Russell’s heroic effort that fell short (Getty Images)

Before the 2019 season, I predicted that the Seattle Seahawks would return to the playoffs. Looking at the schedule, I saw the potential for about eleven wins, if things landed right, and a chance to go further in the playoffs than they did in 2018. Well, this isn’t the ending that we all wanted as Twelves, but it really did play out the way it felt it would (at least the way I felt it would).

Seattle limped into Green Bay without two starters on their offensive line, their top three running backs, their starting tight end, their number three receiver, a starting linebacker, and a couple key defensive linemen. Simply put, they were an undermanned team playing on the road against a more rested and healthier team. Yet, it’s impressive that they rallied being down 21-3 in the first half to make it a 28-23 finish.With Russell Wilson as their quarterback, you also knew that they would do this. This has been what they do all season long.

I know the impulse to blame coaches and players during a tough loss, I will share some thoughts on that, but I would much rather recognize the impressive fight Seattle showed in an incredibly tough place to win on the road, especially in January during the playoffs. With five minutes left to go in the game, the 2019 Seattle Seahawks made a stadium full of Packer fans clench their seats. This was not the embarrassing loss that the number one seeded Raven team in the AFC was dealt the day before. Nah, this was a loss I could much more easily take as a fan, and like most of Seattle’s games this year, this one came down to the wire, and I am proud of them for that. They put it all out there on the field in this one.

Let’s break it down.

The Good

Russell Wilson was nearly the hero of the game. Under constant duress in the first half, he found his rhythm in the second half both as a runner and a passer. Considering the duress he was under and the lack of a run game that the offense was able to establish with their backs, he might have played his best game of the year getting this team to rally. This was a performance that was deserving of a victory, but alas, he fell short.

Tyler Lockett had a huge game catching the ball, and DK Metcalf and Jacob Hollister also made their share of plays.

Rookie running back Travis Homer had a terrific side line catch and run on an improvised play with Russell Wilson. I’m excited about his potential as a third down back next year.

Marshawn Lynch scored twice on inspired rushing plays near the goal line. I hope this wasn’t the last game we see of Marshawn in a Seattle uniform.

Safety Bradley McDougald had a sensational game against the run and pass, and was an inspired leader on the defense.

Jadeveon Clowney was a game wrecker at times against the run and pass, getting tackle for losses, presssures, and a sack.

Shaquem Griffin got a key third down sack against Aaron Rodgers that gave Seattle a chance to win it in the end.

On a general note, there was great fight with this team, especially defensively. They were determined to not make it easy on the Packers, and while they gave up big plays, they also hit and tackled hard as the game wore on. They didn’t wilt, and the Green Bay players will be feeling it heading into their match against the 49ers.

The Bad

I’m not going to spend a lot of time ripping on this team. They were undermanned on both sides of the ball heading into this match. They needed to play a perfect game against Aaron Rodgers and a rested Packer team, and they struggled often at times.

There were multiple passes dropped that needed to be caught to extend drives. There were coverages that needed to be tighter. There were pressures that needed to happen faster. There were tackles that needed to be made. There was also a number of really young players on the field that were thrust into challenging situations. It’s tough to win against the Packers in Green Bay when things like this happen.

I also think that there were times that the players weren’t put in great positions to do what they do best, and that falls into the hands of the coaches. Why was Jadeveon Clowney playing pass coverage when he got that weird face mask call instead of rushing the pass when he is clearly the team’s best pass rusher? Why was KJ Wright hugging the A Gap of the offensive line on third and long only to drop into coverage, instead of being off ball on third down ready of Jimmy Graham’s crossing pattern? Why was Ugo Amadi on Devante Adams on third and long instead of Shaquill Griffin? Why was Russell Wilson taking deep shots so early against this defense before they even established the run to make play action more effective? I wasn’t super thrilled about seeing any of these things, honestly, but I’m not a coach, and they know significantly more about football that I do.

The Ugly

I hate blaming a loss on the officials. It’s just such a loser thing to do. However, allow me to list the things that appeared at least slightly questionable in all things officiating.

On the very first play of the game, Poona Ford was blatantly held in front of Aaron Rodgers for all to see, and there was no call. WTF?

Aaron Jones appeared potentially short on the one yard line as it was called a touchdown, but it was ruled there wasn’t enough to overturn.

Kevin King hit Tyler Lockett in the head with his helmet and wasn’t called for a personal foul.

Jimmy Graham appeared to be short on the third down conversation that iced the game for the Packers, and yet again, they decided there wasn’t enough to overturn.

I’m not going to say that the refs threw this game for Seattle, but they certainly weren’t doing much to help. The no call hold on Poona Ford was really egregious.

I will also say that if I hear another Green Bay Packer fan complain about the Fail Mary play in Seattle from back in 2012, I will find where they live, and I will leave a poop on their doorstep. I don’t know who’s poop I will leave, the size, or the texture, but when they step out in the morning, there will be a poop waiting for them with a sign that reads “this is for you, Green Bay Pooper fan. Go Hawks.”

Moving Forward

I’m excited about this Seahawk team in 2020, and I am damn proud of the way they battled through 2019. They built off of their 2018 campaign and improved in many ways, and they were largely a fun team to watch. There is a decent young nucleus of talent forming on this roster with Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner leading the way.

With the new additions this year, I think DK Metcalf feels like an absolute superstar in the making. I think Jacob Hollister is an interesting pass catching talent at tight end, and defensively, I am intrigued about Marquise Blair and Cody Barton, and how they all might grow throughout the off season program, and factor as potential starters.

Yes, these Seattle Seahawks fell short of where I wanted them to go this year, but they were also one inch away from winning the division away from the San Francisco 49ers, and they Aaron Rodgers a legitimate scare in Green Bay. They did this with a roster that was largely overachieving their talent. If they can hang onto Jadeveon Clowney on the defense and add another dynamic pass rusher to compliment him, if they can shore up some lesser issues on the offensive line, and get Russell Wilson one more legitimate pass catching threat, there is every reason to believe that they can properly be contending for a title in 2020.

I have said this before many times, and I am happy to say it again. With Russell Wilson at quarterback, and Pete Carroll as the head coach, Seattle should be a contending team every year.

As the days follow, I will write more about what I think the off season plans will likely be for Seattle. I think pass rush is going to be the big theme to the off-season. With the potential of nearly $70 million in cap space, Seattle is in a unique position to spend more in free agency than in recent years, if it so chooses, and it just so happens to look like this year there is going to be a number of quality pass rushers potentially hitting the market.

