Wilson’s Seahawks beat Newton’s Panthers for the third straight season
Make no mistake, this was an absolutely crucial win.
The Seahawks head into back-to-back home games at 4-3. If they were 3-4, the noise could’ve been too loud for even Russell Wilson to ignore. The national media sees a story in Seattle. Whether it’s Wilson’s status in the locker room, the future of Marshawn Lynch or the aftermath of the Percy Harvin trade — there’s a pound of flesh for one and all. The defending champs losing three in a row would’ve been like throwing petrol on on a blossoming garbage fire.
This wasn’t a pretty victory, but it was pretty gutty. Seattle blew a host of missed opportunities to make this a fairly comfortable encounter and still managed to win thanks to Wilson’s late game winning drive.
If I missed anything in this little review, let me know:
— The Seahawks defense dropped two catch-able interceptions. Tharold Simon saw the first smack him in the chest, K.J. Wright failed to pull in a diving attempt at midfield.
— Marshawn Lynch let a Wilson pass zip through his fingers leading to a red zone interception. It should’ve been caught and took a minimum of three points off the board before half time.
— Wilson missed a wide open Cooper Helfet for a sure touchdown. He was close to crossing the original LOS, but the ugly pass that wobbled out of Wilson’s hands was bizarre and took an easy seven off the board.
— Backup center Stephen Schilling botched a snap leading to another red zone turnover. Again, points came off the board.
— Michael Bennett failed to complete a sack of Cam Newton in the end zone. Seattle lost a safety and moments later on 3rd and long Newton completed a 50-yard bomb to Kelvin Benjamin. Overall it created a 5-point swing and gave Carolina a 9-6 lead late in the fourth.
Usually when you have such a list of missed opportunities, you lose a football game. Seattle found a way to win — and that’s exactly what they needed to do to get this season back on track.
Wilson didn’t have his best game overall but when it mattered — he produced a huge drive. The winning touchdown to Luke Willson was inch perfect, the overall drive reminiscent of the one Aaron Rodgers produced recently to beat Miami. The top QB’s in the game, when given an opportunity to drive for the win, usually get it done. Wilson was robbed of the chance last week because of the fake punt in St. Louis. He made the Panthers pay this time.
The other big positive was a major improvement to the pass rush. Seattle had a lot of success pressing Newton — forcing an interception for Marcus Burley on one productive rush and ending the game with two Bruce Irvin sacks. Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril had better games. Brandon Mebane also had a vital sack in the fourth quarter.
I’ll watch the game again in the week to study if there’s anything obvious Seattle did differently. They were playing a banged up line with four UDFA’s starting for Carolina. Left tackle Byron Bell was also in and out of the game with an injury. It’s still a positive sign — and Seattle aren’t facing elite offensive linemen in the next fortnight (vs Oakland, New York Giants).
An underrated aspect of the win? Greg Olsen was invisible. Whether it’s because he was asked to do more blocking with a dodgy line, who knows? Tight ends have had success against Seattle recently and he’s a dangerous weapon. Benjamin had a day against the LOB, but Olsen was a total non-factor.
Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood also had an impact, which was good to see. However, one lingering problem remains and could still be addressed before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Seahawks are not a good red zone offense, especially when time is tight. When they can’t run because of the clock, they don’t have a single red zone target who creates a distinct mismatch. Who can they throw a fade to? Who can they stick on a linebacker and deliberately overthrow to challenge the receiver? Kudos to Willson for making the big play late on — but so far he’s not provided a red zone threat. Neither has the injured Zach Miller.
Look at the way Newton could throw the ball to an area where only Benjamin could get it. He did this several times even with Sherman in coverage. Benjamin dropped a red zone target in the first half on one of those occasions.
The Seahawks need this type of receiver and that is why they’re reportedly looking at Vincent Jackson.
The dynamic of this offense will receive a huge boost if Wilson gets that red zone target. It’s not about getting a pure #1 who can put up 120 yards every week. It’s about finishing drives and turning 0-3 points into seven. They’d probably use Jackson more like a glorified joker tight end. I appreciate a lot of fans want to focus on both lines — I get it. But whatever happens, this is going to be a priority whether it’s before Tuesday or in the off-season. They are going to go after either a big-time tight end or a tall, physical wide out. Why else are they even considering Jackson? Why else did they ask about the top tight ends in the game when trying to deal Harvin?
