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.

There are much bigger names on the Seattle Seahawk defense than Poona Ford. Jamal Adams, Bobby Wagner, and Damon Snacks Harrison have all been All-Pro players in the NFL. Carlos Dunlap, Shaquill Griffin, and KJ Wright have been pro-bowlers. Quandre Diggs, and Jarran Reed are more or less fringe pro-bowl talents.

So, if you look at the title of this ditty, and chuckle, I won’t blame you. I get it.

On the surface, it can be a challenge to take a player such as Poona Ford seriously. For one thing, the very name “Poona” isn’t likely to strike fear into the hearts of opponents and fans (certainly not like a Karl, or a Lawrence, or say, a Cortez would). It can also be a challenge to take seriously a player that went un-drafted by all 32 teams in the league a few years ago (even though he was a highly productive defensive tackle for the University of Texas).

Perhaps the biggest reason to be skeptical of a player named Poona is the fact that he stands at the very average human height of 5-11, and frankly, very few defensive tackles that have been sub 6-0 have had much success in this league. Seeing Poona Ford on the field and standing next to a KJ Wright, or a Carlos Dunlap can look a bit silly to the eyes. He’s quite short for a position that is supposed to take on multiple interior blockers and cause havoc in the backfield. The thing is, though, that is exactly what Poona Ford does.

Quietly, the Seattle Seahawks have been using Poona Ford more on passing downs in their attempts to generate more pressure over the past month, as they have been moving him around their defensive line to take advantage of certain situations. So, far so good with that.

Perhaps no longer to be considered just a run stuffing nose tackle, over the past month, Poona Ford has climbed towards the top of the list of NFL interior pass rushers in terms of generating quarterback pressure, according Pro Football Focus. In fact, he has climbed just been behind LA Ram star Aaron Donald, who just so happens to be another undersized defense tackle, and yet arguably the best defensive player in the league.

Now, I am not writing this piece to try to convince you that Poona is suddenly going to become the next Aaron Donald for years to come. What I am suggesting, though, is that Poona is probably Seattle’s best version of Donald, and we should probably expect to see more of him as part of their pass rush moving forward.

Like Donald, he is a short defensive tackle who is blessed with unusually long arms. This physical makeup, mixed with quickness and strength, allows Poona to win the leverage battle against blockers and to shake past them to make plays in the backfield. Since coming out of Texas, he has always shown the ability to make the splash play against the run behind the line of scrimmage. Now in his third year, he is showing a knack for getting into the backfield to effect the quarterback.

Against the Cardinals last Thursday night, Poona jumped off of the television screen getting instant pressure on Kyler Murray. He was credited with five quarterback pressures in that game, and mixing him along with veteran edge rusher Carlos Dunlap, Murray did not have the kind of game that he was likely envisioning. This was a dramatic difference between how this defense decided to play Murray from the last time they played a month ago, and Poona played his part.

Over the last couple games against quality offenses, it feels like Seattle is figuring out its defense in 2020, finally. It feels like they are figuring out how to best utilize the talents that they have, and some young cream is starting to rise to the top, such as Poona Ford.

This is a good thing.

Here are some of my further thoughts on Seattle fixing their defense moving through the rest of their 2020 season.

Ken Norton Junior deserves credit for stepping up at defensive coordinator

While we are only two games removed from the abysmal dumpster fire performance against the Buffalo Bills in which Seattle’s defense surrendered the most points ever in a game in the Pete Carroll era, I am breathing a bit easier about how the Seattle defenders have recently played against the Rams and Cardinals. I think a lot of credit should go to the very person many fans (including myself) have been wanting fired, and that is defensive coordinator Ken Norton Junior.

Seattle’s game against the Rams a couple weeks ago started rough as they quickly surrendered 17 points and well over 200 yards, but something happened in that game that started giving me hope. As the game went on, they started to effect Jared Goff and they started to get him off his game.

Poona Ford and Jamal Adams especially had inspired efforts in that effort to settle down the defense. Seattle could have won that game if not for their super star quarterback Russell Wilson having his worst game of the season. It was a frustrating loss because of Wilson, but it oddly gave me fresh hope because of this slightly under-looked defensive effort.

Against the Cardinals, when Russell Wilson played his more usual smarter game (also aided by a solid run game), and the Seahawk defense dished up a good overall game against perhaps the most explosive offense in the league. The defense played fast and decisive. Most importantly, though, they look varied between how they rushed and how they covered. They looked like, dare I say it, a competent NFL defense.