Seattle would be wise to look long and hard at this Packer team that just beat them, and note how they spent to bring in free agent pass rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith who each collected two sacks apiece on Russell Wilson in this game. They were huge factors against Seattle in this game and they are a big reason why Green Bay is now playing in the NFC Championship Game. I would expect Seattle to follow a similar model, and they have shown in years past that when they target a major need, they almost always act aggressively.

That’s probably why I am most excited about this team moving forward in 2020. They were close in 2019, Now they just need to make the few moves needed in 2020 to help put them over the top again. I think they can do it, and I sense the special around the corner.

At least this is the way I see it.

Go Hawks.

Well, Twelves, here we are. Our beloved Seattle Seahawks have made it to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. This is great news on a few levels.

Firstly, it shows that with a 11-5 record and a wildcard win, this young team has made progress from it’s 10-6 campaign in 2018. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it has done it with even more younger players stepping up. On the road against the Eagles last weekend, rookies DK Metcalf (WR), Cody Barton (LB), and Ugo Amadi (DB) are all credited by head coach Pete Carroll as being positive factors for the team (Metcalf was sensational). Lastly, this team is continually showing it can win on the road, and is now 8-1 in it’s campaign.

Because of all this, there is legitimate reason for optimism the Seattle can actually travel into Green Bay and pull off an upset against these 13-3 Packers. Skeptics will point to the fact that Seattle rarely pulled off a convincing win all season, and allowed a forty year old backup QB move the ball on them in Philadelphia. These same skeptics should equally note that Green Bay hasn’t exactly racked up convincing wins in 2019, either, and were even blown out a few times.

The objective football observer should probably look at both of these clubs and expect a close game. Green Bay has the clear advantage by having a first round bye to rest up, and playing at home. Yet, Seattle has shown all season long that it is a strong road team, having even beaten the powerful San Francisco 49ers on their home turf (a team that Green Bay badly lost to). Also, there are things that both of these clubs like to do that play into the supposed weaknesses of the other. Both teams will likely have to play their best ball to beat the other. For this perspective, this should be another fun game to watch.

So, let’s break it down some.

What to expect when Seattle has the ball

The Green Bay Packers are a really good pass rushing team, and they will look to pressure Russell Wilson a lot. They have a great edge rushing duo in Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith (the Smith Brothers?). Their defense is set up to play against Wilson really well in some regards, but they are not a good run stopping team, and they can get beaten over the top on deep passes.

It does not take rocket science to predict what Seattle probably wants to do in this match. Pete Carroll even stated earlier this week that they want to get Marshawn Lynch more involved. This translates to Seattle wanting to run the ball more and to take play action shots down field as the game progresses.

We know that Seattle will run when Marshawn is on the field, what is perhaps more critical for Seattle is to get Travis Homer positively involved in the run game. Many Seahawk fan cringe reading that as the Eagles stuffed Homer early and often in the wildcard game last week, but it is important to note that the Eagles have one of the top run defenses in the league and they sold out against it in the rematch. I doubt Green Bay is going to do the same, and therefor, Seattle will probably have more opportunities. If they can get Homer going, that will could have the Green Bay defenders on their heals a bit more, as Homer is also a pass catching weapon out of the backfield.

If Seattle can establish the run with Lynch and Homer, this will open up Russell Wilson’s signature play action game. I would expect DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and tight end Jacob Hollister to be big factors if Seattle is successfully starts to dial up this signature portion of their offensive attack.

What Seattle might not want to go is to attack this defense with the short passing game early. Green Bay has good edge defenders, they can spy on Wilson, and they have good enough corners that can sit in the short zones waiting for Wilson to throw their way. This is what the Cardinals did well against Wilson in December and the Packers should look towards doing the same.

If Seattle wins this game, it will likely be because of their ability to run against the Packer defense, and to beat them with play action passes. Russell Wilson on the move looking down field is not what the Packer defenders want to see a lot of.

What to expect when Green Bay has the ball

This is not the old Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers when they were overly QB centric. They now have balance running the ball with Aaron Jones, and they are committed to that balance. Furthermore, Jones is an hugely underrated back that has Christian McCaffery like abilities to run and catch. He is a legitimate threat against the Seattle defense.

What the Packers are likely to do is to get Jones going against this Seattle defense the way the Rams got Todd Gurley going back in December. They will look to get Seattle biting on misdirection plays and to get the ball to Jones out in space against soft coverage if Seattle plays with the “bend don’t break” approach that they have done throughout the season.

What Green Bay doesn’t have that the Rams did, however, is a lot of talent at wide receiver. It is possible that Seattle could play a little more aggressively in coverage knowing that outside of Davante Adams, the Packer receivers aren’t very threatening, and that could work in their favor of slowing down Jones a bit, as they play a little bit more down hill against the run.

Also expect Aaron Rodgers to play a lot of his same pre-snap trickery trying to get Seattle’s aggressive pass rushers to jump off-sides, and to use quick snaps to take advantage of Seattle’s substitutions. Rodgers will do whatever he can to draw penalties from Seattle, so it is critical that the Seattle defense stays hyper aware and is discipline throughout. They can’t be so aggressive as to jump off-sides, and they need to be smart with their substitutions.

If Seattle wins this game it will probably be because their defense was ready for Rodgers, they played discipline, and they tackled really well against Jones. If they don’t handle Jones well in space, and if they commit numerous penalties, the Seattle offense will need a perfect game in Green Bay for Seattle to pull off the upset, and that is not an easy thing to do in January in that stadium, with that crowd behind the Packers.

Prediction 

The reasonable mind would likely place a safe bet on the Packers winning this match. They have had more rest and preparation than Seattle, and they are playing at home with one of the very best fan bases in the league supporting them. They also have Aaron Rodgers, who is still one of best quarterbacks in the league. In all these regards, Green Bay feels like the safe bet.

Yet there are things about Green Bay as a team that match favorably with what Seattle likes to do. They aren’t statistically a great team at stopping the run and defending deep passes. They lost badly to the Chargers and 49ers that are built somewhat like Seattle, and Seattle has a better quarterback in Russell Wilson than those two teams have. From this perspective, Green Bay feels beatable.

So, I am going to go with the upset in this match. This is a total homer Twelve thing for me to do, I am well aware of it, but I picked Seattle a lot this season, I might as well stay true to the Blue.

I say Seahawks 27-24 in this one. Wilson leads a fourth quarter come from behinder that will stun the Green Bay fans, leaving them hating everything Seattle even more than they already do.. which is A LOT.

.. And if the Vikings can somehow pull off the upset against the 49ers, Seattle will actually host the NFC championship game next weekend. Imagine that.

So skol Vikings and go Hawks!

