Seattle Seahawks block a punt.
If the Seattle Seahawks really aspire to hoist up that Lombardi Trophy, then they need to beat down teams like the woeful New York Giants. Sunday’s game was laid out on a silver platter for them. A home game, where the Seahawks were undefeated. Check. Facing a weak arm backup quarterback. Check. Saquon Barkley watching the game just like you and me. Check. Facing a team with a losing record that averages 19.5 points a game. Check.
Then the game started. The Seahawks took the ball right down the field on their first drive, and it ended with *dramatic pause to build suspense* a field goal. Ok, so not great, but they did come away with points and the lead, so that’s a good thing.
After the teams exchanged several punts, Quandre Diggs intercepted a deflection to give Seattle the ball at their own 36-yard line. Even good field position didn’t help; the Seahawks punted again. What it did was back the Giants up. The teams continued punting and playing “flip the field.”
On the Giants last possession of the half, Ryan Neal blocked a punt into the endzone. A scramble ensued, and Penny Hart recovered the ball. Unfortunately, one of his hands touched the endline. Instead of a six (probably seven)-point touchdown, it was a two-point safety. Seattle went into the locker room at halftime with a 5-0 lead (raise your hand if you had that score on your bingo card).
The second half started the same way the first ended, with punts. Now the game is becoming discouraging. New York had a losing record, and the Seahawks are a high flying, fun, and exciting offense. Yet it’s a five-point game and no TDs through almost half the third quarter. Finally, a touchdown at the 7:40 mark, but by the Giants on an Alfred Morris run. Five minutes later, NYG does the same thing with the same man after the Seahawks fail to convert a fourth-and-one from their 48-yard line.
Seattle didn’t score a touchdown until six minutes left in the game, down by 12 points. A 28-yard pass play from Russell Wilson to Chris Carson closed the gap to 17-12. And that’s how it ended.
Not one player on Seattle’s offense was able to carry the unit. The explosive wide receivers were routinely held in check. D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett had good games, but Seattle needed more from them. Wilson looked like he was auditioning for a part in the movie Dazed and Confused. The only player that got close to carrying the team was Chris Carson. He had 65 yards rushing in addition to three catches and 45 yards with a TD, but even then, Seattle needed more.
As bad of a game as this was, the Seattle Seahawks still had a chance to win it on their last drive. But on third-and-10, Wilson took an eight-yard sack (on a three-man rush) to make it fourth-and-18 and force Pete Carroll to use his final timeout.
Then for some reason, Wilson thought it was best to go for the Hail-Mary. Before the sack, he overthrew Freddie Swain down the left sideline and was almost picked off. So why not heave another ball.
Instead of just trying for the first down and hurrying up to spike the ball and take a better shot at the end zone from a more manageable distance. Granted, New York had eight men in coverage and a running clock. Just my opinion that this might have been easier to accomplish than going “all or nothing.”
It was very do-able. Tight end Jacob Hollister was open in the deep middle around the 25-yard line. That would have been good for a new set of downs with a little over 30 seconds left on the clock.
The Seattle Seahawks offensive line has been bad this season. Sunday was no different. Wilson was sacked five times for 47 yards. The O-line also gave up 10 QB hits and four tackles for loss.
Not all sacks can be tied to the line. Some were coverage sacks as Wilson had nowhere to go with the ball. More on that in a second.
But some sacks were inexcusable. Most of the fourth quarter saw the Giants only rushing four, sometimes just three players. No matter how many rushers came at the line, they couldn’t handle it.
It’s a vicious circle. Because the Giants got pressure with fewer rushers, they can drop more players in coverage. Then the line has to hold up longer because Wilson now has to account for seven or eight defenders covering Lockett and Metcalf. Not easy for two guys to beat quadruple coverage.
All day, the O-Line couldn’t handle the Giants defensive front, which bogged down the team’s other offensive operations. There were fewer holes for the backs to exploit and less time for Wilson in the pocket.
