Seattle Seahawks: Dud and Stud of Game 5 – Minnesota

Ed Stein   |  

Oct 13, 2020

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Seattle Seahawks offensive line.

2nd Dishonorable Mention – Offensive Line

I thought the Seattle Seahawks offensive line play as a whole was pretty awful. Starting left guard Mike Iupati was a late scratch. Missing him wasn’t the line’s big problem. On the run side, the stat sheet says Seattle had 7.8 yards-per-carry. Lots of that was RW3 improvising after getting flushed from the pocket as well a Chris Carson‘s big gain where he broke through a wall of would-be tacklers.

All game long, Russell Wilson had defensive players in his face. Very rarely did he have a clean pocket to throw from. For the game, Wilson was sacked four times and hit nine, not including the other hits on him from running out of a collapsing pocket.

1st Dishonorable Mention – First Half

The Seattle Seahawks first half performance can be summed up in one word, ugly. Although each team had four possessions, Minnesota dominated. They held the ball for 20:16, running 41 plays for 197 yards, while the Seahawks could only muster 61 net yards in 18 plays. At the half, Seattle trailed 13-0.

Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll loves to talk about ball control. That first 30 minutes was his worst nightmare.

Dud of the Week – Run Defense

In the end, Minnesota controlled the clock for 39:28, an almost two-to-one ratio. The Vikings were able to do it because they ran the ball effectively.

There is a reason why Dalvin Cook came into the game as the NFL’s leading rusher. Minnesota can jam the ball down anyone’s gullet at will. Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks front was over-matched. In the first half, NBC analyst Chris Collins praised Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed for his run defense. That was like celebrating him for a great dunk on an eight-foot rim.

Seattle came into the game with one of the better run defenses in football. They learned quickly what it’s like to face a team with a good offensive line and dedicated to the ground ground. I will say this, When the Seahawks needed a run stop on their most important play of the game, they made it. It should have never gotten that far, to begin with.

Next: Page 3 – The Stud

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