This is why Seattle paid Russell Wilson all that cheddar. Cha’ ching. (Getty Images)

Down to the wire.

This could easily be the theme of the 2019 Seattle Seahawks. They are incredibly resilient, and, at times, incredibly fortunate. They are marvelously talented at certain spots, and wildly undermanned at others. They are three parts wondrous, frustrating, and oddly inspiring.

And because they have Russell Wilson as their quarterback, and Pete Carroll as their head coach, they will be almost always in their matches even if it doesn’t look pretty, and don’t ever expect it to look pretty. Just erase that expectation out of your mind, and enjoy them for what they are.

Much will be made about the 17-9 final score mimicking the same final score against these Philadelphia Eagles roughly over a month ago. It’s wildly rare for this to ever happen. I don’t think it has ever happened, in fact.

But this is the 2019 Seattle Seahawks, and they own a 26th ranked defense has had problems rushing the passer and stopping the run all year, and yet, somehow, has been near tops in the league in creating turnovers. How does a defense even do that? The only way that I can even answer that is that a wildly weird one does.

Yeah, this is the 2019 Seattle Seahawks, and on a day in which they were down to only two healthy starters on their offensive line, and couldn’t run against the Eagles monstrous defensive line led by Fletcher Cox, Seattle found a way to win by putting the ball into the hands of their best player, quarterback Russell Wilson, and he delivered.

Here is my breakdown.

The Good

Seattle needed an MVP level performance by Russell Wilson to win against this defense. They weren’t going to be able to run on it. Under pressure much of the time, Wilson delivered one of his signature magical efforts. He threw darts that are hard to make under pressure. He was especially a monster on play action. Someone asked me why Seattle was continuing to run Travis Homer inside for near negative yards, well I think we can now see why. Russell Wilson killed the Eagles with play action. On top of that, he was Seattle’s leading rusher. This is why Seattle paid him the big dollars. I repeat. This is why Seattle paid him the big dollars.

Rookie receiver DK Metcalf had an equally amazing game. In fact, he broke a franchise record for receiving yardage during a playoff game.  If this dude stays healthy throughout his career, he is going to be an absolute  beast to defend. His size and speed is incredibly rare, and the Eagle corners simply could not compete with it. I had a feeling that Seattle could exploit them. DK Metcalf broke into their homes, ate all their food, and made them do the dishes.

Defensively, rookie linebacker Cody Barton had his best game in his young career, and he picked a heck of a time to step up his game. He was a force against the run, and pass, and he even got in on a early sack on Carson Wentz. This is a big positive for the Seahawks moving forward, in my opinion.

Jadeveon Clowney took the game over on the defensive line. A lot of others earned sacks, but Clowney was the constant disrupting force, and he reminded us once again why Seattle might be wise to spend the top dollars to hang onto him. His talent is also incredibly rare.

Defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson also had a great game disrupting the passing game and gathering two sacks. For all the talk of Seattle needing to extend Clowney and Jarran Reed, I kinda think Q Jeff has more than made a case for himself as to why Seattle should look to lock him up. Honestly, I think I might take him over Reed if I had to choose between the two, and I like Reed a lot as a player. Great game from Number 99 in this one.

Safety Bradly McDougald had a beast of a game leading the team in tackles, and getting a sack.

DK Metcalf wasn’t the only receiver to step up. David Moore also made a couple critical catch and runs, and Tyler Lockett was his usual effective self.

Marshawn Lynch’s vintage Beastmode touchdown run nearly brought tears to my eyes. Just beautiful thing watching him will himself to a score, and inspiring.

Finally, for being an incredibly undermanned unit, I thought the offensive line did a pretty serviceable job pass protecting Russell Wilson, and holding a considerably more talented Eagle defensive line to only one sack. They couldn’t open holes in the run game, but they gave Wilson time to make the deep throws. Bravo.

The Bad

For all the good in this game, there were still too many times when Seattle simply could still not get out of the way of itself, especially on offense. With an undermanned  offensive line, it did not help when Germaine Ifedi and tight end Jacob Hollister created false starts. Ifedi has been a false start nightmare all season long. I would love for him to play a clean game against the Packers. Seattle needs this from him.

For as good as the defense was in this match, they allowed a forty year old backup quarterback to drive on them after they knocked Carson Wentz out of the game. Detractors are probably going to point to this fact this week.

Tre Flowers was beat twice in coverage and drew pass interference plays both times. He has been enjoying a solid year, but this may not have been his best game.

The Ugly

I don’t like to root for injury. I felt bad about Carson Wentz being knocked out of the game with the helmet hit Clowney put on him as he was chasing him down. I don’t believe it was anything intentional by Clowney, and you want him to make the quarterback feel his hit, but you don’t ever want to see another head injury in this game. I feel for Philly fans on this one.

Moving forward

Does Seattle have enough to beat the Packers in Green Bay next week?

If they can get Duane Brown and Mike Iupati back on the left side on the offensive line, I think so. They will need put continue putting the ball into the hands of their best player, Russell Wilson, and allow him the chance to win it. Additionally, Seattle’s defense must play similarly to the effort they played with against the Eagles, and maybe even better.

Regardless of what might lay ahead next weekend and beyond, this was great playoff win against these Eagles. A great, gritty, tough win.

This is what I really think this team is. They are not the most talented team. Their warts are big, especially on their defense, but their heart is big, as is their will. Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch, Bobby Wagner, and KJ Wright are all holdovers from those Super Bowl teams, and they are players that can will this team to do things beyond what their talent suggests. So can Jadeveon Clowney.

I’m proud of this team. Damn proud.

Can they beat the Packers next Sunday?

I say heck yeah they can. It just might not be pretty, and if they do, bet on it coming down to the wire.

Go Hawks!

Tyler Lockett could have a huge game in this one. Go Hawks.

Well, here we are, Twelves.

Our beloved 2019 Seattle Seahawks went 11-5 and are back in the playoffs, playing on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles, who they beat on the road back in November, 17-9. Some things have changed between these two clubs, and some has stayed the same.

The Eagles were a struggling club when they first met, and yet they finished December strong, going 4-1. The Seahawks, on the other hand, were flying high through the first three months of the season only to uncharacteristically struggle through the final month, finishing 2-3. A fair amount is being made about this, but it should be noted that the Eagles played an easy December schedule, while Seattle played one of the league’s hardest December calendars.

Something that is similar to their last match up is that Philadelphia is still severely banged up at receiver and offensive line. This will help Seattle in it’s pursuit to win this game on the road. They will need this, as their defense has lost a couple key players, and has struggled throughout the season.