Continuing issues in the red zone today plus Tampa Bay’s agonizing loss at home to Minnesota could be the catalyst to a deal. We’ll see. Despite all the reports nobody is saying it’s likely — plus other teams like Philadelphia and New England are also said to be interested. They might feel it’s their best bet to get a big target — who really believes Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron will hit the open market? And there aren’t many options in the draft.
If you missed the chatter on Marshawn Lynch earlier, check out this morning’s piece. Perhaps the most interesting thing about it all is Ian Rapoport hinting — on more than one occasion — that Seattle will draft a running back early in the 2015 draft.
We pulled it out!! Would have been hard to turn the season around if we lost this one in my opinion.
It was could to see Bruce get some sacks at the end, maybe we should use him more as a rusher.
Another frustrating game, though I’m happy they came away with the win.
Frustrating because you can see the potential. This game was only close because Seattle couldn’t get out of their own way.
The injuries are infuriating. The missed turnovers are ridiculous.
I thought the offense was much improved. Looked like they continued the game plan from the second half of the Rams game.
Oh, and many of us on SDB were pining for Benjamin before the draft. He sure would look go on our roster right now. Dude’s legit.
Go Eagles!
Benjamin made that ridiculous grab to extend their scoring drive to take the lead BUT he also dropped an easy catch for a touchdown in the first half. He’s a big bodied guy who looks the part, but the Hawks front office has shown a preference for sure hands over everything.
Serious question – have they shown that preference? Kearse and Lockette have both had drop issues in their careers and kept on the roster and Golden Tate (best hands on the team last year) was let go in FA.
Any coach wants a receiver with reliable hands, but they will take the occasional drop as long as they make big plays.
Good point. Paul Richardson wasn’t exactly the known for never dropping passes in college. He seemed to always have his fair share of drops per game from the tape I watched. He had one of the higher drop rates of the receivers drafted at 8.89%, but it wasn’t as high as Benjamin’s whopping 9.68%.
That said I think the FO will take a chance on high drop rate guys only if they bring unique talents to the table difficult to find elsewhere. PRich being case in point. Kearse and Lockette were UDFAs so didn’t require any draft capital so they earned their way on the roster by showing they’d gotten past that.
Benjamin so far has had his share of drops in the pros, it’s really what’s holding him back from being a far better receiver.
I would prefer a Benjamin over Prich. Sometimes conventional wisdom has it’s merits. Just the threat of having Benjamin in the red zone changes everything for this offense as rob points out above. Perhaps in this next draft the FO should not get so cute with the pick. Benjamin has his warts but no one on the roster has that skillset
I think the sheer number of picks Seattle will have in 2015 will negate the need to move around as much.
Rob – speaking of the 15 Draft – are we looking to be closer to 10 picks or 12 as things stand now(ish)?
Yes absolutely. Plenty of comp picks on the way.
Btw I would have preferred Bitonio rather than Benjamin (both conventional wisdom picks) and it’s interesting reading thru the blog how a Bitonio pick in hindsight seems to answer the okung questions/speculation. Again the early round picking hasn’t been stellar for this FO since that first draft. Next years draft will be really interesting
I can only guess, but Bitonio would have probably been a guard in this offense, albeit a good starting guard. I think cable felt confident enough in the play of Carpenter and Sweezy (he predicted their 2014 season to be the best guard duo in the league) that it would have been only a small upgrade, if at all year 1.
In hindsight, a WR and right tackle were both very smart picks. A tight end would have been good as well.
Bitonio could’ve played left tackle long term, could’ve been a stalwart at guard or even played right tackle. Terrific player.
Seems like the Sherman or Thomas of last year would’ve just batted that ball down, the safer play. Would’ve never allowed them into FG range.
I’m not sure, it was a great play by Benjamin.
