DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks.
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by Football Schedule, via Flickr)
The Seattle Seahawks, behind four Russell Wilson touchdown passes, beat Atlanta 38–25 in the season opener. Seven different receivers had multiple catches. Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf each had over 90 receiving yards for the game. Running back Chris Carson had 66 combined yards, which included a pair of TD catches.
Seattle went into the locker room at halftime with a 14–12 lead. They came out smoking hot in the third quarter and put Atlanta into a hole the Falcons couldn’t climb out of. This game was effectively over when Jason Myers connected on a 42-yard field goal less than four minutes into the fourth quarter to put the visitors up 31–12.
Here are our three biggest takeaways from the Opening Day victory.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was the 2019 NFL MVP earning all 50 first-place votes. Jackson deserved his award after he led Baltimore to the AFC North title and the best record in the AFC. He threw for over 3,000 yards and ran for another 1,200. When the smoke cleared writers, analysts and fans realized that Russell Wilson has never been the league’s offensive MVP.
If there was such a thing as a unanimous second-place finish, the voters found it. Make no mistake, Wilson checked off every box, no matter what someone’s definition of Most Valuable is RW3 answered. Not to take away from the reigning MVP’s accomplishments, but Wilson arguably did more with much less than Jackson had last season.
Now there is a big push for Wilson to get his overdue MVP Award. It won’t be handed to him, he still has to earn it on the field. RW3 gave his supporters plenty of ammunition with his near perfect, four-touchdown pass day.
For almost the entire offseason, any conversation that had to do with the Seattle Seahawks offense included: Will Pete Carroll let Russ cook? During the game, FOX analyst Mark Schlereth had it right when he said let Russ simmer, like a slow cooker. The meal is just as good, but more time and patience is required.
In the Seahawks case, that means stick to a balanced attack and let Wilson do what he does best, win games. Seattle doesn’t need to air it out every series to be effective.
Seattle Seahawks defense.
The Seattle Seahawks defense played reasonably well on Sunday. For three quarters, they held the Falcons mostly in check. By the time Atlanta gained most of their yards in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks were in a prevent defense, giving up shorter plays to deter home run passes. There is still more to the story.
Even though they had a pair of sacks, (one came on a safety blitz by Jamal Adams) Seattle didn’t put enough pressure on the passer. Atlanta QB Matt Ryan had plenty of time in the pocket to find his receivers. Give credit to the Seattle Seahawks secondary that Atlanta only had 450 yards through the air. Without their seven passes defended, it could have been worse.
Additionally, if the offense hadn’t blown out Atlanta in the third quarter, the defense would have seen much more of running back Todd Gurley. It looked like the Falcons could take the ball up the middle and get to the second level of the defense. That has to change, especially when the Seahawks play teams that have more of a commitment to the run.
In short, the front four needs to play better. Defensive tackles Poona Ford and Jarran Reed have to get a better surge at the snap. Coming off a wasted season due to injury, defensive end L.J. Collier showed brief flashes of why the Seahawks selected him in the first round last year. For next week’s game against New England, those flashes should be more consistent.
Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks.
Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks looked dominating at times. They pulled the football equivalent of General Sherman. Seattle rode into town and torched Atlanta’s defense for five touchdowns. The offense was able to run the ball effectively enough to take advantage of play-action passes and screens.
When the offensive line, which has three new starters, begins to gel, it will be very scary for opposing defensive coordinators.
Adams brings a completely different dimension to an already solid defense. His ability and enthusiasm are contagious. Even better, he leads by example, going where ever he needs to be to make plays. Everyone on the defense is a better player when he’s on the field. Quarterbacks on the schedule have to lie awake at night wondering how Seattle’s number 33 will come after them.
Even the special teams looked improved. Myers didn’t miss any of his kicks all day and all seven of his kickoffs went for touchbacks. Michael Dickson looked more like his rookie version with a net of 45.8 yards per punt. Finally, the number one kick returner, Travis Homer looked sharp as did punt return man David Moore.
Without preseason games as a baseline, Sunday was a good starting point. The D will get better as the season goes along. As long as they stay healthy, the Seattle Seahawks are one of the premier teams in the NFC.
What were your takeaways from the Seattle Seahawks opening day win? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.