Credit Ken Norton Junior for finally settling this mess of a defense down. According to Pete Carroll, it was Norton who sat the defenders down earlier in the week and asked each player what their responsibilities were for each scheme. This was his attempt to get all his players on the same page and to hold accountable in front of their teammates. The results against the explosive Cardinal offense was impressive.

With a softer looking schedule approaching, there is now hope that Norton can further hone these defenders in, and get them playing better as a team. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but I, for one, have hope where a couple weeks ago I had zilch. I credit Ken Norton Junior for that.

Younger players are starting to emerge out of defense.

Poona Ford isn’t the only youngster that has been stepping up for the defense. There have been others and this probably gives me the best hope for this defense moving forward.

DJ Reed has been playing steady ball stepping in for injured left corner Shaquill Griffin, and listening to Pete Carroll’s praise over the youngster, Reed appears to have earned a role on this defense even with the return of Griffin. Even though he is much shorter than what Carroll prefers at outside corner, he has shown an ability to hold up outside, and I suspect that he is going to bring serious competition at nickel corner that has been held by Ugo Amadi (another young player that has been looking splashy). Suddenly, Seattle looks impressively deep at nickel corner, and that could give them more flexibility against passing teams.

Another player that looks like he is stepping up is second year defensive lineman LJ Collier, and this is a good thing. As a run stuffing defensive end, Collier is not the flashiest of players, but has has shown to be stout enough against the run. Where Collier looks to maybe be gaining some traction is as an interior pass rusher, and this is interesting.

Recently against the Cardinals, Collier was credited for a sack early in the game, but outside of the game ending sack by Carlos Dunlap on fourth and ten, I thought he had the play of the game much later on by badly beating JR Sweezy with an interior rush move that drew a holding call in the Cardinal end zone, which led to a key safety. That play was a huge turning point in the game, and his explosive swim move made it happen. There is reason to think that with Poona Ford and Jarran Reed, Collier can give Seattle a nice interior pass rush moving through these final six games. This is what Collier was drafted to be; a run stuffing defensive end who converts inside as a pass rushing defensive tackle on passing downs, a la Michael Bennett.

Rookie first rounder Jordyn Brooks is playing fast at WILL linebacker, and that is allowing Seattle’s defense to play much faster, which is a really good thing. He is making his presence felt against the run, and in the second half of the losing effort against the Rams, he laid a hit on an LA receiver that was very Kam Chancellor-esque. I’m excited to see what happens when the game slows down for him, when he is into the offensive playbook more like his linebacker mates KJ Wright and Bobby Wagner. This is perhaps the area where Seattle’s defense can really take off.

Finally, you might want to rub your eyes after reading this, but much maligned right corner Tre Flowers has quietly been playing fairly decent ball over the last month in place of injured Quinton Dunbar. Yes, he will still give up some cushion on shorter routes, and yes, he did miss a tackle against the Cardinals, but he also helped to hold star receiver DeAndre Hopkins to 50 yards, and he deserves credit for that. Flowers is not a flashy player, but he is playing outside corner the way Pete Carroll wants them to play. He is being physical enough, and he is no longer getting beat for big gains. He’s going his job.

Bringing Back the NASCAR Pass Rush Package, Finally (Hopefully)

This is probably the area of the defense that will excite fans most if we start to see more of this. With the addition of Carlos Dunlap and the emergence of youngsters such as Poona, there is now some reason to hope that we now start seeing some resurrection of the NASCAR pass rush Seattle once had when they were Super Bowl teams back in the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

During those Super Bowl years, the Seahawks rushed with four on passing downs by putting their fastest defensive linemen on the field in a rotation. Those rotations generally consisted of Michael Bennett inside with Clinton McDonald/Jordan Hill, and Cliff Avril on the edge and book ended by Chris Clemons/Bruce Irvin.

Seattle was able to win with rushing four by being faster than the players that were blocking them, and that cracked the code for their defense to truly be great. Yes, the Legion of Boom secondary was a huge determining factor, but their NASCAR pass rush completed the defensive circle for them. That should never be overlooked.

Seattle hasn’t been able to do that for a few years now, and especially wasn’t able to do that last year because they didn’t have a true Leo rush end, even with Jadeveon Clowney. Seattle hasn’t been able to do this through 2020.. until they traded for Carlos Dunlap.

