, especially in a season when “Let Russ Cook” has been the constant chatter.

When I looked at this Washington Football Team as I put together my modest preview, I came to the conclusion that Seattle should win this game, and I predicted a final score of 23-16. Seattle won this match 20-15, and I can pat myself on the back because I wasn’t far off in my prediction. The final outcome of this game felt right to me.

WTF is a decent football team. They have a really good defense, like REALLY GOOD. They also have enough play-makers on offense that if you turn the ball over, they can strike at any time. I honestly believe that they are one franchise quarterback away from probably being a fairly dominant club, like if they can manage to pry Matt Ryan out of Atlanta next off-season, watch out.

So forgive me if I defend the style points or the lack thereof in this Seattle win over this club. I agree with the strategy of the coach. Seattle did what it needed to do to beat this club. They took what the defense was willing to concede, and they dinked and dunked, and ran to an important road victory. I honestly think that had they used this offensive approach against the Giants a couple weeks ago instead of arrogantly trying to air it out down field against unfavorable coverage, this team would handsomely be sitting at 11-3 right now and in even more command of the NFC West division than sitting at 10-4 and in narrow command.

Style points is fool’s gold in the NFL. I get that fans want Russ to cook, but I don’t believe that this roster is fully constructed to have a cooking Russ right now, and I will be more than happy to expand upon that in future pieces on this blog. For right now, however, I just want Seattle to win, and if that is without ideal style points against the occasional match-up, so be it.

Here are my notes about this game.

The Good

Pardon me for saying this, Carroll haters, but I dug the offensive game plan, and most of the execution. Seattle decided to test the linebackers and coverage with quick passes, and they decided to run straight at a highly aggressive defensive line that boasts five first round picks in its rotation. The result of the outcome is essentially that Seattle bullied the bully in this match, and they did it with a patched up offensive line. That was impressive, in my view. Up until the fourth quarter when Russell threw a pass that was tipped for an interception, Seattle’s offense largely controlled tempo and this game. No, it wasn’t always pretty. It featured check downs, and quick dump offs for small gains, but it mixed in well with a run game that controlled clock and lead to enough scoring drives to win. Bravo.

The defense continued to make positive strides and it made enough plays to seal this victory. Yes, there was that long ninety plus yard drive that it conceded in the second half. Yes, there were a couple times that they got burned by dialing up the blitz, but with that back to back to back sack effort in that final drive that stopped Washington, I will more than forgive all that. Watching rookie Alton Robinson bend past the right tackle for an explosive strip sack to then watch LJ Collier (who for the most part is an interior rusher) bend past the left tackle for a powerful sack, and then to watch Carlos Dunlap absolutely destroy the right tackle for another yet explosive sack was absolutely Madden-esque. Oh, what joy.

In terms of individual efforts, I thought KJ Wright had as dominant of a game as one could have at SAM ‘backer, and I thought DJ Reed was the star of the defense at right outside corner. I loved seeing the continued impactful effort of Poona Ford at defensive tackle, and the constant hustle of Jamal Adams at safety. I thought Chris Carson, and Carlos Hyde, and the entire offensive line were the stars on the offensive side, and I think Russ had another solid efficient game at quarterback. Jason Meyers and Michael Dickson were beasts in the kicking games.

Finally, the LA Rams lost to the Jets. Wow.

The Bad

Me seeking out the tweets from the couple reporters that were drilling Coach Carroll about the offense, and reading the comments that followed.

I am not active on Twitter, and at times whenever I snoop, I am reminded why. Twitter has become the road rage outlet on the internet, and I really shouldn’t read the comments.

Look, I get it that Carroll is not everyone’s flavor as a head coach. He is questionable at times with using timeouts, and he isn’t as inherently aggressive in some situations on offense as some want him to be. No, he isn’t Andy Reid, but let’s be real, the dude can coach, and he can coach up talent.

I saw mentioned on Seahawk Twitter an assertion that Seattle should be doing more with the talent that it has on the roster, but honestly, I question that level of talent. I don’t see great talent on the defensive line. I see the potential of talent starting to develop in Poona Ford, LJ Collier, and Alton Robinson. I don’t see an offensive line loaded with talent. I see a great left tackle and a young guard who looks like he might develop into an eventual pro bowler. I don’t see great depth at receiver behind DK and Tyler. I don’t see much in the way of anything dynamic at tight end. I see some good running backs.

I’m sorry, but I just don’t see all this great underused talent. On the contrary, I think Carroll is getting the most out of most of the players that he has, and I think were are seeing some talent emerge like DJ Reed and a few others.

I also think he is using Russ the best way to use him against really good defenses right now, and that is to put him in situations where Russ can be most efficient with the ball. The league has gotten the MO with his deep ball, and Seattle is finally adjusting to that. Bravo.

So my bad for seeking out comments on the Twitter handles of Seahawk beat reporters who might not be fans of the way Carroll is coaching this team. Maybe I need to adjust my game as a fan, and just ignore the noise a bit more.

I sure there was a contingent of fans that wanted Carroll gone after they won the Super Bowl against the Broncos because they didn’t like the way the offensive line pass blocked. Haters gonna hate.

The Ugly

That stupid targeting call against KJ Wright late in the fourth quarter. It was clear on replay that KJ was pulling up on the receiver and trying to avoid a helmet blow on a bang bang play. What exactly was he suppose to do? Let the receiver catch and run and allow Washington a game winning drive?

I get that player safety is critically important, but the league is sucking the fun out of playing defense, and for those of us that enjoy good defense, it is increasingly becomes a soul sucking experience to watch it unfold.

I have a suggestion for the league. Instead of constantly punishing the defenders on these levels of bang bang plays, how about throwing a flag on the quarterback to throwing a ball that would lead to this sort of collision? Maybe, just maybe that is a way to certify more player safety that is more evened out between offense and defense.

Oh, my bad. I forgot that the league is addicted to scoring and they want basketball with cleats and helmets instead of this thing called tackle football. Mea culpa. Mea culpa.

Moving Forward

Thanks to the NY Jets, the Seahawks can now clinch the NFC West with a win against the LA Rams next Sunday. That game is going to be HUGE, and it will be a special victory for Seattle should they take care of business.

The Rams are the team that gets under the skin of Seattle like no other team in football. A win against them, style points or no style points, will have layers of satisfaction for this here Twelve.

If Seattle stays with this current formula of mixing run with quick passes, I really like Seattle’s chances against them next week. I like it a lot.

An interesting thing to keep in mind is that Seattle will finally be getting Josh Gordon back in that match. In my opinion, that is likely going to be a huge benefit to Russell Wilson moving forward should Seattle need to win any shootouts.

One of the things that I’ve been sensing from Russell and the Seattle offense is that there hasn’t been much behind Tyler Lockett and DK in the passing game. Giving Russell a third option the defenses have to think about might be the thing that will satisfy the Let Russ Cook crowd a bit more.

We shall see.

Go Hawks.

The Washington Football Team has reached two major milestones in 2020. Firstly, they finally changed their gawd awful name, and secondly, they managed to hire a pretty darn good football coach to run things right, finally. The latter move is what should concern Seahawk fans most right now.

A Ron Rivera coached team should be something that most Seahawk fans will quickly recognize, as the Seahawks have played his former team, the Carolina Panthers, on a regular basis throughout the last decade. His mark as a head coach is also fairly similar to the one who coaches in Seattle. His teams generally play with an aggressive 4-3 scheme that features top end talent throughout the defensive line, and they play with a ball control offense that likes to mix power run with explosive passing.