A few things different in this rematch is that Seattle will play without left tackle Duane Brown, running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, and linebacker Mychal Kendricks. Seattle will also be possibly playing without guard Mike Iupati. This will all definitely help the Eagles.

What to expect when Seattle has the ball

Seattle will try to establish the run with Marshawn Lynch and Travis Homer, and they will be doing it against one of the better run defenses in the league. The foundation of Seattle’s offense is still the run game. They won’t abandon it. When this happens, though, is another matter.

Where the Eagles seem to be hampered defensively is at corner. Thus, I expect Seattle to challenge them more than in the last meeting. Tyler Lockett is healthier now than when he was in the previous match, and DK Metcalf is coming off a strong game against the San Francisco 49ers (who have significantly better corners than Philly). I suspect that the quick passing game that was effective during the second half of the 49ers game last Sunday will be used against these Eagles.

The strength of the Eagle D is their defensive line. They will be keyed to take away Seattle’s run game and pressure Russell Wilson. By attacking the perimeters with quick passes is a way for Seattle to soften their front up to keep the run game effective. If Seattle has success at this, and they are able to get their run game going, and they are able to go into halftime with a lead, I would expect them to take their signature deep shots in the second half.

This could be a rare game where Seattle passes to set up the run, like they did in Pittsburgh earlier in the season. Travis Homer could have a big game catching passes out of the backfield and running.

What to expect when the Eagles have the ball

Philly head coach Doug Pederson has already said that they will go up tempo to help Carson Wentz establish the pass game. Honestly, this is a smart way to attack Seattle’s defense. Both the Rams and the Cardinals had a lot of success against Seattle going up tempo in December, and they were able to take advantage of Seattle’s inexperience at certain spots and age at others. The difference though between these Eagles and those Rams and Cardinals is that they simply do not have the pass catching threats at receiver that those other teams have, and this will give the Seattle defense a decent puncher’s chance.

Also in Seattle’s favor is having free safety Quandre Diggs back on the defense. When Diggs has started, Seattle’s defense has played significantly better, and his play has given other Seattle defenders considerably more confidence. Another thing in Seattle’s favor is having defensive lineman Jadeveon Clowney in this game, who didn’t play in the previous match.

Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if they Eagles have early success against this Seattle defense. Wentz has been playing really well in December, and Seattle will be without linebacker Mychal Kendricks. I would look for Philly to take advantage of rookie linebacker Cody Barton, who has struggled to take proper angles as a starter in place of Kendricks.

Also, Seattle has yet to show that they can consistently defend jet sweeps and miss direction plays. The Rams, Panthers, Cardinals, and 49ers all had success against Seattle running these plays in December.

However, if the second half of the 49er game last Sunday is any indication, I would expect Seattle to adjust as the game wears on, and if Seattle has a halftime lead, the Eagles may have to abandon that plan. With their lack of talent at receiver, Seattle’s pass rush might get more active with the addition of Clowney. Philadelphia probably does not want to go into halftime with a point deficit.

Key players for Seattle

Russell Wilson, receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, and running back Travis Homer  in the quick passing game.

Jadeveon Clowney, and Seattle’s entire secondary on the defense putting pressure on Wentz, and taking advantage of the lack of Philly’s receiver talent.

Key Players for the Eagles

Carson Wentz, running back Miles Sanders, receiver Greg Ward, and tight end Dallas Goedart all playing in an up tempo offense taking advantage of Seattle’s perimeters and linebackers with sweeps and miss direction play actions.

Defensive linemen Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, and Timmy Jernigan taking advantage that Seattle will be playing without Duane Brown, and possibly without Mike Iupati on the offensive line, and Seattle will be thin at running back.

Prediction

I think Seattle finds a way to come out of Philadelphia with a win. The Eagles will not make it easy for them, and I think we could see a higher scoring game than the last match. Like many of Seattle’s games this year, it will probably come down to a single score final.

I’m predicting Seattle will win 24-19. It’s an odd score, but I see Philly needing to go for a two point conversion that fails late in the game, then failing to capture the onside kick, and Seattle runs out the clock with some crucial Marshawn Lynch carries against a tired Philly front seven.

At least, that’s how I see it.

Go Hawks.

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks lost a nail biter at home against the dreaded division rival San Francisco 49ers. It cost them the NFC West division title, and I am damn proud of this team.

Call me a homer. Call me a Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson apologist. I do not care. My skin is thick, and my heart is true.  I am proud of these 2019 Seahawks.

Prior to the beginning of the regular season, I predicted that they would be a playoff team. I profiled twenty players that I thought would be main reasons why the Seahawks would return to the playoffs. Some of them were big contributors, some of them weren’t, and some players that I hadn’t considered rose up and delivered.

I even predicted that they would likely finish 11-5, and possibly win back the NFC West. Guess what? They finished 11-5 and were an exact inch away from breaking the plain of the end zone to rob the division away from the talented upstart 49ers. Not only do I look smart, I smell smart, too.

Now, if you are reading this expecting me to blame Pete Carroll for not managing times outs well enough in this match, and taking a delay of game at the one yard line, thus robbing Marshawn Lynch of another goal line opportunity to dive in for a game winning score, you’re probably going to hate the following.

That delay of game did not lose this game for the Seahawks. That delay of game didn’t stop the jet sweeps and motions that the 49er offense used early and often to continue putting points on the boards for their team. That delay of game was not in pass coverage against George Kittle and Deebo Samuel. And that delay of game didn’t pick up any of the many blitzes that went against Russell Wilson.

Heading into this game, Seattle was a severely undermanned team. They played this game without their starting left tackle, starting center, starting running back, their number two and three running backs, their starting tight end, their third best receiver, their starting free safety, and perhaps their best run stopping defensive tackle.

Seattle’s depth was thin heading into this season. It was considerably thinner when they finished it out against. Yet they took this talented rival down to the wire, and they almost won.

Looking through this season, it’s pretty remarkable that they won 11 games with this roster. Yes, having an elite franchise quarterback helps, but that didn’t help the Atlanta Falcons this year, and I think Atlanta is a more talented team than Seattle (I picked them as one of Seattle’s likely losses when I made my season prediction).

Pete Carroll is the reason why this team even got to eleven wins, and if you can not recognize this, I don’t think I can help you. You’re on your own island of envy and despair, but good luck with that and all the other things in life that you need to toss blame at because the stone cold truth hurts too much.

You see, that San Francisco 49er team is WAY more talented than your beloved Seattle Seahawk team, and it’s not even close. They got a better offensive line, they got more play-makers on offense, and their defense is light years ahead of Seattle’s in terms or speed and strength. The one equalizer that Seattle has in it’s favor is Russell Wilson, and that is it, period.