Dunlap gives them a solid veteran pass rusher who can truly be the focal Leo. Benson Mayowa and rookie Alton Robinson probably have just enough abilities to mix in on the other side opposite of Dunlap, and it sounds like they might be finally getting rookie edge rusher Darrell Taylor available for the last final set of games (a player that Carroll is high on and who the team traded up for in the most recent draft).

A couple relatively “big ifs” here, but if Dunlap stays healthy, and if they do get Taylor active, Seattle could suddenly look much deeper with their edge rush than they have in some time. Dunlap is the glue that holds this hope together, and it is vital that he stays healthy for Seattle.

Rushing from the inside, it suddenly feels like Seattle has several options. There is Jarran Reed who is a proven every-down defensive tackle, and there is, of course, the emergence of Poona Ford. There is also the upsides of LJ Collier and Rasheem Green moving inside from their five technique end positions. To be honest, Poona, LJ, and Green are all much quicker athletes than Jarran Reed is, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we start to see possibly some transition away from Reed to these quicker athletes inside (at least when the defense is in more obvious passing downs). This is something to watch for moving forward.

It is possible that Seattle’s best NASCAR package could be something like Dunlap/Collier/Ford/Taylor down the final stretch. If this happens, this could become a massive win for Seattle in 2020, and even a bigger win beyond, as they will have cheap club control on Ford for one more season, and they will have Collier and Taylor playing on cheap rookie contracts for several. This is how you ideally want to build your roster. I’m excited about that potential.

Finally, running the ball fixes everything

This is the sub heading that might have some from the Let Russ Cook movement raise their defenses a bit, but their is no reason for the pass happy folk to feel threatened. Russell Wilson plays at his best when defenses has to think about the run as much as they have to think about the pass.

And further more, in very general football terms, if a team can consistently run the ball well, it tends to play better defensively. In 2020, it is true for the Los Angeles Rams, and the New Orleans Saints, both teams that mix explosive offenses that feature the run with stronger defenses, and are also coincidentally in very solid playoff contention.

One reason for Seattle to return back to a more balanced offensive by mixing in the run more with Russell Wilson’s arm talent is not just to take more pressure off of Wilson, but to also give Seattle’s defense more breathers. This doesn’t mean that they now have to run more than they pass, and I don’t expect Seattle to now do that, but I do expect them to mix it in more.

Running the ball helps to control clock, and in that, it helps keep defenders more fresh to defend. If you can control clock with a lead in the second half of games, you force the opposition’s offense to have to throw more to climb back into the game. This is how the offense connects with the defense, and that is how you get your defense successfully playing with a NASCAR pass rush.

In the games remaining on Seattle’s schedule, the Jets, Eagles, and Washington Team all look like teams that have struggled to stop the run. All this adds up to reasons why Seattle should get back to their offensive DNA a bit more.

This is a great time to get Chris Carson back, and maybe perhaps Rashaad Penny to mix in with Carlos Hyde. This is what the schedule is setting for.

Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing more of that power run game. I’m sure that there is more than a Seahawk defender looking forward to it, as well.

Will this defense improve enough for the 2020 Seattle Seahawks to have an extra special season?

I don’t know. Possibly. I mean, through these last couple games, I like a lot of things that I see.

A lot will hinge on Dunlap staying healthy, young players like Poona and DJ Reed continuing step up, and Jamal Adams to continue settling into this club and Seattle using Adams in ways that become less predictable. There is reason to believe that as Adams understands Bobby Wagner better, and Quandre Diggs better, they will become more connected on the field. If that happens, yes, I think that this defense can turn itself around enough for 2020 to become an extra special year for the Seahawks.

Will it happen?

I think it might!

Go Hawks.

In my preview leading to this game, I felt confidence that the Seattle Seahawks were going to right their ship, and beat the Arizona Cardinals. I predicted a final score of 38-31.

I can put a feather in my cap that I got the winning team right, and I can put another feather in it for getting the final point differential correct. Where I obviously got things wrong was in my feelings that Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray would both be cooking a bit more.

On paper, looking at this final score, if one were to not have watched the game, one would likely not think anything odd about it. On paper it looks like the Seattle Seahawks beat Arizona by a touchdown difference; Seahawks scored four, and Arizona scored three. Simple as that.

Well, the story-line to how Seattle reached 28 points was a bit more unconventional. They scored three touchdowns and missed an extra point, which mathematically leads to twenty points, but they also scored two field goals which would bump the score up to twenty six.