If you like your American football to resemble a car accident, this will likely be the game for you. Both coaches want to play this game similarly. They like to hammer with the ball, and they want to hammer the quarterback. As the game progresses, they look for the explosive plays to break the dam open. Many of the matches between Pete Carroll’s team and Ron Rivera’s team have felt like grueling heavy weight matches throughout the years. I would expect this one to be no different.

This game will be a good test for both clubs as they battle for their respective divisions. The Washington Football Team has a top end defense, and an offense that has been finding it’s way through the savvy veteran quarterback play of Alex Smith (a remarkable story-line, coming back from a life threatening leg injury a few years ago). Contrasting to that, the Seahawks maintain one of the best offenses in the league, and they have an improving defense now that Jamal Adams has settled in with his mates.

This game might come down to which is greater, Seattle’s offense or Washington’s defense. It equally could come down to which is more improved, Seattle’s defense or Washington’s offense. It should be a great lab test in finding the results. It’s just likely to be a bit of a bloody mess throughout that process. So get ready for that.

Seahawks win this one by..

Not cowering on offense and playing too safe against a Washington defense that features five former first round picks on the defensive line. It’s understandable that Carroll will want his offense to play it a bit safe in this one, especially considering that their right tackle has been nursing a lower leg injury and depth behind him as been hobbled as well. Personally, I think that is a trap that they don’t want to retreat into. The teams that have played well against this defense maintaining a degree of aggression during their matches. The Cardinals, Rams, Browns, Ravens, and even the Lions all found success on the ground and through the air. The common denominator for each of these teams is having a quarterback capable of dynamic play. This is a game for Seattle to continue mixing it up offensively with Russell Wilson like they did against the Jets, Cardinals, Patriots, and 49ers. In those games, Seattle took whatever the defenses were giving with quick passes, run, and deep shots. They also varied tempo and used plenty of pre-snap motion. They didn’t allow aggressive defenses to dictate. They dictated to them.

Continuing the aggressive surge on defense. Alex Smith is a remarkable story. His comeback from a life threatening leg injury is a Disney movie in the making. It makes it easy to root for him, and his team. That said, Seattle has got to get after him and his sore calf, if he should play in this one. Ken Norton Junior needs to find balance between how to pressure Smith, and be varied with how he uses Jamal Adams as a pass rusher and cover safety. It appears that Seattle can find a pass rush with four now, especially when playing with Carlos Dunlap. It also appears like Norton Junior has settled on how to best use the talent his has on the defensive line. Snacks Harrison is really, really good against the run. LJ Collier is better as a pass rushing defensive tackle than an edge rusher. Poona Ford is just really good. If Seattle continues this positive trend with it’s defensive line rotation, it’s going to continue allowing the linebackers to make plays, and the DBs to play better. It all starts up front, and they need to be on it.

Seahawks lose this one by..

Playing in a manner, offensively, that doesn’t allow them to play with any rhythm or variation. False starts, fumbled snaps, unnecessary sacks by hanging onto the ball too long, holding calls, and forcing throws into unfavorable coverage have all plagued Seattle offensively in each of their four losses to the season. It’s kept them from staying on schedule and finding rhythm. Sometimes, you have to know when to throw the ball away instead of forcing a throw that isn’t really there. You should take whatever a defense is willing to concede, always. Seattle’s offense has too much talent for a defense to defend everything. It is up to Seattle to find what to exploit against Washington’s defense, and if they don’t, this could be a brutally long day for them.

Blowing assignments, and playing with poor fundamentals on defense. When this defense was playing at a historically bad pace earlier in the year, this was the formula for them. They were often confused in coverage, they were missing tackles in space, and their pass rushers weren’t able to win often one on one against their blocks. A lot has changed since then, but it is up to this defense to avoid regression against a Washington offense that statistically isn’t very good. Pass rush needs to effect the quarterback, linebackers need to tackle, and DBs need to cover. Simple as that.

Prediction

Seahawks will tough out a hard fought victory in this one, winning 23-16.

It will be a final score that will resemble many of the outcomes in matches that a Pete Carroll coached team played a Ron Rivera coached team. This game will also have a very similar feel to many of those games.

There will be times that Russell Wilson will be harassed into sacks and negative plays, and bad looking throws. Their will be moments where Chris Carson carrying up the middle will look like a heinous head on car collision. Seattle will endure this moments like a heavy weight does against a solid blow. It will be part of the process for setting up a worthy opponent for the haymaker coming later.

The important thing is for Russell and company to play smart and do the thing needed to stay more on schedule than not. I would be more nervous about this game if Seattle had somehow managed to sneak win against the New York Giants a couple weeks ago by still playing down to them. That result could lull them into thinking that if mistakes happen in this one, they will still find a way to pull it out of their buttocks somehow.

I’m embracing the belief that the embarrassing loss to the Giants is a blessing in disguise for the Seattle Seahawks. I’m going to wager that they will no longer take a lessor opponent lightly in this remaining portion of their schedule.

Even with a really good defense, Washington, on paper, is the lessor team. If Seattle plays with enough focus on both sides of the ball, they should win this one. I think they will.

It still might not be pretty, though. Don’t expect many style points.

Go Hawks.

Sometimes, in life, you need a good blowout. You need the release of all that bad stuff that you’ve been carrying around. Most often, it has a very positive and immediate carryover effect. This is especially true in the sport of American football.

So, I was quite happy to have sat in front of my television set to witness my beloved Seattle Seahawks finally have a good old fashioned blowout. They needed it, and frankly, so did all of us fans.

Now there, of course, will be those Seahawk skeptics out there saying “so what.. it was against the Jets.” While I get much of that, it is fair to note that these lowly Jets managed to put together a good enough game to nearly beat the playoff contending Las Vegas Raiders the week before (and would have had it not been for probably the worst defensive call imaginable at the end of the game). Last week, when the Seahawk offense was playing like garbage against the Giants, I was monitoring that game between the Jets and Raiders, and to be honest, the Jets were more than making me a little bit nervous.

So, in my opinion, this was a good blowout win. The Seattle Seahawks did what they needed to do against a team that was clearly an inferior opponent. They soundly beat them down offensively, and defensively. It was a complete beat down. Bravo.

Here are my notes.

The Good

Seattle’s overall offensive game plan, and execution was the star for me. Seattle’s offense was a perfect example of balance between the run and pass in this match. When Pete Carroll talks of the need for balance, this is what he means. It’s not about being a running team. It’s about mixing the run enough with the pass so that a defense cannot fully key off of either, and that frees Russell Wilson up to truly play efficient ball, and to make key plays throughout the game. In my opinion, this is how you want to let Russ cook, and one could make the easy argument that had they played with a similar offensive game plan against the Giants as they did in this one against the Jets, the Seahawks would comfortably be 10-3 right now instead of 9-4 and going into a tough stretch of games against Washington and the LA Rams (and maybe even the 49ers).

Russell Wilson was a big reason why Seattle lost last week against the Giants, and he was a huge reason why they beat down the Jets in this one. Outside of one badly forced throw towards the end zone that led to his twelfth interception (now most in a season for him), Russ was on point. He found the check downs when hurried, and he made numerous pin point passes both from the pocket and on the run. Getting Russell moving around a bit more and throwing on the run was a big benefit in this one. Last week against the Giants, he felt tied to the pocket, but in this one, he was moving. I’ve said this before many times, and am happy to say this again; Russell Wilson throwing on the run is one of the single most difficult things to defend in all of football. I hope Seattle finds more ways to do this heading down this final stretch of games.