Yet, Pete Carroll did what he has done all season long, and that is getting his team to believe that they can win, and then making enough adjustments at halftime to almost pull it off.

There are more talented teams than Seattle that aren’t in the playoffs this year. The Rams, Cowboys, Steelers, Browns, Falcons, Buccaneers, Colts and probably a few other teams I could list have more talented rosters. I would actually argue that the Seahawk team from last year was more talented than this Seattle one.

Think about it. In 2018, Seattle had Doug Baldwin on the offense, and Frank Clark on the defense. Outside of Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, those were probably the two most talented players on that team. Seattle replaced the elite route running and catching ability of Baldwin with rookie DK Metcalf, who had a solid year for a rookie, but who has no where near the savvy and chemistry that Baldwin had over the years with Wilson. Seattle replaced the 14 sacks of Frank Clark with Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah who’s combined effort netted Seattle 5.5 sacks total. The sack leader for Seattle in 2019 is Rasheem Green with 4.  That’s not great. In fact, that’s bad. Yet, somehow, Pete Carroll guided this young developing roster that couldn’t put together a dependable pass rush to eleven wins.

And don’t get me wrong, I full agree that Russell Wilson was a big part of this team’s success this year, as he was in the MVP discussions throughout. I think it is more than safe to say that he was the biggest part of it, but let’s not kid ourselves, if Freddie Kitchens were coaching this Russell Wilson led Seattle squad, we would probably be talking about Seattle finishing 5-11 and wasting the prime years of Wilson rather than nitpicking Carroll for a delay of game that involved a running back who had only practiced with the team for four days, that cost them five yards, and a chance to run it in at the end.

The reason why I’m bringing this up is that I have been hearing and reading some steady enough chatter here and there from those who think perhaps Carroll is washed up, that he has plagued the team all season long with poor decisions, and the team needs to move on from him.

Here is how I see it. For those who think it is time for Carroll to go, I wouldn’t hold your breath on it. I think he is going to be around for a long while still.

The truth of the matter is that this team is in year two of a dramatic rebuild from the LOB days, and it is still very much a work in progress. With $60 Million in cap space heading into 2020 and roughly ten draft picks, I would look for Seattle to be pretty aggressive in free agency, trades, and the draft to take the next step closer to becoming a true contender again. No way is Jody Allen moving on from Pete Carroll with that important of an off-season resting ahead, and with Pete Carroll being Pete Carroll, and Russell Wilson being Russell Wilson, expect Seattle to be competing for the division title next year, as well.

This is what Pete Carroll matched with Russell Wilson does. They compete in tough games, and they win more games than they lose. In eight years together, they have never had a losing season. That is a remarkable run, and these overachieving 2019 Seattle Seahawks completely represent that.

So let’s enjoy them for what they are.

They are a winning team with a winning culture, and it even brought Beastmode back when most thought that his Seattle days would be long behind him. Let’s not diminish the fact that he wanted to come back to this team after a bit of a messy exit a few years ago. In my opinion, that’s remarkable and that is another thing Pete Carroll brings.

Players, really good players, want to play in Seattle for Pete Carroll. Pro bowlers Duane Brown, and Jadeveon Clowney wanted to leave Houston for Seattle. Marshawn Lynch wanted to return to Seattle. I wouldn’t be shocked if in a year or two, Richard Sherman wants to return to Seattle.

So, enjoy the fact Seattle gets to travel next weekend to Philadelphia to play a wildcard game against the Eagles, and if they win, enjoy that they get to travel to Santa Clara for yet another rematch against these 49ers.

Most of all, enjoy knowing that you are not the fans of the Rams, Cowboys, or Browns (three overly hyped clubs that grossly underachieved this year). While other fans get to dream about the post season, Seattle fans routinely get to enjoy the playoffs.

Now is not the time to take that for granted. Now is the time to root for your team as it somehow continues to win while rebuilding at the same time, which is a really rare thing in sports.

So enjoy it, if you can, and be proud of them for what they accomplished this year, if you can. I know I am.

I’m really proud, and frankly, I think you should be, as well.

Go Hawks.

This has to be great news for every Seahawks fan. When he left Seattle for Oakland, I had always hoped that one day he would return to the 206, and retire a Seattle Seahawk. Now it looks like that will be the case.

For me, this is a perfect Christmas present, and for the Seahawks to do this the day after that horrible home loss to the Cardinals, this is a genius stroke of a PR move heading into the division title showdown against the 49ers. Seahawk fans will be extra ramped come Sunday Night. It’s guaranteed.

While Marshawn might be Oakland born and raised, he is as much about Seattle sports as Steve Largent, Ken Griffey Junior, and Shawn Kemp. He will forever be loved in this market. Seattle will always be his second home.

And he has come back to us.

He won’t be in pass coverage against George Kittle, and he won’t pass rush Jimmy G, but he might truck over Richard Sherman, and he might pick up a needed pass block against Nick Bosa, and he might rumble in for a crotch grabbing score or two.

I think, for a few games anyway, he can set a tone on the offense that it needs and a tone Twelves know and love all too well. He can be the spark that he always was and always meant for this team, and he will be well rested for it.

This is fantastic news. I’m really excited about these Seahawks heading into the playoffs. I didn’t feel that way yesterday against the Cardinals, but I definitely feel it tonight as I type this.

Merry Christmas everyone, welcome home Marshawn, and go Hawks!

Kyler out “Russelling” Russell, and it could have been uglier had he not gotten injured.

I gotta admit it. I underestimated these Arizona Cardinals. I shouldn’t have. Last week they dropped 38 points on the Cleveland Browns in a decisive home win. Outside of an earlier game against these Cardinals, Seattle hasn’t really won a decisive match all year, as most of their 11 wins have come down to a single score. That is why many have been pumping the brakes on Seattle being a serious Super Bowl contending team this year.

The truth is that Seattle was limping into this match, and on top of that, they just lost two key veterans this week to drug suspensions. I should have been more alerted to the possibility of an outcome such as this.

On Saturday I had written about the Al Woods suspension and how that might impact this already thin defense. I noted that for Seattle to win this game against these Cardinals, they would probably need Russell Wilson to pull off another MVP level performance, or this Cardinal team could come into Century Link field and steal one from Seattle. What I didn’t anticipate was the notion that Seattle could loose this badly, and when I think about the fact that Kyler Murray left the game midway through the third quarter with a leg injury, and was replaced by Brett Hundley, I shutter that Seattle could have easily gotten even more smoked by Arizona by a score much greater than the 27-13 final.

