K.J. Wright, Seattle Seahawks.
Chris Carson, Seattle Seahawks.
Every week the Seattle Seahawks play, Pacific Northwest Sports will present our Dud and Stud of the game. It’s a way to pay tribute to those who played well and call out the players who didn’t.
A focused Seattle Seahawks team took the field for a 10 a.m. PDT start at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. It only took six plays for Seattle to score on the home team after a Ryan Fitzpatrick interception on Miami’s first possession of the game. The Seahawks moved downfield effectively against Miami’s beleaguered D with a nice mix of runs and passes.
Seattle’s offense was able to break through once more before half time, on a four-play, 75-yard drive. The highlight was a beautiful 57-yard pass play from Russell Wilson to David Moore, down the left sideline, which put the Seahawks deep into enemy territory. The best Miami could muster on offense for the half was a trio of field goals. Seattle led 17-9 at the break.
As they’ve done all year, the Seattle Seahawks were on fire to start the second half. Unfortunately, they didn’t score this week as Wilson was intercepted in the end zone. That marked the second time in the game Seattle drove into the red zone and came away with no points. A rarity for one of the NFL’s most efficient teams inside the 20-yard line.
The second half was played fairly evenly. Miami added a pair of field goals but didn’t score a touchdown until their final possession of the game. Meanwhile, the Seahawks consistent offense hit paydirt twice.
Those who expected the Seahawks to fly five-and-a-half hours and over 2,700 miles into Miami and dominate were disappointed. What they got was a steady performance by a quality team and, more importantly, a league-leading fourth win.
Here are the Zeroes and Heroes of the Seahawks 31-23 win at Miami.
Tre Flowers, Seattle Seahawks.
Cody Barton is a valuable member of the Seattle Seahawks. His contributions on special teams the past two seasons are outstanding. Barton’s coverage skills as a linebacker, to put it politely, need lots of work. Also, his third quarter botched tackle attempt on Matt Breida, which resulted in a first down, was inexcusable.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to find receivers on short and intermediate routes with success. Many of those plays were on the linebacker’s side of the field. It was his first start of the year. Barton can only go up from here. Hopefully, it won’t come to that and Jordyn Brooks will return soon.
How many times do 12s have to watch Brandon Shell get manhandled?
This is Week 4 and Shell’s third time on the Dud list. It could have been four if the Seahawks didn’t suffer so many knee injuries against New England in Week 2.
Sunday, it was Emmanuel Ogbah‘s turn to get by Shell, get in Russell Wilson’s face and blow up plays in the Seattle Seahawks backfield. Shell’s job as a starter speaks volumes about backup tackles Jamarco Jones and Cedric Ogbuehi.
It only gets tougher from here on out. The Seahawks still have to face the Rams and Niners twice as well as Minnesota and Buffalo. Wilson could be scrambling for his life in some of those games.
Last week I pinned the Seahawks poor pass defense on the entire secondary. This week one man deserves most of the criticism.
When Bill Parcells was coaching the Giants back in the 80s, he had a cornerback named Elvis Patterson. After receivers took advantage of Patterson several times, Parcells had enough. He started referring to his cornerback as “toast.” The motivation tactic worked; Patterson was a key member of New York’s 1986 dominating defense that won the Super Bowl.
It’s in that spirit that I now refer to Tre Flowers as “dinner.” Because if Russ cooks on offense, Flowers gets cooked and eaten up on defense. He was abysmal against Miami. Dolphins wide receivers had an easy time against Flowers.
He is the best option Seattle has right now as their second cornerback and that’s pretty bad. Quinton Dunbar, get well soon.
David Moore, Seattle Seahawks.
No Jamal Adams, Quinton Dunbar, Bruce Irvin, or Jordyn Brooks on Sunday. No problem for linebacker K.J. Wright. He had his best game of 2020 in the heat and humidity of Miami
Wright seemed to be everywhere. The Seahawks’ longest-tenured player was visible all day, from making hits in the backfield for loss to deflecting passes while in coverage. As a matter of fact, he defended three passes on Sunday, which included getting a hand on a ball intended for the end zone.
It’s almost hard to believe the Seattle Seahawks expected David Moore to be the number four receiver when camp opened. As the number three, he’s been a dependable deep threat for Wilson all season.
Moore only had three catches on the day, but they were memorable. The first was a 57-yard strike down the left sideline with 10 seconds remaining in the first half to set up a touchdown. The second was 21 yards down the middle during Seattle’s opening drive of the second half.
Catch number three is the one people will remember for some time. Up by only two points midway through the fourth quarter, Seattle went on their most important possession of the game. The Seahawks drove the ball down to Miami’s 17-yard line. Moore made a leaping catch in the back corner of the end zone for a much-needed six points.
Once again, RW3 leaves no doubt about who is the best quarterback in the NFL. Sunday was Wilson’s lowest quarterback rating of the year, and it was still 112.4. He completed 24 of 34 attempts for a season-high 360 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
The way Wilson throws a deep ball is just beautiful. This week Russ had three passes of 30 yards or more. He is in sync with his receivers and puts the pigskin where only his man can make the play. Case in point his TD throw to David Moore. No one but Moore was going to catch that touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
Another thing that was impressive about RW3 in Miami was his poise. He didn’t try to force balls to his receivers. Even when he was flushed out of the pocket, Wison was able to work his check downs. His concentration was remarkable.
Next week the Seattle Seahawks return home to face the 1-3 Minnesota Vikings.