It was a great catch by Kelvin, but MOSTLY it was a horrible play by our top paid player Richard Sherman. He not only had the position for the pick, or knock down, but let that completion happen. Go watch it slow mo, he messed up, period. At very least that should have been an incompletion. This teams problem isn’t race or Harvin, it’s arrogance! He thinks so highly of himself now that the pick was all that mattered. That’s inside his head… and that’s a problem.
I think this is a bit of an overreaction Paul. Even if he did mess up, it’s one play. Russell Wilson also had the duck throw to Helfet that cost points. I don’t think we should expect the stars on this team to be flawless. Most teams don’t even throw at Sherman.
As much as I love RW he can be a frustrating player to watch. Hall of fame type of plays followed by horrifying stretches. I think he’s near elite but not quite as consistent as what you’d expect from elite. He will get paid and we’ll be happy when he’s locked up long term, but as this becomes more and more his team, his consistency must improve. I don’t think he’s at Peyton’s or Rodgers level (sorry Brock) but more at the upper romo level right now.
I was at the game and Sherman was the best player on the field. That play was a killer but it was reminiscent of the romo to Williams play. Malcolm smith had a decent game so it’s surprising that he is just now getting some snaps. The 12th man was in the house for sure.
Totally disagree. Sherm played it fine. Earl was the one who blew it. Watch it again. All Earl had to do was come underneath and it’s an easy knockdown. Instead he inexplicably goes to the backside as if the ball will magically pass through both players and he will get a pick. He has to knock that one away.
I agree with you – it looked like Sherm was going for the pick – he could have knocked it down. I’m glad it wasn’t the difference in the game.
I’m not sure about drafting a running back high next year. After all, aren’t running backs fairly disposable, with short life spans and a history of not really being the best uses of early draft picks? Also, aren’t our rebuilding projects on both lines a higher priority at this point?
The D-line is definitely the priority. However, they might be able to do some work in free agency there. And considering the only starter on the OL who might need replacing is Carpenter (and he might be re-signed, or they might start Bailey) — it does open up the possibility of at least considering a RB if you think that guy is special enough. I tend to agree on the disposable aspect of RB’s, but there’s also no doubting the talent of Gurley and Gordon.
Do you really think the o line need only replace Carpenter? Okung is injury prone, he is out of the line up to often, and his pass blocking not great. Britt doesn’t look like he is the answer at right guard. Sweazy has always graded poorly. They need to retool the entire o line with the exception of Unger.
I agree, I think the line needs more upgrading than Carpenter because they’re certainly not getting value out of paying Okung 11 mil a year for his mediocre and unreliable play at left tackle. But I think the only way to upgrade that position is through FA so there has to be a decent replacement available there to get rid of Okung.
While Britt’s play hasn’t been stellar at least he’s a rookie that we know we can count on vast improvement and he does shine on enough plays to show the promise of blossoming into an anchor at right tackle. Sweezy has been a below average guard his career thus far and this year has been no different. Seeing how this is his 3rd year I’m not sure we can expect any more upside out of him, this is very likely at or close to his ceiling, but with Carp and Okung requiring immediate attention I’m not sure much can be done about Sweezy. Plus he’s been cheap on his UDFA rookie deal.
What did Okung do wrong today?
His salary next year is $7m.
He missed the block on several plays literally whiffed then stopped playing and didn’t look for another block. No he didn’t have any penalties but that doesn’t mean he had a good game. Kung for more than 3 to 5 million is too much
It might have been his poorest pass blocking game of the year. One of his missed blocks resulted in Wilson getting sacked.
He’s been conceding close to two hurries a game, including the last one, which is too much IMO for a guy who’s supposed to be the veteran LT anchor. It’s expected that Britt will be giving up hurries already, as he’s averaging closer to 3. The guards have been closer to giving up closer to one per game.
Consider that for every hurry that means Wilson bailing on the pocket early which impedes his development.