For Seattle to pull off a win against the healthier and more rested San Francisco 49ers,  they are going to have to play a fantastic game against their talented division rival. They will now have to do it without their starting left tackle, their top two running backs, their third best receiver, their starting free safety, and quite possibly still no Jadeveon Clowney and Shaquill Griffin, who are arguably their two best defenders. If there is ever a time for Russell to have one of his most stellar performances, next Sunday Night will be it. That’s what they will need to beat the 49ers. The Russell Wilson that showed up against the Cardinals will not get it done.

But let’s get into this game.

The Good

I was debating whether or not I would even include a “good” section in this piece, but the truth is there were positives to take out of this game. The starting defensive series forced Kyler Murray to go three and out, and they brought instant pressure. Then after Arizona punted, Russell Wilson led the offense of one of the prettiest, most fluid scoring drives they have had all season, and he capped it with a short play action touchdown toss to fullback Nick Bellore. When these things happened at the top of the game, it seemed like Seattle was going to perhaps roll away with another easy victory against a lesser division opponent. It was only after this that all the ugly Game of Thrones stuff started to happen.

For as bad as the offense and defense played at times in this game, special teams actually had a really decent game. Jason Myers connected on his field goals (including a 51 yarder), Michael Dickson had two nice punts the ball goal close to the Arizona goal line, and perhaps the play of the game was Rasheem Green’s blocked field goal that reserve safety Marquise Blair almost returned for a score. For a fleeting moment, it felt like that block and return was going to be the catalyst for Seattle climbing out of the hole and sneaking out another come from behind win, but sadly, nope- didn’t happen.

Travis Homer did a decent job running and catching the ball when Seattle lost Chris Carson and CJ Prosise to injuries.

Tight end Jacob Hollister had himself another nice game catching critical passes to keep drives alive, and was clearly Russell Wilson’s preferred target in this game.

Defensively, I thought Bobby Wagner, Rasheem Green, Poona Ford, Jarran Reed, and Bradley McDougald were making some positive plays, but because this defense surrendered 27 points and 420 yards, it was kind of hard to pick out the positives. Best I can say is that some guys made some plays here and there.

The Bad

The Kenyon Drake 80 yard touchdown run that instantly tied the game 7-7 on the first play of Arizona’s second possession was just awful to watch. A Pete Carroll coached defense should never have that happen. Drake is a good player, but that should never happen ever. Against the 49ers, Seattle will have no chance of winning if they give up chunk plays like that. Zero chance.

Additionally to poor play on both sides of the ball, Seattle got shockingly Game of Thrones style hit by the injury bug in this one. In the first half of the game, they lost their pro bowl level running back Chris Carson with a hip injury that will sadly end his season, and then a few plays later, they lost his backup CJ Prosise to a broken arm, and his season is now also over. For a team that loves to run the ball, this is devastating. They may have to radically change their whole offensive approach heading into the last game of the season, and the playoffs. Travis Homer looks like a nice young back, but at 5-10 and 200 pounds, he is probably not the featured runner that they would prefer.

Seattle needed Russell Wilson to take this game over, and he didn’t. I don’t think he was helped by the play calling. When the score was 20-10 in the fourth quarter, and it was third and three in the red zone, Brian Schottenheimer called a ridiculously conservative run play to bang tiny little Travis Homer inside. I don’t think the hulkish Chris Carson would have converted that with the way Arizona snuffed it out. This is a perfect example of not letting your best player in Russell Wilson make the play and taking the ball out of his hands. This is type of play calling dumps gasoline onto the fire of Schottenheimer critics. When that play happened, I think I officially joined that party. Just put the fricking ball in the hands of your MVP level player and have him make the play. Don’t leave doubts on the field.  Instead, he called a play that had little chance at success and they settled for a field goal. Boo!

After a great opening series, Seattle’s offense stalled when they went a bit pass happy and the Cardinals anticipated the short passes, and then got instant pressure on Wilson. Once the sacks started happening, it kind of opened the flood gates against the offense.

Jamarco Jones subbing in for Duane Brown seemed constantly over matched by Arizona sack master Chandler Jones. It was Jones on Jones crime throughout most of the game, and I couldn’t help but second guessing the coaching decision to not have George Fant (a much better athlete than Jones) playing left tackle instead. Fant has proven capable there in the past.

In the third quarter, Russell Wilson looked like he was on his way to making magic happen again for Seattle when he hit David Moore on a third and eleven pass that Moore took up field to run with only to have the ball knocked out of his hands by the villainous Chandler Jones. Had Moore hung onto the ball, it would have been a 21 yard gain and would have put Seattle well on their way towards a scoring drive. Moore needed to not fumble there. On top of the injury and suspension bugs, Seattle has been snake bit all season long by offensive players fumbling the ball. They can not win against San Francisco, or in the playoffs, if this continues.

It was 11:55 left to go in the fourth quarter when Tyler Lockett caught his first ball, and it was the only pass that he caught. DK Metcalf didn’t catch a pass on only had one target. Those are your two best receiving options on the team. Arizona completely took them out of the game. Schottenhiemer needs to go back to the play books and figure out a way to not have that happen again. Seattle needs both of these guys active to win moving forward, and probably now more than ever with no Chris Carson.

The missed tackles of a slow running backup quarterback Brett Hundley in the fourth quarter that kept Arizona’s alive on offense and got them another score to ice the game was the sign of a tired and beaten down defense. It reminded me of that playoff loss in Dallas last year. Suddenly, Seattle’s defense looked and felt old. This can not happen in the playoffs if Seattle wants to advance.

Moving forward

This game was a hard pill to swallow. I had a sense in his Friday press conference that Pete Carroll might’ve been nervous about this one. He wasn’t getting Jadeveon Clowney, Shaquill Griffin, and likely wasn’t going to have Duane Brown. He probably looked at the tape of Arizona’s big win against the Browns and saw the ways that they could attack his injured team.

It felt to me that when the game was clearly to be placed in Russell Wilson’s hands in the second half to try to win it, the play calling got conservative. Carroll may not have wanted to risk further injury or screw ups. The problem with that is that you are not really coaching to win, you’re just coaching to not make a mistake. I think that is likely why Schottenheimer called that awful run play on third and three inside the red zone in the fourth quarter.

With no Chris Carson, Seattle most likely needs to get more creative on the offense to have any chance of winning against the 49ers next Sunday Night, and into the playoffs. Playing it safe, when you have the uniqueness of Russell Wilson at the quarterback position, is likely not a winning receipt. He got you to 11 wins. I say let him do his magic, and if that magic falls short, so be it.

The truth of the matter is that this roster was never a really deep one heading into the 2019 season. It had some nice pieces with a lot of uncertainties behind and around them. Once those pieces started ending up on the injured reserve, or spending multiple games on the sidelines, it felt like this was going to be a really tall order for this team to be a true contender.

