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.

The San Fransisco 49ers gave the Seattle Seahawks a bit of a gift earlier on Sunday. They had beaten the New Orleans Saints on the road, and all Seattle had to do was defeat the Los Angeles Rams on the road, and they would be in the driver’s seat for the top overall playoff seed in the NFC conference. Seattle just needed to take care of business.

Unfortunately, they did the opposite. In this Sunday night rematch of the Rams, the Seattle Seahawks not only failed to put their best foot forward, they exposed all their warts on national television, and were beaten down by a Rams club built to beat them.

The only silver lining in this stinging defeat is that Seattle can still win the NFC West division if they win out their next three games. They will need to find their footing again. They have a great opportunity to do that against two struggling opponents in the Panthers and Cardinals before they match up with the dominant looking 49ers again. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this game against these Rams was just an outlier to their season, and all will be good by the time that they kickoff against the 49ers in Seattle on December 29th. Otherwise, Seattle is probably looking like a wildcard seed, at best.

Let’s get into it.

The Good

There wasn’t a lot of big positives in this game, especially on the defensive side, but Jarran Reed was a solid force inside against the run, and got a few decent pressures on Jared Goff.

Free safety Quandre Diggs had a great game picking off Goff twice and his pick six was the play that kept Seattle in this one until the fourth quarter. He was Seattle’s player of the game without question.

Defensive end Rasheem Green made a great special teams play blocking a field goal that again, gave Seattle an opportunity to stay in the match for a while in the second half.

DK Metcalf had a few really nice grabs against Jalen Ramsey and beat him on a beautiful deep pass down the sideline.

Rookie linebacker Cody Barton had his first start and flashed his speed on the field at times.

Bobby Wagner adjusted his game in the second half and made some nice run stops.

This is Seattle’s first loss since October 20th. After a bad loss like this, it’s a nice thing to remember that just how much they have been winning, despite all the close score victories, and one can easily say that they were due this kinda game.

The Bad

The team lost running back Rashaad Penny early in the game to a knee injury and I suspect that effected greatly what the offense hoped to do at running back in this game. It will be a tough loss for this club if his injury is serious, and it sounds like it is.

The defense that had been playing much better ball the last few weeks reverted to how they were earlier in the season. Simply put, they were caught flat footed and it wasn’t pretty. There was little pass rush on Jared Goff. Coverage was weak, and Shaquill Griffin seemed to have a particularly rough night. Linebacker KJ Wright looked slow in coverage and against the run. Did I mention how much the pass rush sucked?

The offensive line had a rough night once they fell behind. Germaine Ifedi was getting abused by passer rushers, but he wasn’t alone. Even pro bowl left tackle Duane Brown was giving up pressures.

Russell Wilson wasn’t awful, but he also wasn’t great. It’s tough to criticize him much when he was dealing with that kind of pass rush all night. This game will no doubt muck up his chances for the MVP title, which blows. People will now be pointing to the statistical fact that over the last four games, Russell has thrown 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Fortunately he now faces the Panthers and Cardinals to get right.

Jason Myers missed a point extra, not that it really matters much, but it sucked too.

The Ugly

Penalties were awful for Seattle in this match and at times, it felt like they were beating themselves as much as the Rams were. They started the game with a false start. Rasheem Green was called for an early offsides. DK Metcalf got a stupid personal foul when he was being baited into it by Jalen Ramsey.

Speaking of which, Jalen Ramsey will make the Rams extremely easy to detest. What a jerkface punk that guy is.

Moving forward

Like I said in the opening, even though Seattle lost this game, they can still control their own destiny winning the division by winning out on the remaining three games. How likely that is remains to be seen. It feels like the Rams have suddenly knocked them back down to Earth considerably.

One thing the really stands out to me in all this is just how much the Los Angeles Rams are still built to beat the Seattle Seahawks. They have multiple weapons on offense that  can easily find creases in Seattle’s zone defense. Defensively, if you fall behind on them and are forced to pass, they have a generational inside pass rusher mixed with talented edge rushers. Seattle’s offensive line is not equipped to handle that rush which is why they had to stay with the run when they fell so far behind.