One great way of finding the ability to have Russ throw on the run is to establish the run game, and Seattle did a great job staying committed to the run in this one. It was great to see both Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde have productive outings against a defense that statistically does its best work against the run. Yes there were a few negative plays, but just because that happens does not mean that you abandon it for the pass. Seattle stayed committed to hammering with Carson and Hyde enough for the dam to start breaking, and they ran often in the times when the box was most favorable to do so. That’s smarter football.

I loved the speed that this defense played with, and the general connection they seemed to have. Sam Darnold did not have the luxury of a comfortable pocket, and without their best pass rusher in Carlos Dunlap, Seattle’s defense often found pressure rushing with four. Credit some youngsters in this one. LJ Collier got good pressure rushing at defensive tackle (and a near explosive sack that Darnold somehow spun out of). Rookie Alton Robinson brought nice pressure rushing at end. Third year rush linebacker Shaquem Griffin made a splashy sack. And, of course, Jamal Adams notched yet another sack (8.5 for the season and a new league record for a safety). This was a solid defensive effort, overall, and it could have been a tremendous one had they not dropped three would be interceptions and had one blown coverage, but I will take it.

When the game was long decided in fourth quarter, it was great to see the reserves get time. It was nice to see what Geno Smith could do replacing Russell Wilson, and it was great to see some of the younger players buried in the depth charts. In particular, I thought Ben Burr-Kirven (BBK to Husky fans) looked flashy at WILL linebacker, and I thought rookie tight end Colby Parkinson looked really interesting catching a couple passes from Smith. Both are younger players that I have been particularly interested in as developmental players for Seattle with some possible starter potential down the road. BBK displayed some of the decisive play-making quickness he showed in college playing for Washington, and Parkinson showed nice hands and run after catch ability as a taller outlet receiver that Smith was clearly taking advantage of with a couple of tosses. Parkinson, in particular, could be one to watch for next year should Seattle continue down this whole Let Russ Cook road (expect that they will).

The Bad

For as good as Russ was going 21/27 for 206 yards and four TD passes and a pick, that pick was another really stupid interception. Russ had immediate pressure on him, he rolled out of it, but didn’t have enough time to properly set his feat and he lofted up a pass that the Jet safety had better position on the ball than DK Metcalf did. What made it worse for me is that it was yet another red zone interception that Russ threw. Simply, it was another throw that shouldn’t over happened, and I don’t like this trend.

Look, I love Russell Wilson, he has been my favorite Seahawk since his rookie year, and still is, but it absolutely is driving me nuts this year with the amount of times that he has forced bad throws into unfavorable coverage. I think it is most likely a direct effect of the Let Russ Cook volume passing, and this needy feeling he has developed to make hero throws out of it. He doesn’t need to do this, and I’m now thinking this might need to be the big off-season fix for him.

For as good as the defense played, it could have been way better had Jamal Adams, KJ Wright/Poona Ford, and Ugo Amadi been able to haul in easy interceptions. This defense should have had three picks, and the drops by Adams and Amadi both had pick-six written all over them. Had those pick-sixes happened, this blowout win would have likely been significantly greater. Ken Norton Junior might want to put his DBs and linebackers through some extra jugs drills this week.

The Ugly

The New York Football Jets.

Moving Forward

The Seattle Seahawks control their own destiny for the playoffs. If they win the next three games, that would earn them not only the NFC West title, but the top overall seed in the playoffs. They will have two very likely tough back to back matches playing in Washington DC and then playing home against the Rams, and they will be playing against a San Francisco team that will be chomping at the bit to play spoiler against them.

Let the chips now fall where they may. If Seattle should play any of these games like they did against the Giants, it will be very tough for them to win any of these matches, but if they should play like they did against the Jets, it is conceivable that they win out.

For Seattle to be anything this year that resembles a true championship contending team, they need to play against the Washington Team, the Rams, and the 49ers like they played against the Jets. They need to play with enough balance offensively to allow Russell to play to his best, and they need the defense to continue playing fast and connected ball. If they stay closer to this formula, I like their chances to still make this a special season, but they have got to do that.

Russell Wilson feeling like he needs to play hero ball is not what we want, and a defense not on the same page is not what can happen. Fortunately, I think Seattle can fully avoid both of these scenarios. They completely control their own destiny, and the formula to their success is clear.

Now, go out, and go that, Seattle Seahawks. Go take it. It’s there for you.

Go Hawks.

Last Sunday’s game against the Giants was abysmal. I can accept losses to the Rams, and the Bills when my quarterback isn’t at his best and the defense is playing bad. Losing to the Colt McCoy led Giants last Sunday was unacceptable.

The Giants played a good overall game, but make not a mistake about it, the Seattle Seahawks beat themselves. Starting corner Shaquill Griffin even admitted that they did not take the Giants seriously. That was evident by Russell Wilson and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer both stubbornly attacking a Giant defense with deep patterns weren’t there. The Giant defense did everything to take them away but Russ and Schotty kept going over them, anyways. That’s flat out stupid. That cannot happen again.

This game against these lowly 0-12 NY Jets must be a get right game for Seattle. Just winning against this team probably will not be enough as now Seattle has kinda needlessly put themselves in a dog fight for the NFC West division with the Rams. Seattle needs to soundly beat these Jets, and it all starts with Russell Wilson, and getting this offense right for the rest of the way through December.

Getting it right might just simply mean taking whatever the defense is willing to give up, and staying with that until they adjust, and then you adjust to something else they will concede. It’s a basic football 101 approach that somehow escaped Seattle’s $35 million quarterback and his offensive coordinator last Sunday. I cannot overstate the level of importance that this needs to not happen again this year. There is no reason for it to, and there can be no excuses for it should it happen again.

Seahawk win this game by..

Playing smart ball, offensively. This is not rocket science, and the Jet defense is not a difficult thing to figure out. It’s a bad unit. If the Jets are going to play coverage and rush with four, then you probably want to establish the run because they won’t be concerning themselves with Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde, and you probably want to draw up some sort of short passing attack. If they are going to be aggressive with the blitz, then you look to beat them the same way you did against the Cardinals a few weeks ago. Seattle has enough pieces on their offense to beat a team numerous ways. They can win by playing power run, they can win by playing quick passing, and they can win with the long ball. They just need to attack whatever the defense is conceding, and if they do this against the Jets, this game could be a cake walk.

Defensively, they just need to play assignment sound ball all four quarters. They did this for three quarters against the Giants, but that third quarter proved costly when they lost containment on a critical outside run play. This unit should be fired up to host the Jets. You know Jamal Adams will be, but others should be also. They just need to continue to improve and play connected ball together and in that, show no mercy against a bad Jet offense. This will be an important match up for them to further their improved efforts.

Seahawks lose by..

Playing stupid.

My Prediction

Seahawks get it right in this one, and they soundly beat the Jets, 34-17.

This will be a get right game for Russell Wilson and the offense as they look to take what the Jet defense gives them. I think we see at least four touchdowns scored in this one. We will likely feel more points could have been had, but I suspect that when the game is well at hand going into the fourth quarter, Pete Carroll is going to want to see an offense more willing to drain time than score more points.

Defensively, they will look to terrorize Sam Darnold. I see sacks happening, I see turnovers happening, I see Bobby Wagner and Jamal Adams happening, and ultimately, I see this side of the ball looking to take frustrations of last Sunday’s loss out in a fairly decisive way. The final score might not be a true indication how lopsided this match will be, as I expect the Jets to score most of their points in what will be garbage time.