That all said, while things still feel dire after this ugly loss, if Seattle can find a way to beat the 49ers, they can still win the division, and gain a potential first round bye. That scenario could mean getting key veterans healthy and ready for the divisional round. In short, there is still a lot on the table for this team to take, if they can just get right against their division rival next Sunday Night.

Can they do it?

If they put the ball in Russell’s hands, I think they can, but it is going to take a huge collective effort. They can’t continually give up big chunk plays, they can’t turn the ball over, they need to scheme better, and the players need to make plays while playing within themselves. If they can do these things, they can win the NFC West, and it will most suredly be a glorious thing to watch.

This is my Christmas wish, anyhow.

Really hope it comes true so that this stinker can be long forgotten.

Go Hawks.

Will the Loss of Big Al cause Seahawk fans to ask, “where’s the beef?!”

So, here we have it. With two games left in the regular season, veteran defensive tackle Al Woods has been suspended for four games for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. When I saw this filter into my news feed Friday afternoon, I felt my heart sink into My Twelfth Man bowels. There is no way to make this sound pretty. This blows.

I am actually more upset about this than learning about Josh Gordon’s suspension last Monday. For the most part, Seattle has been a highly productive offensive team this season, and they were plenty productive before they took a waver claim on Gordon last month. While he made a few splashy grabs, his impact on the offense never really seemed to live up to the hype. Even with the splashy 58 yard bomb he hauled in against Carolina, he pretty much disappeared for the rest of the game (outside of throwing that interception on a needless trick play, but we won’t go into that).

Woods, on the other hand, had been a vital inside presence against the run on a defense that has struggled more times than not this season.  One area that the defense had actually be fairly decent at was stopping the run, and now they will be without one of their better run defenders going against division rivals the Arizona Cardinals, and the San Fransisco 49ers, two teams that want to run the ball. This is not good.

This defensive line has been a patch work unit all season long, and with no sign of prized defensive end Jadeveon Clowney being ready to play anytime soon, losing Al Woods is a blow. Let’s not sugar coat it.

Seattle will call up all 6-3 360 pounds of Brian Mone from the practice squad to help out, but it is probably a tall order for him to replace the veteran savvy that Woods offered, and if Seattle loses Jarran Reed or Poona Ford to injury, they are probably in big trouble heading into the playoffs. They have Quinton Jefferson, LJ Collier, and Brandon Jackson who can all play inside, but these are smaller players who are more or less hybrid end/tackles. Woods was a 6-4 330 pound grown man built to take away the inside run.

I don’t want to be all gloom and doom about this, but Seattle was already razor thin with their depth on the defensive side of the ball before this suspension. Heading into this pivotal game against the Cardinals, they will be without Clowney, and starting free safety Quandre Diggs. They will possibly also be without starting linebacker Mychal Kendricks, and starting corner Shaquill Griffin. That’s over one third of your starting defense, and now they lose a key reserve.

Seattle should still beat the Cardinals. They are the better team, and they are playing at home. However, they will need Russell Wilson and the offense to play at a high level yet again. Any struggles on that side of the ball, and Arizona has just enough talent that they could come into Seattle and steal one. This Sunday, Russell Wilson needs to remind everyone why he is still very much an MVP candidate. If he does that, Seattle wins this game.

I think this is why it has been so stressful on fans rooting for this team this year, even though they sit on a 11-3 record. For Seattle to win most of it’s games this year, they have mostly been reliant on the brilliant play of their quarterback. If he falters, the team doesn’t appear to have the depth to overcome.

This loss of Al Woods shouldn’t feel like a big deal. On a deep roster such as that 49er one, it likely wouldn’t, but on this Seattle roster, it kinda is. Let’s be honest, Seahawk fans, we don’t have what they do on the defense.

This is a roster that actually has one of the weirdest defenses in the league, and one of the weirdest that I can ever remember in Seattle. They are up towards the top in creating turnovers, but they sit towards the very bottom in generating sacks and quarterback pressures. They have been playing without their best pass rusher lately, and now they have lost one of their better run defenders.

If Seattle beats the Cardinals (which they should), and manages to beat the 49ers on December 29th, and then becomes the top seeded NFC team heading into the playoffs, it will be one of the most remarkable story lines in sports this year. They will have done it with a defense that has somehow created boat loads of turnovers without much pass rush. Call me old fashioned, but that just feels weird.

I hope they do it, but in all honesty, I don’t know if they will. As much as I look through the lens of Seahawk blue and green glasses, I see an overachieving roster that has made it to 11 wins, and I think we should be proud of them for that. While I think they will probably get to 12 wins, and maybe more, I still don’t know if this is an honest Super Bowl contender. The loss of Woods, the ominous vibe about Clowney’s core injury, the banged up nature of Ziggy Ansah, the hamstrings of Kendricks and Griffin, and the high angle sprain of Diggs, this feels like a defense that is literally limping to the finish line.

Perhaps the biggest question isn’t how many of these starting veterans they will get back by the playoffs, but rather how many of the younger plays will step up in their place in the playoffs.

Lots of question marks there heading into these last couple games. It would be a good thing for a number of the younger players to start really stepping up. We shall see soon enough.

Go Hawks.

Not the Flash Gordon story line that I was hoping for. (Getty/Mitchell Leff)

This is disappointing news, and there is no way to get around that. It’s less of a disappointment for the Seattle Seahawks. Their primarily targets all season long have been Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, and over the last four games, they have actually favored tight end Jacob Hollister and reserve wide out Malik Turner more often than Josh. No, this is a big disappoint for Josh Gordon. I feel bad for him.

I know that this day and age it is easy to take the cynical stance. Yes, he has been an entitled athlete that has been given numerous chances, and he has blown them all. And yes, we really shouldn’t be surprised of the news that he would be suspended for his eighth time. But this is still a guy with a sickness who has immense talent that few humans have on this planet to play a difficult sport at its highest level, and it is probably pretty unlikely that he will get to play it again now. Seattle was very likely his last shot at redemption as an NFL player, and personally, I think it is sad. I’m disappointed that we won’t get to witness this story and even more, that Josh won’t get to live it.

Moving forward, it is my hope for him that he will get his life turned around, and perhaps this is the bottom he finally needs to feel to make that happen, if he has not truly felt his bottom before. I want his story to be better than a drug addict who couldn’t stay clean and blew his final chance at being a true NFL star. I hope his story is that after this, he finally turned his life around and made a big difference to others because that is still very much on the table for him, if he chooses to go for it.