Sweezey was a 7th rounder and has been the only consistent element on the line since he was drafted. A 7th rounder who is a D Line convert starting every game since his first game is been below average. I think a lot of you don’t know that much about true line scheme and assignments. If we could sit and watch the all 22 where you point out exactly why he is below average then maybe I cpuld be convinced. Until then, I think you all are way wrong. Sweezey is a solid right guard…
Ask and ye shall receive.
http://www.fieldgulls.com/2014/10/27/7078303/j-r-sweezys-really-mean-pancake-block
Agreed, but I think nothing happens with okung. They’ll probably go with the devil they know and worry about it later. They have to get a pass rusher somehow, someway, somewhere
I’d value a pass rusher over replacing Okung, but ‘if’ they can possibly trade him for a TE or pick, AND if they feel they have/or find a replacement, then that money could be used more effectively.
Man do I wish they drafted bitonio
Whew – big win on the road! I know there is all this locker room talk crap – but they needed this!
But I wonder if Russell heard too much of the chatter this week. He was pressing all game – and left some big plays on the field. And that red zone passing game – yikes! Why not run the ball a bit more when you had them on their heels? Empty back field and all split out – do we all know it is going to be a pass??? Can we try and make the d wonder what we’ll do?
Overall, I’m glad that the D played well and looked to be more themselves – maybe it was because the Panthers o-line was injured, or maybe some good schemes – but they needed that!
Our D played horribly in the first half. They started looking ‘normal for us’ in the second half.
They looked like a JV team in the first half. Every play but I think 2 had good positive yardage!
Finally Kam hit a guy, and we got some turnovers. We need a major player on our D-line!
Yeah I agree. First have horrid, second half they looked like the good old hungry D of old where if you get a play on them they don’t care how it tastes and come back saying give me some more.
They weren’t great – but 6 points at halftime – that is pretty good defense even if they made mistakes
Once again I’ll be hoping for a big reciever, either a tight end or wide reciever with the first round pick. Rob you are right on with the red zone issue. I’m already shopping for the perfect fit.. 6’4″ +, 220#’s, and jumping ability…. Speed is a plus but not a deal breaker. On that note, what would it cost to get VJ? A 6th would be awesome. Strait up trade for Harvin.
I think to get Jackson the least it’ll take is a 2015 or 2016 third rounder. Tampa Bay don’t have to deal him after all. He’s not a problem like Harvin. They’re really looking for a good pick to aid a rebuild. It’ll be up to Seattle I’d guess to consider whether they want to spend a mid-rounder like that on a player. On the one hand, they can’t afford another mishap on a veteran WR. On the other, he could take this offense to a new level.
But what about salary considerations? On top of a 3rd, do you think the team would be willing to shoulder VJ’s entire 12 mil a year salary? That sounds pretty steep.
I believe because of the trade he’d get $9.8m. None of it dead. So they could work on bringing it down.
iheard today that the hawks arent happy with lynch. any chance of a trade with tb vj for ml? not that im for it, but was just curious.
nice to see the pass rush get goin today!! nice that irvin had a big day. happy for him! go hawks
No that wouldn’t happen. With most clubs destined to a bottom of the league losing season like Tampa Bay are looking at rebuilding the following year. The purpose to move on from high-priced players is to get draft picks which are younger and cheaper than veterans and are more in line with the goals of the future.
Lynch, a veteran himself, costs $8m next year and may even hold out for a longer term contract if he doesn’t get extended.
Lynch, despite all the issues, is too important to trade.
I was a big fan of drafting Kelvin Benjamin just for his red zone abilities. But now, I think we should create a red zone package that includes Norwood and Phil Bates. They both have big bodies to block and screen off defenders. And they both have demonstrated good ability to use big, strong hands and good athleticism to high point contested balls in traffic.
I expect our high round picks to be invested in DL talent. OL looks weak until mid rounds. I have high hopes for Gary Gilliam. He has the length and quick feet to possibly develop into a good to great tackle. He needs more upper body strength. Any thoughts???
I think that JS/PC see an off season opportunity. This opportunity will help the defense for years to come. We need cap room to reward our QB Russell Wilson, but we also need cap space to sign this superstar defender.
To make room for RW and this player, we need to cut the fat off the bone…
Marshawn Lynch GONE: traded or cut, we save 8.5 million/7 million…
Russell Okung GONE: traded or cut, we save 7.28 million/5 million…
If Unger can’t get and stay healthy, maybe he is gone… 3.4 million saved…
All for who???