Seahawks will get this one right. Bank on it.

Go Hawks

Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles on MNF, a thought started to occur in my mind midway through the fourth quarter when the Seattle Seahawk offense was trying to ice the game with runs that were being blown up. The thought in my mind is that these Seahawks are facing a growing identity crisis on offense. That thought was solidified for me during the dreadful outing against the Giants.

What are these Seattle Seahawks these days? Are they a finesse pass team that runs out of what the pass sets up? Are they back to a power run team that builds the pass out of the run?

The answer appears to be neither, and because of that, it feels like they are continuing to drift towards a team that is in the midst of an offensive identity crisis. That’s not a good thing heading into this final stretch of games where they are looking to win their division.

The other NFC West teams all appear to know what they are. The Rams and 49ers are running teams that use play action and are built to play stout defense. The Cardinals are a spread team that runs and passes out of that spread. In Seattle’s recent quest to find more balance on the offense, it honestly feels like they have found themselves caught in a no man’s land, and in this game against a really well coached NY Giant defense, it caught up to them.

It would be good for this offensive unit to huddle up this week for a team meeting to help them define who they are. They need to hang their hat on something, make defenses have to defend that, and then have solid counters in their back pocket. It has become now time for that to happen.

Off-season player acquisitions are not available and this team needs to adjust

I fully believe that general manager had a plan to acquire talent to help Russ cook. Let’s look through some of them.

During the earliest stages of the off-season, he signed veteran tight end Greg Olsen to help contribute to the pass game, and mentor the youngsters tight ends. He placed a second round tender on Jacob Hollister, who was the team’s third leading pass catcher, and he tripled down in the draft by selecting lengthy pass catching tight end Cody Parkinson (who some thought he had second round talent coming out of Stanford). It’s clear that Seattle wanted to find more receivers at tight end, especially with the way Will Dissly has faced serious injuries in back to back seasons.

In terms of wide receiver, they brought back David Moore, and signed speedster Phillip Dorsett to help take the top off of defenses (as well as add vital depth behind slot receiver Tyler Lockett). They remained interested in signing back Josh Gordon to add depth behind DK Metcalf and did. It’s clear that they were actively looking to surround Russell Wilson with as many pass catching options as possible.

Now, it’s fair to criticize these moves because Olsen, Dorsett and Jordan are all not available to the team. When something isn’t working, pointing fingers is the natural reaction, and it is fair to criticize Seattle for rolling the dice on players with injury and substance abuse histories, but honestly, I remain okay with Seattle’s decision to take a chance on these players. Where I have a problem is with what they are now doing without these men on the roster.

Is it smart to stretch defenses with a tight end that is more of an in-line blocker? Is it smart to not fully utilize backs that are both good runners and pass catchers? Hmm.. I don’t think so.

Seattle is not taking advantage of what they can do well

Even though Seattle is presently without Josh Gordon, and Greg Olsen, I think there is still enough ingredients on the offense to allow Russ to cook. They have backs that are all good pass catchers, they have decent pass catching tight ends, and they have DK and Tyler for goodness sake. They have talent. They just need to figure out how to allow Russ to cook better with what he has, and I think that is on Brian Schottenhiemer.

Against the Giants and the Rams, Schotty and Russ continued to chase after long developing pass plays rather than attack the defenses with the short pass game like they did early in the season against the Patriots. Weirdly, they started the game against the Giants with short passes that were working, but went away from them. Why?

It was clear throughout the game that the Giant defense was doing everything to take away the deep routes, that underneath patterns were being invited and so was the run, but inexplicably, Seattle chose to continue chasing deep patterns. That is not smart football. That is not using the best players on your offense in the best ways.

Take Will Dissly, for example. I like Dissly a lot for an offense built to be a down hill power running team that uses play action. I loved Dissly in the 2018-2019 Seattle offenses where he can chip on a defender coming in to play the run, and then sneak out in the open seams for a splashy caught. His comp for me is what Jason Witten was for years in Dallas and their power running offense. But if you are trying to be an up tempo offense, though, and you are often passing to set up the run, and you are dialing up deep routes to do that, Dissly doesn’t offer much straight line speed to stretch linebackers and safeties. At best, he is an outlet in the flat that can haul in a short gain. If Seattle would have went more run against the Giants, and used play action off of it, Dissly is a strong candidate to have had a big day. But Seattle did not do that.

If Pete Carroll is going to continue to demand balance throughout these final four games, I am fine with that. I even think that this can be the team’s offensive identity, and Russ can cook with that, but they got to do it smartly. They need to be varied. I think for Pete, being balanced nees to be about doing all things well enough that an offense can lean into whatever they need to depending on how a defense is playing them. Against the Giants, they should have ran more, and they should have continued more with short passes because that was what the defense was giving them.

As bad as things looked against the Giants, this season is not lost

This is where I am going to offer some optimism. As bad as things got against the Giants, with Russ making poor decisions, and Schotty being stubborn with some bad play calling, this season is not lost. Schotty can adjust. Russell can reset to play better ball.

Seattle does not have to continue down this path. Staring in front of them is a home game against the 0-12 Jets that they can use to get things right and reset themselves on offense. I believe Seattle will do this.

One undervalued thing about Russell Wilson is that he usually follows a poor outing with a much more sharper one. What I think needs to happen this week if for Russ, and Schotty, and the rest of the offense to sit down and have a solid accountability meeting. This needs to happen, and I am sure that it will. Too much is on the line for them now not to do that.

A decisive win against the Jets and a hard fought road win against the improving Washington Team the following week will put this team at 10-4 as they head into their home game against the Rams (who have had their own issues of ups and downs). That game against the Rams would suddenly feel like the game of the season to watch. That is everything you want in football.

As bad as things feel coming off this loss to the Giants, I fully believe that Seattle can rebound to make that a special late December game for the division. I am not giving up hope and I am looking for to it. Let the chips fall where they may.

2021 is the season they must truly let Russ cook

Finally, in terms of letting Russ cook, if Seattle wants to do this, they need to go all in on it in 2021. They need to be way more aggressive in player acquisition, player retention, and player development on both sides of the ball. They also need to be smarter with play calling on both sides.

This could mean some coaching changes if they don’t work out the kinks in the remaining 2020 games. This good also mean moving on from some high priced and or popular players if they do not fit the schemes needed to let this be a true Let Russ Cook team.

For example, if Seattle wants to be an aggressive up tempo offense that allows them to grab early leads, they need to build a defense that can really cause havoc when the opposing offense is trying to climb out of a hole. In doing that, Seattle probably can’t have its best pass rushing option be its starting strong safety. They are going to have to get twitchier and quicker on the defensive line. Run stuffing defensive tackles being asked to pass rush isn’t going to cut it. Relying on one quality Leo end is also not going to be enough. This defense will need an injection of speed on the front lines big time.

Letting Russ Cook needs to be a thing that this whole team is connected to, and in 2020 it hasn’t been that way nearly enough. But it can in 2021, and Seattle needs to aggressively figure it out. They need to be aggressive in bringing in more explosive weapons on the offense. They need to be aggressive in continuing to build back a top level pass rush. They need to be aggressive in being better at play calling.

2021 is going to be a huge off-season for general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll to figure these things out. Russell Wilson will not be content to go through a repeat season of the same sort of issues that have plagued them at times in 2020. These are his prime years to win a championship, and you don’t pay a player $35 million a year to game manage.