As for the Seattle Seahawks, I don’t think this loss will greatly hurt them in the playoffs. They were playing pretty well before he came to them. I suspect that they might use his roster spot on a running back now because that seems to be the spot where they are presently the thinnest because of the Rashaad Penny season ending injury.

It just really bums me out that Josh couldn’t stay clean. It’s also a reminder that addiction is a really complicated disease. It’s really hard to know if someone who battles addiction is honestly staying clean because so much of the disease deals with secrecy and manipulation. Addicts, by the nature of the disease, are often sharp manipulators. So, while it is okay to be pissed off at Josh for allowing this to happen, I think it is also good to recognize who and what he is. He is an amazing athlete but he is also an addict.

I hope he finally gets control over his disease. I will always hope this for him, and I will not feel badly for his short time spent as a Seattle Seahawk.

Go Hawks.

I gotta admit it. Going into this game, I was a bit nervous. It wasn’t so much about Seattle losing badly to the Rams the previous week. It wasn’t even that they would be playing without defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah, and without linebacker Mychal Kendricks. No, my big concern was squarely on the fact Seattle would be playing without cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who one could argue had been Seattle’s best defender all season long.

I was nervous that those kind of losses on the defensive side would mean that Seattle would have to likely win a high scoring battle. Heading into the fourth quarter, I started to feel the unfamiliar comfort that Seattle would handily win this game, especially after Chris Carson willed a fourth and short run into about a ten yard rumble into the end zone for a touchdown that put Seattle up 30-10. This is when I started to breathe easily.

Then it happened. With about 7 minutes left to go, Seattle had their star middle linebacker, Bobby Wagner, leave the game with a twisted ankle, and the Panthers marched to a WAY too easy touchdown scoring drive. I won’t recite everything that happened afterwards, but Seattle would go onto clinch another road victory, winning 30-24.

The final score made this game feel much closer than it actually was, but that probably isn’t going to make many nervous Twelves feel any better.

These 2019 Seattle Seahawks are what they are. Just like how the Star Wars Mandalorian can never take off his helmet to show his face, the 2019 Seattle Seahawks cannot cleanly win a game. Seemingly every week, they must find ways to make it an adventure. This is their way.

Yet here they are, 11-3, and because the San Francisco 49ers just lost to the Atlanta Falcons, and the Los Angelese Rams got their butts kicked by the Dallas Cowboys, they are now on top of the NFC division. In short, the playoff bound Seattle Seahawks are now even more in control of their own destiny to win their division, and earn a first round bye. Imagine that.

But let’s get into this game.

The Good

The Seahawks needed a good game from their best players on the offense, and they got just that. Russell Wilson returned to his efficient MVP worthy self, passing for 286 yards and 2 TDs. Chris Carson ran hard for 133 yards and two scores, and was the player of the game for me. But perhaps the best news was that Tyler Lockett was finally fully back from injury and the flu, catching 8 passes for 120 yards and a score. Seattle needs the three headed monster of Wilson, Carson and Lockett to be at their best heading into the playoffs and that is exactly what they were in this game. Bravo.

Other offensive players also had solid outings. DK Metcalf had a couple nice catches and a pretty touchdown grab, Tight end Jacob Hollister continued to play effectively, and the prettiest play of the game was Josh Gordon’s beautiful 58 yard catch against tight coverage.

Defensively, things were spotty but credit Seattle for adjusting to Carolina’s misdirection plays, and screens.

Linebackers Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright had key interceptions. One could argue that KJ was the player of the game with two interceptions.

I thought defensive tackles Poona Ford and Jarran Reed each had good games.

Second year defensive end Rasheem Green got a critical sack and now quietly leads the team in sacks with 4. Seattle’s pass rush has not been good this year, but at least one of their recently drafted players is showing some positive production.

Michael Dickson had a solid game punting the ball inside Carolina’s ten yard line multiple times.

The Los Angeles Rams got their butts handed to them by the Dallas Cowboys and their playoffs chances are now slim.

The San Fransisco 49ers lost to the Atlanta Falcons 29-22 in a wild finish, and Seattle now takes the lead in the NFC West.

The Bad

Seattle’s inability to get out of it’s own way at times. I will just list a few examples.

On a silly trick play that had Josh Gordon passing deep on a hand off, he tossed up a dumb interception in double coverage. Seattle was handily winning this game and probably didn’t need gadget plays to beat this bad Panther defense, yet this play happened.

Also on offense, Seattle had multiple holding penalties, delay of game, illegal motions, and yet they were able work themselves out of it. Against a quality defense, this could have been disastrous on the road.

The worst of it for me was CJ Prosise’s fumble that happened inside the last couple minutes of the first half deep in Seattle’s own territory. Fortunately because former Seahawk Bruce Irvin touched his foot, it was called back. Had it not, Seattle could have been in more trouble in this match than they needed to be.

The Ugly

Seattle lost free safety Quandre Diggs in the middle of the game to an ankle sprain that might have him out for a while. This could be a huge blow to the team as they head down the final stretch because Diggs had been playing great ball, and that has helped settle down their struggling defense. Fingers are crossed that they will have him for the playoffs.

Seattle also lost Bobby Wagner late in the game to an ankle sprain, but right now it is not sounding like it is as bad as the one to Diggs. Fingers are crossed that this won’t keep him out much, if at all. Seattle can ill afford to loss their defensive leader if they want to make a deep playoff run.

Moving forward

Seattle is now 11-3 and are even more in control of their own destiny wining the NFC West division, and securing a first round bye. If it wasn’t for the fact that the San Francisco 49ers are also having dynamic year, I think many more Seattle fans would probably feel much better about this team. Seattle isn’t winning most of their games by wide margins like the 49ers are, and they got beaten handily by both the Ravens and the Rams, and I think these are the dark clouds that loom for a lot of Twelves, which is a shame because Seattle is a really good team this year, and they deserve this 11-3 record.

While I believe that Seattle is possibly another year away from being a more proper title contender, I will say that there is still a lot in front of them to have a special season this year. If they get Jadeveon Clowney, Mychal Kendricks, and Ziggy Ansah back healthy on the defense, that could a huge boost for them heading into the playoffs.

It probably doesn’t feel like it because Seattle didn’t blow out the Panthers on the road, but this can still be a very special season for this team this year. Seattle needed this win, they got this win, and in the end, style points don’t much matter. Ask Cleveland Browns fan how they are feeling this year, or even Rams fans as it now feels like their team is now on the outside looking in for the playoffs.

Personally, I think there is a lot to be grateful for being a Seattle Seahawk fan. I know I am, and I think you should be, as well.

Go Hawks.