Takeaways: The Return of Percy Harvin

By Jackson Safon

The return of Percy Harvin this week was the most anticipated return since my return to the Redmond High School golf team post-injury, a few months ago. In all seriousness, it was probably the most hyped once since Derrick Rose returned to the NBA floor this season. He may have only played 16 snaps, but in a game only meant for getting his feet wet, Harvin might have gone in up to his waist. His one catch for 17 yards was spectacular and in a huge spot on third down, but the most exciting play of the day was his 58 yard kick return to set up the ‘Hawks with great field position on their drive at the end of the first half. Harvin showed all the 12’s what he can do, and with a bye week to remain 100% healthy, he should be able to handle close to a full workload next Monday night against the Saints on a national stage.

1. Boy is this offense good

With three starting offensive lineman returning this week in Okung, Unger, and Giacomini, the Seahawks offense was dynamic. Although Lynch didn't have a great day on the ground, the increased pass protection made the ‘Hawks passing game lethal, with Russell finishing with 230 yards and two touchdowns on only 13 completions. He also had an outstanding 12.8 yards per attempt and a career high 151.4 passer rating. Wilson was throwing darts out there, but his best throw of the day was the touchdown through the “honey-hole” as Tim Ryan called it, to Doug Baldwin to end the first half. A stellar game from the offense as a whole, but especially the passing game.

What a catch by Doug Baldwin to end the first half. Amazing throw by Russell Wilson.

The Seattle Times

2. Boy is this defense good

The defense had two sacks, forced four turnovers, and scored a touchdown as well. Everyone was flying around the field but the biggest props go to Kam Chancellor and K.J. Wright for their outstanding games. Twenty points may seem like too many to give up to a team like the Vikings, but one of the touchdowns allowed was late in the game against the Seahawks’ second stringers. Most importantly, the run defense was relatively stout again, holding Adrian Peterson to only 65 yards on 21 carries. The Vikings offense obviously isn't as good as the Seahawks next opponent in the Saints, but this was a great effort all around by the defensive unit.

3. Special teams isn't bad either

The Seahawks were stellar in every aspect of special teams once again. Steven Hauschka was perfect, including a 50 yard field goal, Percy Harvin sparked the kick return game with a 58-yard return and forced the Vikings to pooch kick it later in the game, and the punting unit didn't allow the league’s number one punt returner in Marcus Sherels to return the ball once. The Seahawks are dominating in all phases of the game, getting healthy, and now have a bye before their biggest game of the season in a Monday night battle against the Saints. It’s going to be a good one.

Percy Harvin looked electric on his one kickoff return.

KSTP.com

4. Seahawks are firmly in control of their destiny

With the 49ers losing to the Saints on Sunday, they are now tied with the Cardinals for second in the division. Plus, they are now a full three games behind the Seahawks in the loss column, with only five games remaining. In other words, as long as the ‘Hawks continue to play tough, they should have the division locked up. In terms of the number one seed, they are up one game on the Saints, and get them at home next week. Win that and they will be up two plus own the tie-breaker. A win next week should propel the ‘Hawks to the top seed in the NFC. The importance of the game cannot be overstated.

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Takeaways: Seahawks Scrape Out a Win in St. Louis

By Jackson Safon

The Seahawks record is 7-1. The best in the NFC, by a half game, and tied for second best in the NFL. And that is just about all the good news I have. The final score was 14-9 but my goodness was that an ugly win. Pete Carroll said, “I got nothing,” to the ESPN cameras as he was leaving the field, but the good news for you is I have found a way to put that game into words.

1. Offensive line?
What happened? I would like an explanation of what in the world has happened to the Seahawks offensive line in the past two weeks. Just two short weeks ago, I was singing the praises of the line for showing improvement, but then the football gods decided to smite me and the Seahawks line, as they seem to have gone missing. ESPN’s “C’mon man” would not even come close to doing justice to how poorly the offensive line played. They allowed seven sacks. Seven. Without a quarterback as mobile as Russell Wilson, that number could have easily reached the double digits. Tom Cable, Seahawks nation is begging you to fix this.

 

The play at left tackle has been weak ever since Russell Okung was injured.

King 5

2. Ummm…defense?
When it rains it pours. Not only was the Seahawks offensive line terrible but the defensive line allowed huge holes in the Rams running game. The Rams ran the ball down the Hawks throat to the tune of 200 net yards averaging 5.4 yards per carry. That is significantly worse than the Seahawks defensive average and I’m not quite sure why it happened all of a sudden. The Legion of Boom played decent pass defense, but overall I was not all that impressed with the defense. They kept the team in the game with some timely turnovers, so credit has to be given as they essentially won the game for the Hawks, but the unit didn’t play well as a whole.