Conversely, Seattle is probably not really built to beat the Rams quite yet. In a game in which they had no Ziggy Ansah, Seattle’s so so pass rush was almost non existent. They severely lack depth there. Also, in a night that they had no Mychal Kendricks at linebacker, Seattle felt considerably slower on the field. I hate to say this because this is just one game, but this felt like a loss where Seattle got exposed.

In order for Seattle to beat quality teams they have got to stay on schedule on offense and not draw penalties, and they need to catch the catchable balls on third downs, and on the defense, at the very least, they need to play assignment sound ball, and not blow coverages, or miss tackles. If they can play relatively clean in these regards, they stand a chance to beat any contender. If they can’t, a result like this can easily happen.

A lot of this is fixable over the next few weeks (especially if they get Kendricks and Ansah back on defense), and they can still have an interesting playoff run, but I also feel, deep down, that Seattle is likely looking at another off-season before they are built up as a team that is a true contender. They’ve got some really nice pieces, but they are also not fully complete. Not like the San Francisco 49ers appear to be, or even the Rams are, if they keep playing like this.

That all said, if the Seahawks head across the country and mop up on the Panthers next week, and then mop up on the Cardinals before Christmas, and then somehow pull off the win at home against the red hot 49ers, I’m probably be the first one to punch my Super Bowl ticket on this team. That’s just the way I roll.

Think that is unlikely? Let me throw out this tidbit. On November 20th, 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles game into Seattle to play a Sunday Night game, and they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 26-15. I was at that game, and this game felt a lot like that match. The Eagles would go on to win the Super Bowl and the Seahawks failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in the Russell Wilson era.

Just some food for thought. There is still a lot left on the table for this team, if they can correct themselves. I’m excited to see if they do.

Go Hawks.

Hey Jack Wagons, stop doubting my team. Go Hawks.

Dear Seattle Seahawk Doubters Near and Far,

Stop doubting my team. It makes you look stupid.

Seemingly every year, you inflate reasons why they won’t be very good, and guess what? Every year they make you look stupid.

Skip Bayless, I know you get paid a TON of cheddar to be a cable network blowhard. I get it. If someone threw that kind of coin at me and said “jump monkey jump” I’d do it too, but just be a little smart about it.

My human owner was ranting the other day about how you stupidly said that you still weren’t impressed with our Seahawks after their big Monday Night Football victory over what was the red hot Minnesota Vikings, and you would actually take your Dallas Cowboys over them in the playoffs.

Really, Skip? These same Dallas Cowboys that couldn’t beat the lowly New York Jets over the Seattle Seahawks that have beaten such playoff contenders in the Rams, 49ers, and Vikings?

Skip, just a little advise moving forward. Try to come across as being just a little intelligent. Otherwise, people are going to question what kind of photos Jerry Jones has of you. As for this date, Stephen A Smith you are not.

As for the rest of you Seattle Seahawk doubters, my message is crystal clear. Don’t be like Skip. It’s not a good look.

Since the Seattle Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft and made him a starter as a rookie, they have not had a losing season at all. Pete Carroll matched with Russell Wilson is gold that you can take to the bank every single football season. It’s okay to finally buy stock in them now.

Think I’m over inflating the facts? Okay, let’s play that game for a minute.

After the 2017 season in which they went 9-7 (their worst record under the Carroll/Wilson Machine) they cut Richard Sherman, traded Michael Bennett, essentially injury reserved/retired Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril, and moved on from Jimmy Graham. In that following 2018 season, with Earl Thomas sitting on IR for most of the season, these Seahawks, minus six pro bowl quality starters that were previously staples of the team, went 10-6, and found themselves right back in the playoffs where they almost always are.