Ndamukong Suh!!!
He is a nutty player sometimes, but he also would make our Seattle D fierce and consistent for years.
I would sacrifice Lynch & Okung for him EASILY! He would be a game changer!!!
Imagine Suh in the middle w/ Mebane & Bennett. We could fix the D-line in one stroke!
Ideas, thoughts?
Thank god you aren’t the Gm.
You do know SeaTown that Lynch, although a beast runner most of the time, is also a pain in the ass and will not be a Seahawk next year, right?
He might have been traded now if not for Derrick Coleman’s broken foot…
Suh sounds great on paper, but how do we know he won’t be the next Albert Haynesworth?
He is too feisty and nasty to be that. I think some of his antics on the field are ridiculous, but if you just pause for a moment and ‘imagine’ him on our D-line, I feel you will get a chill…
People said that about Harvin ‘imagine’ him in our offense look where that got us.
Suh has been a pain for the Lions just as Harvin was for Minny, why go down that path again?
I don’t get how Coleman’s injury would prevent you from trading Lynch if that’s what the FO wanted to do. Coleman’s a FB, an avg one at best.
Lynch is a bellcow RB that the offense along with RW3 revolves around.
So you have inside info that categorically proves that Lynch would have been traded if not for the Coleman broken foot? Please share…As for next year, well, that’s next year. I’m worried about the Raider game.
I believe it was Adam Schefter who reported that Lynch was not on the trading block, but the team might have been open to trading him if Coleman hadn’t broken his foot. Schefter’s report was widely repeated in subsequent reports including in the Seattle Times.
I think Gerald McCoy’s new deal will make it very difficult to sign Suh. Someone with a huge amount of cap and a 1st or second year QB will be able to throw mega money at him. I think it’d be a major upset if Okung is gone next year. It’d be creating an unnecessary problem, when you can tolerate your starting LT making $7m and playing in a contract year. But there are other defensive players you could add and the draft is good for pass rushers next year.
Agree with all the above, just so wary about trading high draft picks for veteran receivers. On every account it seems difficult if not impossible to integrate them into the offensive flow. On every account, they have not been worth what we gave up.
If anything, I’d go tight end over receiver, because we always need blocking. For some reason, PC&JS don’t seemed concerned with tall receivers (though they were a staple of Pete’s at USC).
The issue with Okung is he is hurt every year! I like the guy, and would like to keep him, but for that amount of money he just seems to produce average results. So draft another LT and try them.
Is there any other D-line free agent you guys would take?
Imagine if instead of Harvin, we got had signed Demarcus Ware. I know this is all in the past, but what defensive free agent do you see as a possible addition/target, if not Suh?
You are never one player away. One player does not make you dominant.
You have some very wild reactions.
Maybe Seattle should hire u, Martavis Bryant and Moncrief r tearing it up and u hyped them!
The awful RW pass to Helfet was a mechanics issue. On the play when it worked vs Green Bay, RW never tucked the ball, he had it in both hands, ready to throw. On the play today, he tucked it, had to get it back out, and didn’t get his fingers on the laces, producing a wobbler.
He shouldn’t have to get his fingers on the laces. I saw a spot, can’t remember where off the top of my head, where Wilson practices throwing using balls with no laces at all so he won’t have to depend on laces to get good throws off. Given the size of his hands too, it shouldn’t be a problem for him.
Totally agree with this. RW needs to be more consistent
It was a fast reaction and a very difficult throw. It was like throwing an easy 5 yard out. People need to relax on this play. Every QB makes mistakes and mishandles balls, it didn’t result in a crushing pick like Newton’s did. Would you rather he do that? Relax, RW is just fine
Dammit. It WASN’T like throwing an easy 5 yard out…
That was just a bad play on Wilson. If your QB is running a pass/run option play, the first read needs to be pass! For all the talk from Wilson that he is always looking to pass first, he’s had a few plays where he’s running before checking down field.
A much needed win today. Perhaps a turning point? We will see.
I can only speculate about the problems this year. But I get the feelings a couple of things might be happening.
