Tag Archives: Russell Wilson

Week 9: Washington

That was the worst home loss in Wilson era; now it gets tougher

1 Comment

Logo -- WashingtonSeattle’s 17-14 debacle against Washington was easily the worst home loss of the Russell Wilson era — a ridiculous defeat to an undermanned team that the Seahawks couldn’t afford to take, not with the toughest part of their schedule about to begin.

This was just the seventh home loss in the Wilson era. But it came against a broken-down Washington offense and a defense giving up 25.7 points per game. In other words, it was completely unacceptable. Seattle could have — should have — won at least 22-17.

But, thanks to a record penalty day, three missed field goals and two interceptions, the Seahawks are just 5-3 midway through another disjointed season. They have struggled to stay above .500, with five wins against teams that are a combined 13-29. And it is about to get really hard. The winless 49ers are the only losing team in the final eight games, with the seven others a combined 32-17.

That’s not a good sign for a Seattle team that halfway through the season still has no running game and is now beating itself with record penalty counts and many other errors.

Continue reading That was the worst home loss in Wilson era; now it gets tougher →

Week 8: Houston

A great sign: Hawks win historic shootout

2 Comments

Logo -- HoustonThe Seahawks don’t often win shootouts — because their defense rarely lets them get into those situations.

So, it was a great sign Sunday that Russell Wilson put the team on his back and won a historic duel with stellar Houston rookie Deshaun Watson.

The Hawks have a long way to go still, but this 41-38 win felt a lot like a 39-30 victory over Pittsburgh in 2015. That was the second game in a 6-1 finish to the 2015 season during which the Hawks averaged 32 points.

The Hawks are 5-2, tied with the surprising Rams atop the NFC West, with a direct win already. Seattle should win at least three of the next four (Washington, at Arizona, Atlanta, at San Francisco) before a tough four-game stretch (Philadelphia, at Jacksonville, L.A., at Dallas). Add the finale vs. Arizona, and the Hawks look poised for 10-11 wins — more if they can find a running game.

Continue reading A great sign: Hawks win historic shootout →

State of the team, Week 7: At NY Giants

Slow-starting offense frustrates everyone

Leave a comment

Logo -- NY GiantsWhen Doug Baldwin pushed aside Tom Cable in the second quarter in New York, it was a perfectly timed expression of frustration that reflected what every Seattle fan was feeling.

Although some fans would love for Cable to be shoved out the door, Baldwin apologized for the physical move — but he also made it clear he, like all of us, was sick of how the offense was playing.

“At that moment, I was really frustrated with the offense as a whole,” Baldwin said. “Not the coaching staff — the players. Again, it goes back to our X’s and O’s. We had the play calls. We just didn’t execute. Whether it was passing the ball, blocking, catching, jumping offsides, false-starting, whatever it may be, we weren’t executing as players.”

Although Baldwin and the Seahawks came up with three touchdowns in the second half to win 24-7, the very poor first-half starts remain. And the red zone continues to be a black hole for Russell Wilson and company.

Continue reading Slow-starting offense frustrates everyone →

Week 5: At Los Angeles

A win vs. Rams is worth celebrating — no matter how it happened

3 Comments

At Los Angeles logoThe Seahawks had lost three straight games at the Rams and four of the past six meetings overall, so the fact that Seattle finally managed to steal one on the road against them is cause for major celebration.

Forget the typically poor offensive performance — the Rams always dominate the Hawks’ offense. Forget the fact that the Hawks were outgained 375 yards to 241. Forget that they rushed for under 100 yards for the fourth straight time vs. the Rams.

Instead, focus on the fact that the Hawks avoided falling two games behind the Rams in the NFC West. Focus on the five takeaways, including two each by Earl Thomas and Sheldon Richardson. Focus on the fact that Seattle kept the Rams out of the end zone in all five red-zone possessions.

Continue reading A win vs. Rams is worth celebrating — no matter how it happened →

CHAWK LINES, Week 5: At Los Angeles
Leave a comment

CHAWK LINES -- Seahawks at Rams

The Seahawks are going to “take our time” with Cliff Avril’s neck injury.

Rees Odhiambo is expected to play just a week after a scary chest injury landed him in the hospital overnight.

Marcus Smith has suddenly become a very important player.

Malik McDowell suffered a “really bad concussion” in his ATV accident in July, Pete Carroll said. McDowell will be examined in a couple of weeks, and Carroll still has not ruled out the team’s top pick playing this season.

Continue reading →

Week 5: At Los Angeles

First-half offense has held Hawks back

1 Comment

At Los Angeles logoA quarter of the way through the season, the Seahawks are right where we figured they would be: 2-2.

