Last week the Seahawks flashed some depth, a collection of players stood out and they won the game fairly comfortably. Today was a different experience.
Seattle’s top performers on the night were already established starters. With a number of players injured or rested, the depth was tested.
Overall it was a difficult game.
Minnesota out-gained Seattle 409-221 and moved the ball with ease in the second half. They had 14 more first downs and were 11-18 on third downs compared to Seattle’s 4-12. Defensively there was very little resistance and the offense looked disjointed.
The scoreline was deceptively close thanks to the boot of Jason Myers and a gifted pick-six. The Seahawks’ backups struggled and provided very little clarity on a number of position battles.
Here are the notes…
— Poona Ford was the stand-out player on defense. He impacted plays against the run and pass. He could easily have had a forced fumble but for a dubious whistle for forward progress. This was an exciting, impressive performance that will alleviate some of the concern about Jarran Reed’s six game suspension. With Reed also featuring today and having a terrific play shooting a gap to force a TFL, an accomplished partnership at defensive tackle could emerge from mid-season. Al Woods also showed well which is encouraging given he’ll fill-in for Reed.
— Jaron Brown and Tyler Lockett both deserve praise on the offense. They effortlessly got open to provide Russell Wilson with easy completions for decent yardage. When people ask why Brown is a lock for the team, this is why. You need players familiar with the league, Seattle’s offense and the quarterback. On this evidence Lockett will settle nicely into the #1 role and Brown will be a productive #2.
— The pass protection from the starting unit was excellent. Seattle really has done a good job turning around the fortunes of the O-line. They better hope for good health though because the backups were awful. As soon as they switched, the offense completely stalled. Elijah Nkansah at left tackle started with a bad hold to negate a nice gain from Paxton Lynch for a first down then gave up a sack off the edge. The running game collapsed as the line was pushed around. It was virtually impossible for Lynch or Rashaad Penny to get anything going. Any kind of pass or run was laboured. They need Jordan Simmons, George Fant and Jamarco Jones to get healthy and stay healthy to provide some insurance. Fair play to Joey Hunt keeping alive a Jazz Ferguson fumble leading to a Jackson Harris recovery.
— That’s not to say Lynch and Penny are completely blameless. Lynch looked flustered behind the porous line and never really settled. He should’ve been picked off in the red zone at the start of the fourth quarter. Penny looks like he’s overthinking. He’s tentative running at the line and looks a lot more comfortable working in space. The guy can play but he needs to start hitting the line with authority. There’s no doubting how much potential he and Chris Carson have as receivers though.
— Shaquill Griffin getting burned by Adam Thielen was a concern. Not because it’s Thielen — he’s a top-class receiver and one of the best in the league. It was the nature of the completion. Griffin gave Thielen a free-release and was left flat-footed against an inferior athlete. It’s the kind of too-easy big-gain this defense is designed to never give up. This is year-three for Griffin and he shouldn’t get beat like that. People might point to Tre Flowers’ DPI shortly after but that was much better coverage and so close to a fantastic play.
— The interception for Deshawn Shead’s big play was fairly straight forward but having forced a safety last week and now a pick six — along with his versatility — Shead is making the team. He did miss a tackle late in the first half on a big catch-and-run.
— None of the nickel corners contenders appeared to have a good game. Justin Coleman was always going to be an underrated loss but this felt like a poor day for Kalan Reed, Jamar Taylor and Akeem King.
— Twitter remains painful during Seahawks games. Hot takes galore.
— Ugo Amadi had the play of the first half after Shead’s pick six. You can watch it below. Anything like this gets Pete Carroll jacked. Look at the reaction of the sideline. That’s what Seattle wants on special teams. They need it to connect to the physicality on offense and defense. It’s a perfectly timed, clean, monstrous tackle.
💥 BOOM 💥@UAmadi7_ x #SEAvsMIN pic.twitter.com/USPcP6NRsy
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 19, 2019
— Mychal Kendricks looked a class apart. He moves so freely, plays with toughness and look at the way he chased the ball-carrier down on the catch-and-run after Jacob Martin lost in coverage and Shead missed his tackle. Kendricks will be a diamond for Seattle in 2019.
— The blown coverage on Minnesota’s touchdown before half-time was poor to see. Marquise Blair was stranded in no-man’s land. It’s not necessarily his fault but it’s hard to figure out what he was doing. If it is his error — this is why he’ll be a rookie backup. This defense is about discipline. They lived with Earl Thomas as a raw rookie because they had no depth in 2010 and he was an electric top-15 pick. Blair needs time to learn. Fans on twitter might not like it but Tedric Thompson or Delano Hill likely starts the season simply because they’ll make less mistakes. Doing things right is more important to Carroll’s scheme than people realise. Blair was carted off with a back injury which isn’t good news.
— It felt like Seattle blitzed a lot and needed to in order to create pressure. I’m going to copy this comment to paste in other instant reaction pieces throughout the season. Apart from a very brief flash here and there — the only thing today proved was how much they need Ziggy Ansah healthy.
— Minnesota moved the ball a bit too easily for comfort in the third quarter. The defense needed someone to step up and make a play but nobody really came close. Seattle’s depth was tested in the second half. They have a lot of injuries at the moment and rested a lot of players. They scraped the bottom of the roster today. Hardly anyone stood out in the second half.
— It was good to see Jazz Ferguson make another couple of catches but he had only two completions on seven targets and a fumble. John Ursua joined in late in the fourth with a 25-yarder. He only had two targets overall. It was surprising to see Gary Jennings have only one target all day (an incompletion I can barely recall). Lynch zones in on Ferguson a lot which is fine but we need to see the other receivers.
— Jason Myers was flawless which is excellent news.
— 3:35am British time was not the moment to bring out ‘sky cam’ (even for one snap).
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