Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks.
Those expletives you here are coming from Seattle Seahawks country. Winning in the NFL is a very difficult challenge. So, when a team coughs up a lead, its fan base does plenty of cursing. Along with a lot of blaming of the head coach and quarterback.
While some of this is deserved, they do after all get all the credit for the victories, they are not solely at fault in the defeats. Football is one of the, if not the, ultimate team sport in American sports. Having had a chance to sleep on the game, let’s cue up your heartbreak playlist and dive into this painful loss.
BREAKING NEWS: NFL and Seattle Seahawk wide receiver D.K. Metcalf is currently missing. Last seen racing in an Olympic qualification race and finishing near the back. If you have seen or have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Seattle Seahawks immediately.
Alright, so that may be a little bit extreme as Metcalf has been productive in the two games. Even outside of the box score. Currently averaging eight targets a game with five catches for 55-yards and 0.5 touchdowns a game. Being, able to take two defenders away on every play means there is a one-on-one matchup somewhere else.
So far that has been Tyler Lockett (more on him in a bit). However, the Seattle Seahawks and 12’s have come to expect more from Metcalf, as has he. It’s great he wants to take down Calvin Johnson’s record. It’s another to actually do it. Right now, Metcalf is only slightly closer than you and I to actually breaking that record.
Infuriating to some is the amount of talking and diva attitude he is currently displaying. As previously mentioned, accounting for being double-covered on every play, while still making the catches he does, is very difficult. It’d be something different if his current antics and production came against one-on-one coverage.
Just like last week, the Seattle Seahawks started the game on offense with big chunk plays. And making the new Shane Waldron offense look good. Then the defense jumped in, forcing the only turnover of the game. Subsequently, the offense cashed in for another touchdown putting Seattle up 11 points.
Because the offense was moving the ball and taking time off the clock, the defense had time to rest and recover. Tackling a running back like Derrick Henry over and over and over and over again (this sounds familiar) is incredibly taxing. So, in the first half, the team clicked. Early on they looked like they’d be saying “Bye Bye Bye”.
Conversely, the overall game plan and coaching was poor. Everyone who watches the NFL, or more than just their own team, knows that Tennessee’s bagel is buttered with Henry running the ball. Not to toot my own horn but I even said it in the Opponent Preview. Well, guess what happened.
Even with the Seattle Seahawks up big Henry still got the ball. As the game continued on you can see the defense getting worn down by the physical toll of tackling Henry. There were several drives where the coaching staff should have called plays with this in mind.
Keeping the ball in Russell Wilson‘s hands with the game in question is how this team needs to operate. This current defense is not the Legion of Boom. Therefore, it should not be counted on to act like them.
I’m not sure if the Seattle Seahawks had a collective brain fart or maybe an episode of pregnancy brain. But getting penalty flags is like scoring in golf. You want low numbers, not high ones. On Sunday the Seahawks were flagged 10 times for an even 100 yards. Compared to Tennessee’s five for 45-yards. Not going to spend too much time on this as it’s the equivalent of crying over spilled milk.
The officiating crew for this game was incredibly water trash. On the first roughing the passer call against Seattle, I’m still unsure what they saw. The second one I can understand it, even though I don’t think the play was worthy of a flag. The final backbreaker was the taunting penalty against D.J. Reed. An incredibly soft, weak call made by an official who most likely never played football.
Always need to end on a positive. Lockett and Wilson are currently destroying opposing secondary’s. Metcalf draws the bulk of the defense’s attention and Lockett is making them pay. Lockett went over 100 receiving yards (178) on eight receptions including a 63-yard touchdown catch. Wilson meanwhile is sporting a pristine six touchdown to zero interception ratio. He also went over 300 yards passing (343) with two touchdowns.
It was also nice to see Freddie Swain have a good game. Eventually, teams will adjust their coverages and/or how they attack the Seattle Seahawks offense. Having another player or two who can step up and make plays will be huge for this team.
There are more items we can talk about. For example, the time of possession or the lack of rushing for the Seahawks. However, at some point, we have to move on. For now, it’s on to Minnesota for Game 3.