Mortality
(n.) – The state or condition of being subject to death. While the Seahawks are
not vulnerable to a literal death, the loss they took yesterday to the
Cardinals proved that they are not invincible. This was Russell Wilson’s first
home loss as a professional quarterback, so naturally the thought to this point
was that the ‘Hawks simply couldn’t be beat in the Clink. The Cardinals proved
that a strong defense and an offense that controls the ball absolutely can beat
the Seahawks, even in Seattle. In today’s NFL, there are few teams that fit
this mold, but two of them are potential opponents for the ‘Hawks in the NFC in
the Panthers and 49ers. The Cardinals just beat the ‘Hawks with Carson Palmer
throwing four interceptions. Imagine how badly they would’ve beat us if Colin
Kaepernick or Cam Newton was their quarterback. Yikes.
1. Next week is
a must-win
Just
a few weeks ago, Seahawks fans were saying that the ‘Hawks might be able to
rest their starters in a week 17 games against the Rams. The number one seed
was thought to be all but sewn up. Yet all of a sudden the game has become one
of the biggest of the season. Assuming the 49ers beat the Falcons, the ‘Hawks
will have to win on Sunday to secure
the number one seed in the NFC. If they don’t do so, the Seahawks will all of a
sudden drop to the wild card round of the playoffs and have to go on the road
in the first week. Furthermore, the game against the Rams will be no cakewalk.
Anything but. Let’s not forget that the Rams were one play away from beating
the Seahawks earlier this season. Plus, Jeff Fischer is one of the best coaches
in the NFL and can outfox you on any given day. The implications of the week 17
game against the Rams are vast and I cannot wait until Sunday.
2. Defense will
lead the team to victories from now on
Early
in the season, the Seahawks offense was scoring at a pace good enough for
second in the NFL, only behind the historic Denver Broncos. Now it seems the
paradigm has shifted and it will be the defense leading the Seahawks to wins. In
their past two games the Seahawks have intercepted opponents a whopping nine
times. Additionally, in their past 10 quarters the ‘Hawks defense has only
allowed two touchdowns. Now the defense hasn’t been perfect, as twice over the
past three weeks they have allowed game winning touchdown drives. That being
said, the pass defense is right where it needs to be, the run defense seems to
be improving, and the pass-rush can be lethal on any given day.
The Seahawks defense will lead the team to victories from now on, no matter what.
Seahawks.com
3. Special teams
not so special
What
in the world happened with the special teams yesterday? The Seahawks have had
the best special teams unit in the NFL and it hasn’t been close. Yet yesterday
the special teams was arguably the worst part of the game for the ‘Hawks that
included Russell Wilson completing less than 41% of his passes. Steven Hauschka
missed a chip-shot field goal, Jon Ryan had his worst punting day of the year
by far, and Robert Turbin fumbled a kickoff return. The group as a whole was an
absolute disaster. I try not to overreact too much to one week, but something
has to be done, the playoffs are upon us.
4. PENALTIES ARE
GOING TO LOSE US GAMES
The
Seahawks had nine penalties against them for 102 yards. It is not just the
sheer number however, it is the situations in which these penalties were
committed. Too often did the Seahawks defense commit dumb penalties that kept
Cardinal drives alive. Discipline is one of the most underrated attributes that
championship teams possess and right now the Seahawks do not have it.
We've seen this look all too many times.
The Seattle Times
5. Offense,
Baldwin, missed opportunities
There is far too much to write about in this
game but I sure as heck am going to try. The offense was horrible. The
offensive line was bad, the running game was bad, and the passing game was
atrocious. In my opinion this is the worst game Russell Wilson has ever played
in a Seahawks uniform. Not much more needs to be said on that matter. On the
Doug Baldwin play at the end of the game I believe the correct ruling was made.
Not the correct call, but the correct ruling. The pass was incomplete, but
because it was ruled an interception on the field it could not be overturned. I
completely agree with the decision made by the referees to not overturn the call
because I do not think there was enough video evidence to overturn the call. That
single play however should not be called upon by fans as the reason the
Seahawks lost that game. They played terrible on offense, missed innumerable
opportunities, and finished 2 of 13 on third down. That is absurdly bad. So
much to work out in this week of practice and we will see how the team responds
on Sunday against the Rams.
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