1) JS and PC had a little too much confidence in their abilities to replace certain players with lower-paid replacements. Just hasn’t worked as well as they thought, and maybe they should have made other sacrifices to keep some of last year’s D in line. We lost some big guys, but also a lot of chemistry.
2)Last year RW wasn’t a phenom, he was a young qb playing over his head on a talented team. This year, from all indications, it’s RW’s team, as mandated by the coaches and the larger organization. As a cultural transition, it appears this is ruffling some feathers and possibly causing some discontent in the locker room. Maybe it’s even causing RW to press a little. Hopefully this settles down.
3) Injuries.
Altogether, we must just hope that getting this tough win instills some confidence that the team in its new configuration can succeed in this league. Hopefully, everyone buys in, and the Hawks continue the momentum.
Love the Merchant of Venice reference. This game really seemed to reflect our season so far in a nut shell.
I was thinking the same thing. Missed opportunities on both sides of the ball, RW pulling off a few wow plays, and guys trying to make the splash play instead of the smart play (Sherman). Hopefully two weeks at home will be what it takes to get things back on track.
Pretty big week for rookie WR’s
Sammy Watkins 3/157 TD
Donte Moncrief 7/113 TD
Martavius Bryant 5/83 2tds
John Brown 5/119 GW TD
The john brown gw reception was as inexcusable a catch as I’ve ever seen.
its been fun watching these rookie receivers have success – short, tall, slow, fast, physical, finesse..as a draft fan it’s been educational to see such a wide range of style of play make an impact.
Vincent Jackson has 26 catches with 65 targets this year, which is horrible.. you’d have to look at the individual attempts to assign blame to that I guess. At 4-3 and among the NFL’s toughest schedules, being realistic, I’m not sure I’d take on both the salary and the rumored compensation to acquire him.
Now, Chris Clemons, assuming Jags are comfortable enough with their jobs to trade talent for picks, might be a more affordable way to address a need. He shouldn’t be worth much for 9 games on no remaining guaranteed money beyond 2014, paying about $2.5 million of his money this year.
If Vjac was willing to re-work his contract, I’d be willing to trade him for a 2016 3rd pick which has been the rumored offered, but without a new contract I don’t see the benefit of signing another receiver to a receiver corp which is just now seeing progress and with needs next year in free agency.
We are talking about the number 1 & 2 defense’s from last year going at each other and it was as the other 2 games played before. Low scoring and very close. So I’d say probably we end half this season with a 5-3 record. I like to say we seem to be in the same position last year as far as injuries. That’s ok we have 2 games at home to help get those veterens healthy and the rookies get the experience they need. The next man up right. Seattle received its 1st illegal contact penalty by Kam in this game. I thought they pushed that penalty quite hard because of our LOB. The offensive line needs to work on the discipline and clean up the penalties. We also need a little luck that the ball starts to bounce our way when players like Smith punches one out. It’s something that happened quite a bit last year but not so much this year. I have hope that we will continue to build momentum like last year as the team started to gel together. In the second half of this season their going to need it with 5 of those 8 games being our tough division rivals. Go Hawks!
Few things Rob.
1. Our team injuries always seem high. Do you think the “always compete” mantra has helped us get to the top, but will start to hinder us because every practice is like a game
2. Pete is a players coach, is it time to tweak a little and get some discipline. I don’t want him to change, but let’s start holding people accountable so all these penalties don’t cost us games
3. I love what Lynch brought this team in the beginning, but it’s time. Our victories rely on Wilson now. Turbin isn’t Lynch, he is more of a pass catcher and decent runner. If we can get a 2nd or 3rd, I’m in.
4. While VJack would be great, we have some young talent at WR and Kearse has shown the ability to go up and get those deep balls.
5. What we need is Oline (last year for Okung and Unger) and Dline (need DT and last year for Avril) help. Impossible to get Suh, but it would be nice
1.) Injuries were not high last year or 2012 compared to league averages.
2.) The penalties aren’t getting cleaned up. You are what you are.
3.) Trading Lynch isn’t an option now, with only Cmike and Turbin on the roster.
4.) Jermaine Kearse is not Vincent Jackson. At all.
5.) Why is this Unger’s last year? This makes no sense. Don’t create unnecessary holes.