How they achieved those two extra points might actually have been the play of the game if not for Carlos Dunlap busting through blockers at the end of Arizona’s final drive and sacking Kyler Murray on fourth and ten. A couple series before that, Seattle had backed up Arizona a yard away from their own end zone when Jamal Adams forced Murray into an intentional grounding call. The next play, Arizona chose to pass and defensive lineman LJ Collier got an interior rush that drew a holding call in the end zone that gave Seattle an automatic safety which lead to the two points needed for Seattle to ultimately reach twenty eight after Jason Meyers connected on the ensuing field goal.

That interior rush by Collier was instrumental to Seattle finishing this game with the final score that they fought for and earned. No doubt that this was a rather weird unconventional way to get to twenty eight points, but this is exactly the type of play you want to see from a player that was taken at the bottom of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. If not for the Dunlap sack at the end, this would be my play of the game.

This was a weird game in few other ways, as well, as both clubs deserve credit for fighting through their adversities. Seattle was forced to start rookie guard Damien Lewis at center due to injuries at the position, and at times, it looked like a rookie right guard was playing center. For Arizona, they were forced to play without their entire starting defensive and it showed with their inability to ultimately stop the run.

It’s often a weird game whenever both these teams play, and this one was no exception. Perhaps the weirdest thing about it for me was the amount of illegal procedure and false start calls against both offenses in a crowd-less Covid era stadium.

But hey, who am I to complain when Seattle ultimately wins it 28-21 in a weird path to get there? I will gladly take it.

Here are some further thoughts.

The Good

This game should be remembered in the 2020 Seattle Seahawk season as a return to Pete Carroll football, and thank the maker for that. For over the past month, I have been craving this sort of ball like nobody’s business. This game was won off of stingy defense, effective running, efficient quarterback play, and solid special teams. This is the sort of overall team effort that fits Pete Carroll’s model for winning football in that all three phases of the game complete each other. Make no mistake, this game was a return to this organization’s DNA over the last decade. They were physical in ways that were sorely missed in the whole Let Russ Cook thing, and most importantly, they did not turn the ball over. I am ready to see more of this going through these final games of the season.

Bravo to Ken Norton Junior for calling a solid defensive game. Seattle’s defensive coordinator has been feeling the heat immensely over the last few weeks. There has been growing outcries from fans on social media and on sports radio for Pete Carroll to fire him (even though it is highly unlikely Carroll would do so in mid season). Quietly, Norton had his defense play well enough in a losing effort in the second half of the game last week against the Rams. In this game, Norton had his much maligned defenders playing well all throughout. He did a good job mixing pressures with coverage against a Cardinal offense that wasn’t missing much weapons. Norton deserves a lot of praise for this one. There is some reason to think that this defense could be turning the corner now.

You know who I have really been missing over the past month? Efficient Russell Wilson. It was really nice to see him return for this game. This offense was severely undermanned at center, and the Arizona defense was primed to take advantage of any Seattle attempt to let Russ cook. Instead, Seattle dialed up just enough of a steady run game for Russell to do what he does best, and that is to work off of the run with efficient passing that spreads the ball around. While his passing yardage wasn’t Peyton Manning-esque, he completed 23 of 28 passes for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also ran for 42 yards on ten carries. That’s high level efficiency at the quarterback position, and honestly, this is what Russell Wilson does best when he is at his best. This was a great bounce back game for him.

How happy are you now that Seattle has a healthy Carlos Hyde to help run the rock? Great game for the veteran runner, and a much needed one at that.

The player of the game for me is the other Carlos, though. Carlos Dunlap provided Seattle the ability to rush Kyler Murray with four players in this game (something that they didn’t have in the first game against Arizona), and in the final play for the defense, he beat his blockers when Seattle rushed with only three and played coverage. This was a massively positive effort and a huge boost for the defense. The trade for Dunlap looks like another genius move by GM John Schneider more and more with each passing game.

The Bad

Penalties hurt Seattle’s ability to more comfortably win against the Cardinals, and they were plagued by penalties on both sides of the ball. A Damien Lewis hold negated a deep completion to DK Metcalf who beat Patrick Peterson in coverage and it cost Seattle a scoring opportunity. Safety Quandre Diggs drew a roughness call against DeAndre Hopkins on third and long when Kyler Murray threw an inaccurate pass that Hopkins couldn’t haul in, and that penalty kept Arizona’s drive alive for a would be touchdown.