Again, I want to remind that despite their poor effort against the Giants, all is not lost for 2020. Seattle can still turn the corner and finish their season on a strong note. I think they can, but either way, they need to carry this through into 2021.

The Let Russ Cook Pandora box is wide open. Shutting it could have a devastating effect through out this organization. Russell Wilson is still your best player even if he hasn’t been lately playing his best. They need to see this thing through, and I think that they will.

It just might be a two year process for it to reach its peak. At least, that’s what I am thinking.

Go Hawks.

Well, this wasn’t the game I had envisioned all week, but if I were to pick any Seahawk game this season to define 2020 in a nutshell, I would nominate this one. I mean, could it get any weirder than Colt McCoy out dueling Russell Wilson?

I’m going to keep this piece short because, frankly, I can’t get the taste of puke out of my mouth, and I wanna go eat a quart of ice cream while binge watching Clone Wars to more fully understand the last few episodes of the Mandalorian.

Here are my suck suck sucky suck notes.

The Good

The defense continued to play with an inspired effort, most notably, the high octane effort by Jamal Adams, the steady play by the starting linebackers, and some timely plays by the starting corners and other safeties. It was hard to see the Giants break those big runs at the midway through the second half, but at least Seattle was able to adjust enough to give their offense a chance.

Special teams continued to be a positive factor.

The Bad

I don’t know where to begin with the issues on offense.

Russell Wilson wasn’t as sharp throughout the game as he needed to be, the offensive line didn’t block well enough, but I would argue that they weren’t helped, and I’m not fully sure what all the issues are, so I am just going to blame play calling. I hate blaming the play calls because it’s the easiest thing to do when things break down, but the following is where I am feeling a potential underlined issue is brewing.

I started to sense this last week against the Eagles on Monday night, and I feel like there has been a carry over effect into this one. What I sense is an identity crisis brewing on the offense. They have dialed back a lot of the up-tempo passing aggression that they played with in September in an effort to find more balance between the run and pass.

In that, it feels like Russell his often being more tentative with his throws instead of being decisive. Essentially, he’s playing to “not throw interceptions.” That would be fine if they are to be a committed running team (like the Giants are), and Russ is reverted back to a play action game manager, but they aren’t doing that. They still have the passing playbook open and it feels like they are chasing balance for the sake of it.

In this game against the Giants, it caught up to them. A great example of this is that they would find success with the run, and then get away from it instead sticking with it enough to build play action off of it. They would also get cute with stuff to the perimeter when running down hill and throwing vertical was working.

What is the Seahawk offense right now? Are they a finesse passing team? Or are they a power run? If they are not either, then what could they possibly be?

While it sucks that they lost to the Giants that were led by Colt McCoy, maybe this is what needs to happen right now. Maybe they need to lose to a lessor team that knows who and what they are (a team committed to running and playing smart defense).

Offensively, maybe Seattle should just commit to being really good at one thing, and then build off of that. They can either be a passing team that uses the run to keep defenses honest, or they should be a run team that builds it’s pass game off of that (like in years past).

Balance for the sake of balance feels like a trap that they are presently finding themselves in. In this match, with an offensive line that was dealing with injury, maybe they just should have committed to Chris Carson more in this one and at least let the reserve right tackles be aggressors.

Instead of sneaking out with another close victory, they lost to an inferior team, and maybe that is the bill that the players and coaches need to swallow to make the adjustments needed.

The Ugly

Cut away shots of Pete Carroll looking stressed and confused, and Russell Wilson spinning himself into sacks like he did often towards the end of 2017 when Seattle narrowly missed the playoffs, finishing with a 9-7 record. I don’t think this is how Seattle’s 2020 season is trending towards, but this game also doesn’t give me confidence that 12-4 and the NFC West division title is at hand either.

Moving forward

Fix the offense. The defense is trending enough positively that it would be a shame that the offense continues to slip.

For my money, if I had my choice, I would let Russ cook a bit more. Let that be the signature of the offense this year. If the defense is giving opportunities to run, go with it, but let Russ lose. Let him be the threat and build the run off of him.

But that is just me.

Go Hawks!

Don’t be surprised that you find yourself rubbing your eyes in some disbelief during the Seahawks vs Giants because your feeling like you just watched the same game on Monday night. The New York Giants have an offense that isn’t very good, and they have a defense that is playing pretty darn good ball.

Don’t stress out about this. Seattle has already played three other teams this year in 2020 that have that same imbalance, and Seattle has won all three, and two of them pretty comfortably in the 49ers and Eagles. The third one was early in the season against the Patriots when the Patriots looked like a team that could do damage and Seattle’s defense couldn’t find its pass rush nor could they do much else. A lot has changed since then.

As tough as this game might be fought with the Giants playing for the lowly NFC East division title, this is a game that Seattle should win, even if their starting quarterback Daniel Jones were to play in this one. Much has been made about these Giants and their three game winning schedule but those wins have come against Washington, the Eagles, and the Bengals, but all three of these teams had various struggling situations at quarterback. When they played the Steelers earlier in the year, they faced a quarterback closer to that of Russell Wilson, and they were beaten pretty soundly.

With the likelihood that Jones won’t be playing, and long time NFL backup Colt McCoy will, Seattle should win this one fairly comfortably if they continue playing with balance on offense that is smart balance like it was against San Francisco, Arizona, and through much of the game against the Eagles (until they got midway through the fourth quarter and they decided to shut Russell Wilson down and had Carlos Hyde running into a brick wall that was trying to stop the run). Smart balance in this one might likely mean passing a bit more to set up the run game.

Going back to that game against Pittsburgh, Big Ben was able to efficiently carve them up with a stat line that reads 21/32 passes, 229 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs. That is a vintage Russell Wilson stat line when Seattle plays with balance. Expect Seattle to continue down this offensive pathway that head coach Pete Carroll prefers. For Pete, balance is the way.

Seahawks win this game by..

Playing smart balanced football, and the operative word here is “smart.” New York general manager Dave Gettleman has done a good job building up an impressively stout defensive line for the Giants that features a rotation of massive and powerful men such as Leonard Williams, Dexter Lawrence, Dalvin Tomlinson, BJ Hill, and Austin Johnson. All of these guys are either first or second round picks and are quality starters in this league. If for some reason, in their quest for balance, Pete Carroll and Brian Schottenheimer were to elect to run the ball in tight offensive formations against this front, you will likely see these Giant defenders destroy Seattle’s running backs in the backfield, especially with these gigantic (pun intended) interior defenders. For Seattle to have smarter balance, they are probably going to want to design runs out of spread formations. Seattle’s best runs against the Eagles (who also have an imposing defensive line) came out of their three receiver sets that forced the Eagles into more nickel. Expect them to do the same against the Giants.

Seattle sets up the run more by passing. This will slightly please the Let Russ Cook crowd that is likely lamenting the fact Carroll is now preaching balance as much as he is. I expect Russ to put on a bit more of a show against these Giant defenders. The strength of the Giant defense is their ability to play the run. They aren’t as strong against the pass. This could be a game that Tyler Lockett gets back on track with more attention on DK Metcalf’s rising star. I have a sneaking suspicion that this could be a bit of a break out game for rookie Freddie Swain if David Moore is still gimpy in this one. The Giants have one quality corner and he is likely to draw DK. There is likely going to be opportunities there for whoever lines up for Seattle in the slot. I could see the tight ends also factoring in a bit more. Once the Giants start adjusting to the pass (should Russell find early success), this is where Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde could do damage. Pittsburgh’s big physical back Bennie Shell had a game against these Giants, grinding out 113 yards on 19 carries in their balanced attack. It would be wise for Seattle to study that game.