3. Beastmode?
Marshawn Lynch got only eight carries for 23 yards. Over the course of the entire game. Lynch normally hits those milestones after the first six minutes of the game, but for some reason the offense decided to abandon the run and he finished with his lowest carry and yardage totals this season by far. The team finished with 44 rushing yards and a measly 2.9 average in their worst rushing performance of the season by far. So many issues with the offense yesterday, but abandoning the run didn’t help.

Bruce Irvin was one of the main reasons the Seahawks were able to fend off the Rams last night.

Kevin Casey/Getty Images

4. Bruuuuuuuuuce!
Bruce Irvin everybody. In a game with a comedy of errors, Irvin was one of the only positives and it was a joy to see him play so well. He finished second on the team in tackles, with nine total, as well as an interception and a sack-fumble. He played well throughout most of the game and is making a great transition from defensive end to outside linebacker. He was a weak run defender last year but has taken that challenge head on and is now a plus defender in that area. Furthermore, for a player that is known as a pass rusher, his interception was a great one as he was 25 yards downfield. This shows his always improving coverage skills which will make him exceedingly valuable going forward. But he showed the real reason why the Hawks drafted him with an athletic sack-fumble late in the game. Bruce is a beast and it is great to see him progress.

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Takeaways: Seahawks Pull Out Miracle Win Over the Texans

By Jackson Safon

What an unbelievable game. The Seahawks pulled out a miracle win yesterday on the road against a tough opponent in the Texans. All signs pointed to a loss for the Hawks early on as they were down 20-3 at halftime. Nevertheless, they responded with 17 unanswered in the second half and three more in overtime to win the game. Lots to take away from a game like this.

1. The ‘Hawks are a gritty group
It cannot be overstated how great of a win this was for the Seahawks. To say the least, odds were against them: On the road, 10:00 start time, down 17 at halftime. Yet they fought and fought, and came out with a win Sunday afternoon. So many big plays from so many guys, but it all starts with Russell Wilson. He took over the game in the second half. The offensive line play was poor the entire game, so in the second half, Wilson took it upon himself to make the plays and used his legs to run and create time in the passing game. Credit to the defense as well, but the thing I love is that I can’t give credit to everyone. Want to know why? Because the Seahawks are a team. They came together in the second half and pulled this win out as a group. This is a gritty group of guys and after a win like that it’s hard to see how they lose a game the rest of the season. (Remember we still get to add Bruce Irvin and Percy Harvin)

Russell Okung will be missed along the offensive line while he is sidelined by a toe injury.

USATSI

2. Offensive line is decimated
Without three starting offensive linemen Russell Okung, Max Unger, and Breno Giacomini, the offensive line was crippled. Pressure was in Russell Wilson’s face the entire game and it really threw him off in the first half. The passing game was off as a whole, as Wilson barely completed 50% of his passes and had only 123 yards. Unger and Giacomini are not expected to be out for an extended period of time, but this is definitely something to watch out for, as this is a trend that cannot continue. It is fair to cut the new linemen some slack, as the Texans have one of the better defensive lines in the league, led by reigning defensive player of the year J.J. Watt, but going forward the line simply needs to play better in order for the ‘Hawks offense to perform at the level we all expect.

3. The defense really stepped up
Early in the game, the ‘Hawks defense was getting gashed in all phases. Arian Foster and Ben Tate were running through the front seven, while there was no pressure on Matt Schaub at all, which allowed him to connect with Andre Johnson and his two tight ends. But with 18 seconds left in the first half, star defensive lineman for the Seahawks Michael Bennett went down with what appeared to be a neck injury. He was taken to the hospital where a CT scan was negative and Bennett actually returned to the stadium late in the game. This was a turning point for the defense. The ‘Hawks defense had two options. Either be deflated by the injury, or inspired by it. They chose the latter. The second half was a dominant effort by the defense allowing no points. To add to the damage, Richard Sherman came up with a HUGE pick-six with just minutes to go in the game that tied up the ballgame. After a rough first half, the defense (specifically the Legion of Boom) played outstanding in the second half leading the team to a victory.

The Seahawks' best threat at the wide receiver position thus far has been Doug Baldwin.

Getty Images

4. Doug Baldwin – hard to quantify his contribution
Only three catches for 39 yards. Yet Doug Baldwin continues to make a huge impact week after week. With another fantastic sideline catch Sunday, Baldwin changed the momentum in the game. Making that grab really energized the offense that then went on to outscore the Texans by 20 in the second half and overtime. Stats don’t really sum up the meaning and impact that Doug Baldwin has on this team and this offense, but I want to be clear: his value cannot be understated.