For as inspired of an effort on both sides of the ball, there was still too much slop. Going down the stretch run of the season, I would love for Seattle to start cleaning more things up, and just play cleaner games. There is a favorable schedule lining up now for them to do this, so there is little excuse for not to further right their ship. They could have smoother sailed in this one, and they didn’t.

The Ugly

For me, the ugliness that I noticed didn’t actually come out of this game, but rather the ugly that came out of some fans this week. Fair warning, I’m going to do a bit of shaming and schooling here.

I have heard way too much chatter this week about firing coaches. Even worse, I have read from a well established blogger who has long followed this club that Jody Allen should fire Pete Carroll, as he is now running this team into the ground.

For goodness sake? Really?

Seattle drops two road games in a row against two pretty good clubs, and now it is all about how the game has caught up and passed Pete Carroll. Well, Seattle just beat a pretty good Arizona club playing Pete Carroll football.

A word of advice to those who follow the Seattle Seahawks and occasionally listen to the national broadcast of Colin Cowherd. Stop listening to his blowhard takes.

Colin Cowherd lives inside Russell Wilson’s jockstrap. He lives there, he eats there, he showers and goes to sleep inside there. They are also friends who share the same entertainment agency. Cowherd is so pro-Russell Wilson that he has the uncontrollable compulsion to over-credit Russell Wilson for everything that Seattle does to win a game, and then over-blame the organization for everything whenever they loose. For Colin Cowherd, the sun shines out of Russell’s butt every single day, and at ridiculous levels.

So, just gonna say this now. Whenever Seattle loses an odd game or two in a season, don’t tune into Cowherd.

With all empty calories in an conviction that he can muster during a segment, he will exhaust all breath talking about how Pete Carroll has lost his way, how Seattle hasn’t drafted well in recent years, how they aren’t doing enough to support their star quarterback. He is the ultimate Russell Wilson apologist whenever he plays poorly, which usually happens for a game or two each season (news flash; Russell Wilson is human and shit happens).

This week, he went on this predictable sort ramble in regards to the Rams game in which Russell played badly when the defense actually had a fairly decent game. He somehow shifted all blame onto the organization to take it off of his buddy. It was as stupid of an example of broad stroked babble as you will ever find. It was bullshit.

Don’t get caught up into the Cowherd bullshit.

Pete Carroll is a good football coach. Pete Carroll is a hall of fame level good football coach, and John Schneider is a good general manager. Russell Wilson is a good quarterback, Pete Carroll is a good coach, and John Schneider is a good GM. They are all good, and we has Seattle Seahawk fans should be so lucky as to have them all here.

If you are calling for John Schneider and Pete Carroll to be fired, you are free to do so. I am also free to not take you seriously as a fan, or take you seriously as someone who writes on the internet following this club.

So maybe let’s just stop with the histrionics and enjoy that fact that we get to experience winning football annually each Fall. It is something that most fans throughout the league don’t get to enjoy as much.

Maybe they get to the Super Bowl this year. Maybe they don’t. We shall see, but Pete Carroll isn’t going anywhere, so I wouldn’t waste your breath on it. Let Cowherd do that for you.

Moving Forward

Seahawks get to enjoy a much needed ten day breather as they prepare for their final stretch run towards the playoffs and a possible NFC West division crown. It will be much needed to further improve the defense and to get key starters back on the offense.

Ah, what joy a win brings in that.

With this win, Seattle now sits on top their division at 7-3 with a seemingly softer schedule than the Rams, Cardinals, and 49ers. When after the loss against the Rams, it felt like 10-6 was maybe the ceiling for this club, now it feels possible that 12-4 (or better) could well be in reach.

Seattle was wise in this game to go back to Pete Carroll football against the Cardinals. It was a good way to beat that club that was looking vulnerable against the run. As much as it has been fun to watch Russ cook at various stages this season, I think this mentality (to be more balanced) will better serve this club moving forward.

Running the football should not be taken as any criticism against Russell Wilson as a passer. Being able to run the ball should be seem has making him more efficient as a passer, and it should be seen as being helpful for the defense to stay fresher. They need to run the ball more.

Running the ball completes the circle of Pete Carroll football, and with Chris Carson coming back, and possibly Rashaad Penny finally coming back, I would expect more of this effort. It’s going to help this club get back to the playoffs again, and it’s going to help them to perhaps finally win back this competitive NFC West division.

And it will make Russell Wilson even better at quarterback. I’m looking forward to that.

Go Hawks.