The defense continues to play connected football together. There is a decent possibility that Seattle will play this game without Carlos Dunlap. It a bit unnerving because it appears that Dunlap has been the key that has unlocked Seattle’s surging pass rush. Even if Dunlap should rest this one out, I expect Seattle’s defense to stay connected enough to handle this Giant offense, especially if the Giants are forced to go with McCoy under center. The strength of the Giant offense is their run game, and they haven’t been very a good red zone scoring team. The strength of Seattle’s defense remains their ability to defend the run, and they have been improving significantly lately against the pass and defending the red zone. The Giants are vulnerable enough with their offensive line that, even without Dunlap, Seattle could still find ample success with their pass rush.

Seahawks lose this by..

Somehow collapsing on defense. It’s hard for me to imagine that, even without Dunlap, this actually happens for Seattle. It feels like they are catching the Giants at the right time, especially if Jones can’t go at quarterback, and even if the Giants try to roll him out, he’s going to likely be hindered by that hamstring. That’s the dilemma that the Giants are facing. While a defensive collapse is unlikely for Seattle in this one, they don’t have tape on how McCoy will look in this Giant offense, they will have to go off of what he has done in the past (not much). If the Giant offense has any edge, it is in the unknown about how they would use McCoy. They will be surely looking for anyway to catch the Seattle defenders off guard. The trick play could factor in this one. Seattle must stay connected on defense and be ready for anything.

Seattle turns the ball over too much on offense and gives the Giants easy scoring positions. Like the chance of a defensive collapse, I have a hard time seeing Seattle turning over the ball much in this one (if at all), especially with how protective Russ has been throwing lately, and the balance that they have been playing with. Turnovers don’t have to come with interceptions, though. Fumbles can happen with receivers getting hit, running backs not being protective enough, and exchanges not being secure enough. For the Giants to win, they need to create turnovers in this one. Seattle must protect the ball and not let this happen. Seattle also has to play to the strengths of their best players, and offensively, that might mean not having Russ stay in the pocket and expect him to deliver quick hitting pass against a Giant defensive line that feature 6-5 300 pound plus players that will be looking to swat down passes from the short passer.

My Prediction

It will be a good day for Seattle Seahawk fans. The Seahawks win this one handily, 24-13, even if there won’t be tons of style points.

Even if Dunlap isn’t a go in this one, and Daniel Jones is for the Giants at quarterback, I see this game playing out pretty similarly like the game over a month ago against the 49ers. If Jones plays, he will probably play protectively with that hamstring like Jimmy Garoppolo did while he was nursing injury against the Seahawks. Seattle didn’t have Dunlap yet then, and they didn’t even have Jamal Adams in that game, yet they found ways to rattle Jimmy G and get him well out of his game. If Dunlap doesn’t go, the Giants still need to contend with a Seattle defense that has Adams.

I also expect Russell Wilson to play a similarly efficient game like he has done recently over the last couple games. It just might not always be pretty, especially if Seattle misses Brandon Shell at right tackle for a second straight game.

I expect the Giant defense will likely put up a pretty good fight in this one, and that might mean it takes a bit of time for Russ to get going. In that, however, I suspect Seattle will continue staying more balanced, and that will help keep the Giant defenders playing honest enough for Russell to make the right decisions, and his signature plays will come in time. He will check to the run when it is right to check to the run, he won’t force throws that aren’t there, he will find his open guys, and that will be enough for another efficient outing, and a Seattle Seahawk win.

This is how I see it, anyways.

Go Hawks!

Yesterday, I spent a long day doing yard work, and in doing that, I spent much of that time reflecting on the Seattle Seahawks, and how I think things are now trending for the team. I thought I would share these thoughts. I will break them down into two categories.

Things that I like about the Seahawks right now

The biggest thing is obviously how the defense has been playing over the last two and a half games. I say two and a half because I think that things started to settle down midway through that painful loss to the Rams a few weeks ago. With Carlos Dunlap, they are able to rush with four and young defensive linemen like Poona Ford and LJ Collier are now factoring in. The linebackers are playing faster, and more certain. Jamal Adams is being more varied as a passing linebacker and a coverage safety. Quietly, Tre Flowers is putting together good games at corner.

Perhaps the biggest thing with this defense is that they are playing more connected. It feels like they are building chemistry, and in this stretch of games against struggling offenses, this is a great time for them to take that chemistry further. I have warm fuzzy feelings about that.

Poona Ford is emerging as a really good defensive tackle. Anyone who has followed this little blog knows how much of a fan I am of Poona. I am now becoming a huge fan of his. Jarran Reed, Snacks Harrison are much bigger names at DT on this roster, but if I am to be honest, I think Poona is the best one on this team. He’s always been a play-maker against the run, but he is now a legitimate factor as a pass rusher. It would not surprise me if we see the sacks starting to pour in for him over the next few games, and going into the 2021 off-season, it feels like Seattle is going to have an interesting call to make about his future on the club. He will be a restricted free agent, so they can keep him with a second round tender, but because of Covid, the salary cap will be going down $20 million, and Seattle is already carrying an expensive DT on the roster in Jarran Reed. There is a chance that Poona’s play could make Reed expendable, espeically if the team wants to lock in Chris Carson, Shaquill Griffin, and Ethan Pocic.

Jamal Adams is the much needed heartbeat of this improving defense and it’s a lot of fun to watch. Adams has an infectious energy on and off the field. He willed the Seahawk defense to play better in the second half of the game against the Rams, and it has had a carry over effect. There is been a fair amount of criticism over what Seattle spent to get Adams, and in that, there has been a fair amount of scrutiny over his play by some beat writers and fans. Personally, I think those two first rounders and a third are looking to be worth it. Adams is special. He can play linebacker, safety, and corner and it is reasonable to expect that it will take time for him to settle into this new scheme and for Ken Norton Junior and Pete Carroll to fully igure out how to use him. It feels like they are turning that corner now. I love what Adams brings.

Jordyn Brooks is really fast at linebacker, and it feels like things are starting to turn the corner with him, as well. This is a big deal for this defense as they look to further improve down the stretch. I thought this game against the Eagles was his best one so far, and going against the Giants and Jets, I think we might start to see his game really take off. I’m excited to see this.

The offense is playing with more balance and that is going to help this team win down the stretch. I fully believe that if the offense would have played with more balance against the Bills and Rams, Seattle could have won those games. Balance does not mean run fifty percent of the time and pass fifty percent of the time. Balance means mixing in the run with the pass enough to keep defenses honest, and therefore allowing Russell Wilson to play efficient and smart football. It takes pressure off of him to make all the plays. Take those last six minutes during MNF when Seattle settled for run plays to drain clock, and toss them away. When Seattle was controlling that game, they were mixing run with pass. This is the way.

Finally, DK Metcalf is becoming Seattle’s force of nature on offense, and it is a lot of fun to watch. Enjoy this time, Seahawk fans, he is quite possibly becoming the biggest rising star in this league. That’s not hyperbole.

Things that I’m not fond of right now with this Seahawks

As fun as it has been watching this Seattle defense playing over the past couple games, there still exists some things that I don’t like and that is mainly things on their defensive line. I hate seeing defensive tackles dropping into coverage on zone blitzes. I fully believe in putting your players in the best spots to succeed. Watching Jarran Reed drop into coverage takes the ability to do what he is paid to do (pass rushing) away from him.