Seattle played Sunday without starting right tackle, Brandon Shell. This group isn’t the greatest, even at full strength. What makes the situation worse is a lack of quality depth. Any loss of a starter significantly impacts the rest of the line. Shell’s return will be much appreciated. This offensive unit is a nightmare for opponents when fully healthy.
Since Jamal Adams returned from injury and Carlos Dunlap has come to the Emerald City, this Seattle Seahawks defense has gradually improved. They’re not anywhere close to the Legion of Boom level, but they are getting better. Getting better is what this team needs. Especially right now with the offense struggling.
The defense held New York’s offense to 290 yards for an average of 5.3-yards-per-play. Over the course of an entire game, that’s not terrible. The Giants only had two plays go over 20 yards. By contrast, the Seahawks had four. NYG quarterback Colt McCoy had 105 yards, which works out to 4.8 yards-per-attempt. They were able to sack him twice, generate another four QB hits, get five tackles for loss, and five pass deflections.
Let’s not forget about the defensive backs. D.J. Reed started in place of injured Tre’ Flowers (who replaced injured Quinton Dunbar) and was excellent in coverage. As was both Shaquill Griffin and Quandre Diggs. It’s surprising the Seahawks didn’t have more coverage sacks.
But they let Wayne Gallman Jr and Alfred Morris run all over them in the second half. Gallman averaged 8.4 yards a carry and ripped off a 60-yarder, ending his day with 16 carries for 135 yards. Saquon Barkley-like numbers from a third-string running back. At least the defense forced half-a-dozen punts, with half of them being three-and-outs.
What’s wrong with Russell Wilson? Since the Seattle Seahawks lost their first game, Wilson has been in a gradual decline. His passer rating over the first five games was 129.8. Over the most recent seven, it’s down to 96.5. That puts him outside of the top 10.
RW3’s current slide in play all but ends his Most Valuable Player candidacy. This is probably why Russ never received a single MVP vote. His best performances are long forgotten by the end of the year.
I’m not sure that it’s any single thing, in particular, that is causing the decline. At this point in the season, Wilson probably has a few nicks and bruises. More film is out there on how to stop the dynamic receiving. The lack of any other receiving playmaker. The poor offensive line. Maybe he feels pressure to do it all by himself. Going for the hero play more than the smart play. This Sunday, Wilson looked like his mind might be elsewhere.
Jason Myers is perfect! Well, regarding his field goal kicking. He is now 16 for 16 on field goals. As previously mentioned, Neal blocked a punt in the end zone. It was unfortunate that Penny Hart recovered the ball out of bounds for a safety instead of a touchdown. It turned out the five-point difference between the outcomes was the difference in the final score.
Also, Michael Dickson had a good day at the office. Of the Aussie’s five punts, only two were touchbacks, two were inside the 20, and the other was a fair catch. His longest on the day went 66-yards.
Yes, I know Lockett and Metcalf weren’t the only receivers to play. But let’s be honest, they’re the only ones that teams have to game plan for. The rest of the pass-catchers who most teams will dare to beat them. Losing tight end Greg Olsen hurts maybe more than expected. Olsen wasn’t the pass-catching force he was in his prime, but he was a player that defenses had to consider and plan for.
Someone else on this offense needs to step up and be a threat. Josh Gordon has been reinstated and can play in Game 15, but that is still a few weeks away. Carson is the most logical to step up, but he is a little bit impacted by the game script. As long as the Seahawks can run the ball effectively, he should be the man. It would great if the Seahawks could use Carson a little more like New Orleans uses Alvin Kamara in the passing game. But that doesn’t play to Carson’s greatest strength, even though he’s shown improvement.
Jacob Hollister, Will Dissly, Freddie Swain, or David Moore need to step up and be a weapon. Otherwise, expect this underproducing game plan to continue, especially in the NFC West showdown game against the L.A. Rams on December 27.
There is some good news 12s. The Seattle Seahawks play the hapless and winless NY Jets next week. If there is any team in the league who can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, it’s “Gang Green.” I’m putting my stamp on a Seattle victory for next week. There is no way the Seahawks lose to the 0-12 Jets. I hope Trevor Lawrence is happy there.
Check back with us on Tuesday for our Dud and Stud of the Week.