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Takeaways: Seahawks Beat the Niners

By Jackson Safon

That my friends, was a good old fashioned butt-whooping. The Seahawks not only beat their archrival, the San Francisco 49ers, but they beat them handily. Now over the previous two games against the Niners, the Seahawks have outscored them 71-16. I had the privilege of going to this game (Shout out to Zack Packer and his family for taking me) and I can tell you firsthand that it was every bit as loud as it seemed. The noise was so deafening that when you walked from the concourse into the actual seating area the noise hit you like a wall. It literally slowed me down. I truly believe the 12^th man is one of, if not the most impressive and helpful home field advantage in all of sports today. I can also say that I am now a proud, world record holder as the members of Century Link Field broke the record for loudest stadium ever early in the third quarter. Well done 12’s, well done. All of that being said, after every game there are positives and negatives, so as always, I will help try and determine what is important to take from our most recent game.

It was a wet and sloppy game, but the Seahawks pulled out the win in the end.

ESPN

1. This defense is going to be legendary
In Cliff Avril’s first game as a Seahawks, he played great, getting consistent pressure on Kaepernick, and recording a sack-fumble. Michael Bennett and K.J. Wright recorded sacks as well, and the defensive line was consistently getting in the backfield and making Kaepernick uncomfortable. In addition to the sacks, the Hawks defense had three interceptions (all three healthy members of the Legion of Boom had one) and two forced fumbles. The Hawks defense has allowed 10 points total so far this year, to two pretty strong offenses with dynamic young quarterbacks. Plus, this is all without Bruce Irvin, Chris Clemons, and Brandon Browner. Once those three rejoin the defensive unit, I don’t know how anyone will be able to score on the Hawks. This defense is already the best in the NFL today, and when fully healthy, I could see this unit being one of the best all-time.

2. Beastmode is fine
Marshawn Lynch silenced all concerns about the running game following the week one struggle against the Panthers, as he ran for 98 yards and two touchdowns against one of the leagues better front seven’s in the 49ers. Granted, it took him 28 carries to reach the 98 yards, but he still ran the ball pretty effectively, and this success is what allowed Russell Wilson to be much more successful later in the game. Although the loss of Michael Robinson will hurt a bit, I think it is clear that we don’t have to worry too much about the running game.

Marshawn Lynch has destroyed the 49ers the last four times he has faced them.

Steven Bisig - USA Today Sports

3. Offensive line play continues to be questionable
The offensive line was shaky once again, leading to four sacks on Russell Wilson and constant pressure in his face as well. I believe this is one of the reasons that the passing game and offense as a whole got off to a slow start, which is something that needs to be fixed if this team is going to win a championship. Additionally, Russell Okung was forced to leave the game because of a turf toe injury. This will hurt the offensive line even more. However, it will be a good chance for guys like Paul McQuistan and Alvin Bailey to prove that they belong in this league. The offensive line play must improve if the Seahawks offense and specifically the Seahawks passing game is going to perform at the elite level we all expect.

Paul McQuistan will have to step up in the absence of Russell Okung.

Seahawks.com

4. Are we the best team in the NFL?
I know it is only week two, but the past two times the Seahawks have played the defending NFC champions, they have outscored them by a combined 55 points. Furthermore, if you matchup the ‘Hawks against any of the NFC’s best teams such as the Packers, Saints, or Falcons, I would expect the ‘Hawks to win all of those games and I don’t think they would be all that close. Obviously, the ‘Hawks had to squeak by the Packers last season in the famous “Fail Mary” game, and we lost to the Falcons in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, but I think that by the time the playoffs roll around this year, we will be able to beat them handily. Think about it. Not only do we get back the three defensive starters I mentioned earlier, but potentially as soon as week 7 we can get PERCY HARVIN back. I am not sure if you realize how big of a help that will be to the offense, but I can assure you, his dynamic ability will change the offense completely. The Hawks are the best team in the NFC in my mind, which would leave teams in the AFC that we would have to match up against in the Super Bowl. With the Patriots and Texans at 2-0 by very slim margins, and the Ravens struggling to beat the Browns this week, it would seem that the Broncos are the logical team to make it out of the AFC. This would be a very intriguing matchup and one that I think would make for a much closer game than any team the Seahawks played in the NFC. Could we beat the Broncos in a game? Sure. But are we better than them right now? I can’t say for sure if that is true or not. In other words, I am avoiding the question that I myself posed. But what I can say is that the Seahawks are one of the two best teams in the entire NFL, and should only get better as the season goes on.

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