Speaking of Jarran Reed, I’ve been noticing that Ken Norton is having him play a fair amount these days at defensive end. Reed is a 6-3, 300 plus pound interior defensive linemen who is not fast nor especially athletic. His best game is inside. Every time I see him at end and Rasheem Green (a true end) at defensive tackle, it annoys me. I am not nearly as smart about football as Norton and will not pretend to be, but I would personally like to know why they are doing this. Looking from the outside, it feels like Seattle is getting too cute with their defensive line personnel.

Speaking further on the defensive line, it looks to me like LJ Collier’s potential is better at defensive tackle than the 5-tech defensive end spot he has been playing. Rasheem Green looks like a better 5-tech. Going down this final stretch of games, it is my hope that we see more of Green at end, and Seattle starts to allow Collier to become more of a pass rushing defensive tackle. Collier’s most recent splash plays seem to be coming from the interior. If for salary cap reasons, if the team decides it needs to move on from Jarran Reed, it would be nice if they have two young up and comers at defensive tackle in Poona and LJ. This is something that I am going to be watching for down the stretch. Do we start to see more of Green at DE, and more of Collier at DT? I kinda hope so. Let LJ cook at DT.

I find it a wee bit troubling that Seattle is not getting the tight ends involved. Heading into the season, this position group was thought to be a strength. It’s possible that the play at receiver is so dynamic now with DK and Tyler Lockett that Seattle is staying with the hot hands, but I would like to see Russ spread it around to Jacob Hollister and Will Dissly a bit more.

Speaking of receiver, I’m starting to get a bit concerned with the health of Tyler Lockett and especially David Moore. Neither looker particularly explosive against the Eagles. It would be nice if the league would make its decision on Josh Gordon, but Seattle can’t rely on that. If Tyler is hobbled, it would further be nice if they start scheming more to the tight ends, and it would be nice timing to have Freddie Swain step up more in these next couple games.

Final Thoughts

I’m not worried about this notion that Pete Carroll is maybe dialing down Russell Wilson. I think over these next couple games, we are going to see Russ cooking a bit more. I think the key will still be balancing his play with the hard running of Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde. For Seattle, I think this is the way.

Finally, I am saying this now, and it didn’t think this was possible a few weeks ago, but I now think it is possible that Seattle gets to twelve wins this season, or better. I think this team is trending up at the right time, and the schedule is favorable.

Enjoy this time, Twelves. This season can still be a pretty special one.

Go Hawks!

On Sunday, the Cardinals lost to the Patriots, and the Rams lost to the 49ers. It was a good day for Seahawk fans, as with those losses, Seattle slightly regained their lead in the NFC West. On Monday Night, the Seahawks beat the Eagles, and their lead in the division strengthened. I will gladly take that.

No, it was not a sexy outing by the Seahawk offense. Russell Wilson didn’t cook up sexy passing stats. In fact, he got hammered by a highly determined Eagle defensive front, and at more than a few times, it felt like it was going to be “one of those games.”

The truth of the matter is that Russell Wilson, again, quietly had another highly efficient game, making enough plays as needed to guide his team to a relatively easy victory. It wasn’t sexy, but sometimes sexy is overrated.

Right now, the Seattle Seahawks just need Russell Wilson to play efficient ball to win winnable games. They don’t likely need him to cook during this stretch of games against the Giants, Jets, and the Washington Team. It’s cool if he does, but it’s not likely needed, just as it wasn’t in this game against the Eagles, and the most recent game against the Cardinals, and in the game against the 49ers.

Sometimes, Efficient Russ is the best Russ. In the world of football, there are quarterbacks that you want to date, and then there are quarterbacks that you want to marry. For me, give me the efficiently productive quarterback every single time. This is why Russell Wilson has been my favorite quarterback for nearly a decade. When he plays like this, he’s the marrying type.

Here are my further thoughts about this game.

The Good

As expected, the Seattle defense continued playing better ball. They did what they needed to do against a struggling Eagle offense. They harassed Carlson Wentz into sacks and bad throws, they came up big on fourth downs, and they kept the Eagles from scoring a lot of points (the Eagles got to 17 points on a fluky garbage time interception). While it wasn’t a shutout many Seattle fans were probably hoping for, it as a solid all around effort.

Numerous defenders had big plays. Jamal Adams was obviously the big impact defender as Seattle’s do-it-all safety. Linebackers Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright and Jordyn Brooks were also highly active. Carlos Dunlap continued his disruptive efforts as Seattle’s main edge rusher. Defensive end Rasheem Green had a flashy early sack and was active as a pass rusher throughout. KJ Wright probably had the defensive play of the game that sealed Philly’s loss by batting a fourth and two pass down at mid field.

Of all defenders, I thought the defensive tackle duo of Jarran Reed and Poona Ford especially stood out both in pressuring Wentz and making splash plays against the run. Reed, in particular, played with a particular bad ass quality, and Ford continued showing that he is maybe Seattle’s most disruptive interior pass rusher. The emergence of pass rushing Poona Ford over the last month has been an overlooked thing by some, but not here. His break out play has been duly noted at 12th Life.

While Russell Wilson had a good overall game passing, DK Metcalf was the clear star of the offense, hauling in 10 passes for 177 yards. He owned Darius Slay in this game. It continues to be exciting watching his game evolve, especially knowing that he is just scratching the surface of his potential. He is now officially over one thousand yards receiving in the season and they have five games left to go. I can’t remember a Seahawk receiver getting to a thousand yards quicker than him. Make no mistake about it, this guy is going to be a superstar in the league for years to come. Bank on that.

It was really nice seeing Chris Carson back in this offense and running with authority. The Eagle defenders did a stellar job snuffing out the run late in the game when it was obvious that Pete Carroll just wanted to drain clock by running more than he wanted to score by passing, but when it was earlier in the game and the Eagles had to concern themselves with Russell’s arm, Carson was a beast. I fully believe that Seattle should extent him to a new contract. He is the perfect back to pair with Russell. This game kinda solidified it for me.

The Bad

As good as the Seahawk defense was, they kinda got caught napping a bit when Doug Pederson had Carson Wentz go up tempo with the offense. This is me nitpicking, but while they didn’t give up a bunch of points, you could feel some of the old leaks with the defense emerge again, and I found that unsettling during those stretches of ball.

Also, I wasn’t totally in love with Pete Carroll majorly dialing down the offense in the final minutes of the game, and taking the ball out of Russell’s hands by calling runs that the Eagle defenders were destroying. I would have preferred to have had Russ go for the throat a bit more. You know, get that touchdown to further put the Eagles away, instead of settling for the field goal. While I appreciate this more simmered down and efficient Russ, I don’t want to see the offense so dialed back that you aren’t fully trusting your MVP contending quarterback to put a team away when it seems clear that he is more than capable of doing that.

On the injury front, it appears that Carlos Dunlap hurt his foot late in the game. Fingers crossed that he doesn’t miss much time, if any at all. His addition on the defensive line has made everyone better.

The Ugly

It was a weird night for the zebras throwing the laundry on the field. The weirdest thing for me was calling Russ on an intentional grounding call in the red zone that could have been uncalled, and then not calling Wentz for grounding when it was clear that he tossed a ball out of bounds well behind the line of scrimmage.. which is grounding.. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Moving Forward

Fans didn’t get the big blowout victory that they were hoping for against this struggling Eagles team. The thing is though, and I hate to put it in this overly simplistic cliched way, but that is football.