It’s what you have to expect from a typically slow-starting offense that is once again trying to build an offensive line.

“We have been close to doing a lot of good stuff; it just hasn’t clicked like we like it,” Pete Carroll said.

If they could have added a few more points in the first half, they easily could be 4-0. Instead, they have been Seattle’s worst first-half offense after four games since Russell Wilson arrived in 2012.

Continue reading First-half offense has held Hawks back →

Week 2: San Francisco, X's & O's

After same start as 2016, will Wilson run more?

2 Comments

Logo -- San FranciscoThe Seahawks are off to the same poor start on offense as 2016, and it’s really up to Russell Wilson to decide whether they take basically the same course as last season or do it better.

In 2016, Seattle scored one touchdown in 22 possessions vs. Miami and the L.A. Rams. This year, the Seahawks have one TD in 21 possessions vs. Green Bay and San Francisco.

In 2016, with new starters at four line spots, running backs averaged just 3.2 yards per rush in the first two games (149 yards on 47 carries), and the line gave up five sacks and 18 QB hits. This year, again with new starters at four line positions, running backs are averaging 3.6 yards per attempt (147 yards on 41 carries), and Wilson has been sacked six times and hit 17.

The Hawks converted 31 percent of their third downs (9 of 29) in Games 1 and 2 in 2016; they are at 35.5 percent (11 of 31) this year.

As you can see, it’s almost a carbon copy. The big difference: Wilson is healthy. Will the Seahawks use that to their advantage?

Continue reading After same start as 2016, will Wilson run more? →

Week 1: At Green Bay

How to make the offense go behind this line

Leave a comment

Seahawks at Packers helmetsThe Seahawks’ offense picked up right where it left off last season — in the gutter. And the result was a 17-9 loss to Green Bay that put Seattle in an early hole in the chase for home-field advantage.

The performance of the supposedly much-improved offensive line was just more of the same sewage at Lambeau as the Hawks lost there for the eighth straight time. The unit gave up three sacks and seven QB hits and put together a horrible effort in the running game (53 yards on 15 running back carries).

It was another one of those games in which Seattle’s offense was so pathetic that the defense (which also had problems on third downs) was on the field for almost 40 minutes. As Earl Thomas said, “It has been like this for eight years. We understand that sometimes our offense is not going to be in a rhythm like they need to be.”

Pete Carroll said Monday that he doesn’t think this is indicative of what Seattle has on offense and he expects the unit to show better going forward.

But the reality is this will continue to be a problem off and on for at least a few weeks. So how do the Seahawks fix it?

Continue reading How to make the offense go behind this line →

Week 1: At Green Bay

Home field already on the line as Hawks open with familiar Pack

1 Comment

Seahawks at Packers helmetsOne game won’t decide a season, but — if the Seahawks and Packers are really the two best teams in the NFC, as Vegas thinks — home-field advantage might already be on the line when they open the season Sunday.

And that means the Seahawks are going to need to buck some bad history at Lambeau Field.

The Seahawks have lost seven straight games in Green Bay, by an average of 18.9 points. That includes last December, when Russell Wilson threw five interceptions in a 38-10 blowout that was the Hawks’ worst loss since 2011.

As we have chronicled previously, the Seahawks and Packers have been one of the best non-division rivalries in the NFL for the past two decades. This will be the sixth meeting in six years and the 14th since 1999 (the Hawks are 4-1 at home, 1-7 at Lambeau).

On top of that, they still have a thriving pipeline — Eddie Lacy the latest to go from one team to the other. He’ll face his former Packers teammates Sunday.

Continue reading Home field already on the line as Hawks open with familiar Pack →

Preseason, The roster

Backup QB choice: Big plays both ways or just play it smart?

1 Comment

Logo -- PreseasonLast year proved pretty definitively that backup QB is one of the least important positions in Seattle.

They went with a rookie behind Russell Wilson, who then refused to miss a start despite major knee and ankle sprains that had him functioning at around 50 percent or less for much of the season.

If Wilson didn’t miss a game last year, it seems unlikely he will ever miss one (barring an ACL injury or something similarly major).

So this summer’s battle between incumbent No. 2 Trevone Boykin and Austin Davis is not really a big thing. Still, the Hawks need a second passer and need to make a choice.

The question Seattle coaches must ask themselves: Do they want a guy who makes big plays both ways or a guy who makes smart plays? Because that is the difference between Boykin and Davis.

Continue reading Backup QB choice: Big plays both ways or just play it smart? →