I could easily rest my case there, but you jack wagons have still insisted in doubting this team heading into 2019.

“They can’t beat the Rams.”

“Look out for those improving San Fransisco 49ers now that they have Nick Bosa and Jimmy G is healthy.”

“Outside of Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, who does Seattle have on their roster, can you name any other player?”

These are the type of buffoon quotes that came out of your yappers at the start of the season, and I hope you enjoy eggs because you’re now wearing them all over your face.

Thus far, Seattle has beaten both division rivals, they now sit at the top of their division, and it seems to me in addition to Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, the team also has Chris Carson, Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Duane Brown, Jadeveon Clowney, Jarran Reed, KJ Wright, Shaquill Griffin, and a few others I could gladly list, but you get the gist.

So, here we are, Seattle now sitting at 10-2 with four games left to go, three against division rivals, and two of which are at home for them. What do you think the chances are that Seattle doesn’t make the playoffs?

Stop doubting them.

In 2020 they might be every stronger. They will have $66 million in cap space, and they will have a bunch of  picks (including two second rounders) heading into the draft. They may or may not extend Jadeveon Clowney, but at this point, who even cares?

Under Pete Carroll with Russell Wilson at QB, they will surely find a way to field a legitimate contending roster moving forward. They have a talented young nucleus emerging that has bought into the team philosophy and doesn’t harbor petty feelings towards their franchise quarterback. They have learned that lesson from their 86’d older siblings.

Buy stock in these Seahawks. It’s smart money. Don’t be like Skip.

Or do, because, ya know, someone has to be the clown.

Go Hawks.

Sincerely,

Earl Thomas Eastwood – Twelfth Cat For Life.

Seattle’s rambling men dominate the tough Vikings defense. (Getty)

The 2019 Seattle Seahawks are must see television. You don’t have to be much of a Seahawks fan, or even a fan of football to watch them. Almost every game that they have played this season has been an adventure worth watching. If you like high drama, continual plot twists, maybe even a dash of comedy, the 2019 Seahawks are for you, and almost miraculously, they now sit at 10-2, and have gained the lead in their division.

There have been very little clean games in these victories. The cleanest came down in Arizona early in the season where the team handily took care of an inferior division opponent 27-10.

At first, it was Russell Wilson carrying the team on his back when the defense couldn’t stop anybody. Then when the defensive finally started to round into shape, the schedule got tougher, and Russell’s other world QB play came back down to Earth some.

These last three wins have been most impressive. All have come against teams playing for either their playoff lives, or division dominance late in the NFL season. This is as close to playoff football as it gets in the regular season, and Seattle is, so far, 3-0 against the 49ers, Eagles, and now the Vikings. Seattle did not play clean games against these teams, but these are teams that are hard to play clean against. In order to win, you have got to dig deep at key times. Credit the entire team for doing that. There is legitimate grit on this roster.

Let’s break it down a bit.

The Good

After starting the game with a horrible series that gave up an easy scoring drive, Seattle’s defense tightened down the hatches, and played pretty good ball against an explosive Vikings offense. They didn’t let star running back Dalvin Cook make much impact, and they eventually knocked him out of the game. The defensive line didn’t sack Kirk Cousins, but they pressured him into bad passes that killed drives.

Defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Rasheem Green both had great games. Green is quietly coming along in his second season and has been making an impact play almost every game lately. Last week, it was a critical strip sack against Carson Wentz. Against the Vikings in this match, it was a key forced fumble on Dalvin Cook. I know a lot of people talk about Seattle needing more pass rush, but Green seems like a good young player who is coming along nicely. It’s really good to see this. Seattle needs youth to step forward on the defense, and he is doing this.

Tre Flowers had a strong game at cornerback, getting another interception, and suddenly, it feels like Seattle’s corner situation is looking pretty solid as we move towards the playoffs.

Outside of throwing one of the weirdest pick 6’s that I have ever seen, Russell Wilson had another efficient day leading the offense, and his gorgeous deep touchdown pass to David Moore was a thing of beauty.