The Eagles were playing for their division title. They were going to give it their all, and their defense certainly did that. That is why I felt that this game was perhaps going to be a trap.

Seattle did what it needed to do to avoid that trap. They didn’t turn the ball over, they played efficient at quarterback, they played with enough balance on offense, and they did what they needed to do, defensively. That’s winning football.

Sure, Seattle won a match that proved to be a tougher out than some would think. I predicted a 31-17 win in my preview, and I got the 17 right. That said, as tough as the Eagles played on defense, it is fair to be reminded that Seattle left several points on the field. DK Metcalf dropped a touchdown pass that he should have caught. Carlos Hyde had a nifty rushing touchdown called back by a silly hold from their backup right tackle. Seattle went for it twice in field goal range on fourth down and failed.

It’s very likely that this final score could have been closer 31-17 that I predicted than it ultimately was. This is why I am not concerned about the state of the offense. This is still a unit capable of scoring a lot of points against good defenses.

That said, get ready for Seattle to maybe gut out a few more tougher outings against struggling NFC East teams. The Giants and Washington Team, as bad as they are, are still very much in the hunt to win their lowly division, and Seattle will play both in the next three weeks. You can be certain that both clubs will be giving it their all, just as Philly did. While it is very probable that Seattle beats both clubs, it might not be in the prettiest of ways. Both teams have relatively tough defenses that can rush with four and that is what you want to do when playing against Russell Wilson.

I’m saying this now because I think we have gotten a bit too caught up in the Let Russ Cook thing. It is obvious that Pete would rather have Russ play efficient ball over airing it out all over the place. I personally think that is fine, especially when they play against teams that don’t have good offenses. Seattle can win this way. They have proven that two weeks in a row against teams playing for their division titles. Be efficient, be smart, and be balanced.

For Pete Carroll, I think this is the way.

Go Hawks.

If the 2020 Seattle Seahawks want to be considered true Super Bowl contenders, they must soundly beat these 2020 Philadelphia Eagles this Monday Night. They have to.

The Eagles are a struggling team, to put it very nicely. Their expensive quarterback is playing his worst football, but he hasn’t been helped by the fact that he is stuck behind a bad offensive line, and he has very little receiver help outside of his two tight ends and a couple nifty running backs. Teams know how to defend him more easily these days, as he hasn’t been able to handle pressure situations much at all this year.

As bad as bad as they have been offensively, they actually have a fairly competent defense, and that is the main reason why they are in second place in the horrid NFC East Division (a division of professional football that appears to be historically bad). They have a defensive front that can still get after a quarterback, and that is probably the team’s saving grace.

The good news for Seattle when facing this defense is that they are getting Chris Carson back to further aid the run game. For as good as the Eagle front is at getting pressure, the Eagle defense has not been great stopping the run this year. This is a solid match up for Seattle to further lean into their run game to aid Russell Wilson’s abilities to pass off of play action (which might be his best traits as a passer). A healthy mix of Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde mixed with a quick passing attack by Russ should be enough to guide Seattle past a desperate Eagle team that will be giving it their all in this match up.

But make no mistake about it, if Seattle plays sloppy on offense, and if they revert back to blown assignments on defense, this is a game that they can lose. The Eagles are likely to be playing desperate ball. A win against Seattle will put them back in first place in their division. A win against Seattle will prove that Ferndale kid turned Super Bowl winning NFL head coach Doug Pederson can finally beat his beloved Seattle Seahawks (something that he has yet to do as a head coach despite the amount of times these two clubs have played each other). There is a lot riding on this game for this team.

Seattle must smell that trap, and they must match the Eagles with equal if not more determination to put them away, as they are fighting tooth and claw themselves for their own divisional crown (the NFC West being best division in football). If Seattle does this, it is highly likely that they win this game, and probably even win it relatively handsomely.

Seahawks win this game by..

Establishing a run game that forces the Eagle defenders to honor it, and that allows Russell Wilson to continue the efficient quarterback play he enjoyed against the Cardinals over a week ago. This is probably the biggest key to the game, and it is something that Seattle should be able to do. It hurts them a bit that they will be playing without their starting right tackle, but the best way to help his backup out is for them to be run blocking a fair amount. Also helping him out is Russell getting the ball out quickly like he did against the Cardinal defenders. This could be a big game Tyler Lockett to catch quick hitters if the Eagles are looking to take DK Metcalf away. This could also be a game where we see tight ends and running back catch more. If Seattle hangs onto an early lead going into the second half, we could see more signature deep balls off of play action as the game wears on.

The Seattle Seahawk defense picks up where it left off against a talented Cardinal offense, and they continue playing sounder football together. This is honestly wear my expectations are the highest in this match up. Seattle is now finding their pass rush with Carlos Dunlap, and the Eagle offensive line is horrifically bad. Seattle should be able to pass rush with four, and send extra pressure at different points to further rattle and confuse a struggling Carson Wentz. With Shaquill Griffin returning at left corner, and the Eagle receivers not being very good, it will likely be up to the linebackers and safeties playing against tight ends and running backs well. Guess what? The sharpest teeth of the Seattle Seahawk defense are middle linebacker Bobby Wagner and strong safety Jamal Adams. If these two play well, this could be a night where Seattle’s defense dominates.

Seahawks lose this game by..

Reverting back to turning the ball over on offense, and the defense reverting back to poor fundamentals and lack of assignment sound ball. This is how Seattle loses games in 2020. If the defense gives up easy yards and points, and Russell Wilson turns the ball over in the passing game, it makes winning considerably more difficult.

At this point of the season, there is no excuses for this to happen. The Seahawk defenders should know what their responsibilities are, and they should execute them. Russell Wilson should know not to chase plays that aren’t clearly there, and he should know to be patient with the opportunities that the game with present for him.

Against a bad ball club, they should just be able to play smart, and that should be enough to win. They are a significantly more talented club than the Eagles. If Seattle loses this game, it won’t be for lack of talent. It will be for lack of brains. Seahawks must play smart and in that, play together.

My Prediction

The Eagles are going to give this one a fight, but the Seahawks have too much going on for them offensively, and their defense is looking to come together at the right time. Seahawks win this one, 31-17.

The Eagles defense is going to look at get after Russell Wilson, and with Cedric Ogbuehi starting at right attack, expect the Eagles to put Brandon Graham on that side to bring heat on Russ. Graham is a really good pass rusher. So Seattle might try to win this one playing things a wee bit closer to the vest, offensively, just like they did against the Cardinals. Look for them to try to control clock, establish the run, and set up play action for Russ not be a sitting duck in the pocket against Graham and Fletcher Cox.

This could be a really big game for Chris Carson both as a runner and a pass catcher. On way to neutralize the pass rush is to get the ball on to the running backs in space.

Defensively, this is where I am leaning towards Seattle really cooking. They know that Wentz is struggling and I think they are going to play in this one like hungry tiger sharks smelling blood in the water. Both tackle spots on the Philadelphia offensive line are in complete disarray. Carlos Dunlap could easily have another big night. Benson Mayowa, and Alton Robinson could also have a night. Expect Seattle to occasionally send Jamal Adams and Bobby Wagner for good measure. Defensive tackles Poona Ford and Jarran Reed could also get home on Wentz in this one.

If Seattle wants to be more than a playoff level team this year, if they want to win their division, and be a true Super Bowl contender, well then, this is a prime time game of football to show the whole wide world what they can really be in 2020. I think they are looking forward to doing just that.

Go Hawks.