Jacob Hollister had another solid productive game at tight end. He’s been showing that he is a perfectly reliable receiver, but against this tough Viking defense, he also made some key blocks that freed running backs. Jacob Hollister is a player. I dig this guy.

Outside of a fumble, DK Metcalf had a solid game catching the rock. His 19 yard catch and run in the first half was very Marshawn-esque. I love this guy’s potential.

The fake punt Travis Homer run play was awesome in the fourth quarter, which brings me to the following.

The real heroes of this game were running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny, and the entire offensive line. That Viking’s defense is not easy to run on, but with great run blocking, these two dynamic backs stole the show (Carson, 103 yard on 23 carries and a TD. Penny, 74 yards on 15 carries and a TD plus 4 catches for 33 yards and a pass catching TD). This production, right here, is the exact formula that Pete Carroll probably most wants to win with. This team ran for 218 yards against one of the top defenses on the planet, and that is as big of a reason as any as to why Seattle was ultimately able to fend off those scary Vikings.

Go Hawks.

The Bad

The opening series of the defense was one of the worst series that they had had all year. It was disheartening. Veteran linebacker KJ Wright horribly missed a routine tackle on a silly dump off to the fullback that went for a stupidly big gain. Then in the red zone, half of the defense decided to miss Stefon Diggs on a jet sweep for a big gain. When these two plays happened, I abandoned all hope that Seattle would play a clean game. I was like, “welp, looks like it’s gonna be another adventure.”

As stated above, Wilson’s weird pass batted back to him and him battling it back into an eventual pick 6 was just.. weird. It was weird. Then I knew for certain what kind of game I was getting. It was hard to lay off the coffee after that one. He also didn’t make it easier on me when he took that stupid sack for a big loss midway through the fourth quarter, either.

Bradley McDougald, who had been playing pretty well up until this game, badly blew his coverage for a late Viking score that put Minnesota back into this match instead of putting them away. This play instantly gave momentum back to a desperate Vikings club.

Tyler Lockett didn’t catch a pass and wasn’t targeted much. It’s worth noting he was had been sick with the flu, but this is also the third game in a row where his production has been significantly down.

The Ugly

Viking corner Xavier Rhodes makes my skin crawl, and Kirk Cousins has some of the worst body language in football when things aren’t going his way. The Vikings did not look like a team having much fun, at least these two guys didn’t. If I’m a Vikings fan, I’m not digging that.

Moving forward

The Seattle Seahawks are 10-2. It’s practically a given that they will be a playoff team, and now they can control their own destiny in winning the NFC West. They win out these next four games, they win the division, and have a first round bye in the playoffs. That’s what this victory meant.

Will they? I don’t know.

The Rams look like they could be a pretty tough match on the road this Sunday night after what they just did to the Cardinals. Like the Eagles were last week, they will be playing for their playoff football lives, and, if we’re being honest, they are a much more talented club than the Eagles. Also, the 49ers in Seattle will surely prove to be a tough match up again.

Here’s the thing, though. The Vikings were a really tough match, and I don’t know if there’s a tougher match than going down into Santa Clara and playing the 49ers a few weeks ago. Seattle has won both of these games.

Also, I would venture that the fundamental difference between the Vikings and the Seahawks can easily come down to quarterback play. Russell Wilson, in big games and big moments, has been there and done that time and time again in his eight NFL seasons. Kirk Cousins, on the other hand, after eight seasons has not. If it comes down to the wire between the Rams and 49ers again, I will gladly take Russell Wilson over Jared Goff, or Jimmy Garoppolo.

Simply put, with Russell Wilson, Seattle has played and won tough games that have come down to the wire almost all stinking year. They know how to win these kind of games. With their thrill junky head coach, they practically live for them.

I’m liking their chances more and more down the stretch because of all this, and either way, one thing for certain, it is going to be must see TV. Bank on it.

Go Hawks.